Not again..... good Lord.

As is usually the case when I have an unexpected large loss, I had a gain this week. I detest when that happens. I am at the very upper limit for what WW considers maintaining goal weight (there's a little leeway available), but I want to be under that limit -- preferably at or under goal weight. So my happy butt is going to work extra hard this week to make sure that happens.

At least my thyroid test was normal. My heart rate monitor came in and works great. And my new MP3 player arrived today.

And my godchild turned 12 today. Good Lord, when did I ever get so old??

The wages of hard work....

is a FIVE-pound loss. OOH RAH!!!!!! I am definitely sticking with the exercise bike for at least 2-3 times per week. I found that I enjoyed the workout, I know I got something out of it and it's something I can do in any weather. Did I sweat? Drenched within the first 5 minutes, most days. Did it feel good? Yeah. Really, it did. I absolutely hated getting sweaty as a child. I just didn't like the sensation. I don't know what it was, but it made me feel icky and yucky and ewwwwy. Now, I could care less. Bring it on.

I will be out of town this weekend -- I figure I will end up mostly walking for exercise. I might see if my cousin or his wife will join me. I'm scared to ask him -- he's a career Navy guy and he may flat wipe the road up with me!!! I haven't seen my cousin in about 5 years, so I am thrilled to be visiting them. I'm also looking forward to the fresh fish from the lake.... Mmmm, broiled or grilled fish with a little lemon pepper..... SLURP! Hopefully, there's a grocery store near them where I can pick up some veggies and fruits, or at least salad mix.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing Fourth, making good choices all the way around (food, fun, activity, festivities), and I hope yours is just as good.

*** Oh, before I forget: quick update on the medical stuff. The FSH test came back just fine. So this morning, they drew more bloodwork (sigh) for a TSH/T4 (thyroid) test. Interesting choice for a test, but I'm not the doctor. We'll see what it says. I laughed when they told me because I had just scheduled my dog for a thyroid checkup himself the next day (he has hypothyroidism). His test came back fine, and I hope mine does too.

Kicking my butt a million ways -- all good ones!

So, last week, my leader and I agreed that I would do less all-walking this week and try the exercise bike 3-4 days this week. And I have done just that -- at least 25 minutes at a time, most of the time, 30 minutes. I can attest to a few things:

1. The bike makes me break out sweating much sooner and for much longer.
2. My stamina is getting better with the bike -- I'm not totally dying after the first few minutes.
3. It is helping take the weight back off! I did just a little self-check this morning, and I was back down very close to goal...... WHEW!!!!

Let's just hope that holds out until the official weigh-in in about 21 hours. I did 30 minutes tonight to a good mix of tunes (started with "Humans Being" and ended about halfway through "Life Is a Rock") and really enjoyed myself.

I can see me keeping this in the exercise rotation........... I'm still walking in the early mornings, but just a mile -- long enough for Maddox to get his time in, and just enough time that I am not going berserk trying to get ready.

New playlist!

You can (if you are supremely bored) go over to my Meanderings & Musings blog and read all about my travails today with my MP3 player. Trust me, I ought to print it up as the cure for insomnia.

But I do have a new playlist worked up! I will comment only on the newer songs I have added -- I thought of a few others, and took out most of the undecideds.

• ABC (Jackson 5) -- oh, like you didn't see this one coming after this weekend.
• Ain't Wasting Time No More
• Alive & Kicking
• All Fired Up
• All Over the World (ELO) -- Well, I was going through my list and thought it would be good enough for both walking and for biking.
• Are You Ready?
• Batdance (Prince) -- yeah, it's a little long and shifting tempos, but I was listening to it a few times this weekend and thinking "Why not?"
• Born to Run
• Brand New Lover
• Break My Stride (Matthew Wilder) -- a song I had forgotten I even had in the ol' library. Well worth the addition.
• Cool the Engines
• Easy Lover (Philip Bailey w/Phil Collins) -- yes, I actually have Collins making an appearance on my machinery. Another great gem from the mid-80s.
• Feelin' Satisfied (Boston) -- if I was going to delete one Boston tune, I needed another to take its place, and this one just seemed to work.
• Hearts on Fire
• Hips Don't Lie (Shakira) -- it's the beat, man. Get a little hip action in while I'm walking, or else some upper body "merengue" moves if I'm on the bike. Yeah, I've watched the Zumba DVD a little too much, huh?
• How Do I Make You (Linda Ronstadt) -- I had forgotten about this one too. Critics dismissed her "LA Punk" phase, but I liked this one particular cut.
• Humans Being
• I Want You Back
• James Dean
• Jealous Again
• Journey To The Center Of Your Mind
• Keep Yourself Alive
• Leave It
• Life Is A Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)
• Mighty Mighty (Earth Wind & Fire) -- since I took off "Boogie Wonderland" I also felt I needed to replace it with another of theirs. Oooh.... I could have also used "Sing A Song" ... now why did I think of that sooner? Darn it! Anyway, this is a great tune, and I love most of their stuff anyway.
• Misty Mountain Hop
• Need You Tonight
• Off the Wall (Michael Jackson) -- again, I was driven to this one by the weekend's events. But it's one of his best early solo pieces, and besides, I've heard "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" this weekend until I wasn't about to download that one.
• One Fine Morning (Lighthouse) -- a good song that I've grown to like in the last few weeks. That early-70s fusion of horns and rock that reached its commercial strength in early Chicago recordings, as well as Blood Sweat & Tears. Which reminds me.... I'd put on "And When I Die" if the darn tempo didn't change 40 times during the song.
  
• Ooh Child
• Party
• Peace Frog
• Play Something Sweet
• Pop Life (Prince) --- the one off the actual album, instead of the one from a compilation that was the weird dance mix. 3:47 beats 6:12 in lots of ways!
  
• Ray of Light
• Real Wild Child (Wild One)
• Redneck Friend
• Rock & Roll is King
• Roll With It (Steve Winwood) -- I've been on a Windwood kick the last few days at work. Listening to Rhapsody with lots of Blind Faith and Traffic (some great stuff too!!!!). Wonder how "Paper Sun" would work on this list? Hope I don't get a "Hole In My Shoe".......
• Runner
• Running With the Night
• Sexyback
• Shining Star
• Sirius (Alan Parsons Project) -- on further review, I really ought to pair it with "Eye In the Sky" for better flow, but I just didn't think "Eye" would have worked. I may change my mind.
• Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves
• Smooth (Santana w/Rob Thomas) -- yeah, probably a little B2AC by now, but I like it and it works.
• Some Like It Hot
• Stone In Love
• Suicide Blonde
• The One Thing
• The Voice (Moody Blues) -- a good replacement for "Gemini Dream"
• There's Only One Way To Rock
• Under Pressure
  
• Vacation
• Vehicle (fixed that bad tag, finally!)
• Vogue
• Wanna Be Startin' Something (Michael Jackson) -- I had to.
• Well All Right
• Werewolves of London
• West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys) -- I don't know why but it just struck me to put this one on the list. So I did.
  
• Whatever Gets You Through the Night
• Who Do You Love? (George Thorogood) -- for the moments during a workout when I dream of a Sam Adams Light (and I don't even like beer!)
• Winning
• Xanadu (Olivia Newton-John) -- it's a guilty pleasure. And if I decide to take up roller-skating, I'll be well-prepared..... HAAAA!

There may be a couple more that I throw back in there..... but I also think I'll wait a few days. At least until the newer MP3 player arrives.

• 
  

Mixing up the Music.

It's definitely time to shake up the workout routine --- I have a feeling I am going to become much better acquainted with Butt-Crack O'Dawn. I especially like BCOD this time of year; in the winter, she becomes a real witch. And it's also time to shake up my workout music.

I haven't really done much to the ol' MP3 player in ages. I've added a few new songs here and there, but it's time to go through the songs I have on there and prune out what isn't working, what I'm so tired of that I automatically hit forward, and what is getting me moving these days.

So in order by title:

• (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again - LTD: Gone. It's been on there forever, and I like the song, but I am beyond tired of it.
• (Get Up I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine - James Brown: Gone. Ditto.
• A Man I'll Never Be - Boston: Gone. Love the song, and ever since Brad Delp's untimely death, it's taken on a greater poignancy for me. But workout-friendly (WF), it is not.
• Ah! Leah! - Donnie Iris: Undecided. I like the song, and it's quasi-good for a workout. But it's one I skip over more often than not. It will probably go, but I'm on the fence.
• Ain't Wasting Time No More - Allman Brothers Band. Stay. Love the song, love the message, and it's good for a warm-up or cool-down.
• Alive & Kicking - Simple Minds. Undecided. It actually works pretty good, but another one where it's been on there a while and so....
• All Fired Up - Pat Benatar. Stay. I had it on a long time ago, took it off, and realized I needed it back. Good message song, great beat for a workout, and I like it lots.
  
• Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix. Gone. Love the song but again, not terribly WF.
  
• Are You Ready - Pacific Gas & Electric. Stay. Love it, and the beat is WF. A good underrated song altogether, and I'm hooked on it lately.
• Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty. Gone. Not really WF and I skip it 90% of the time because I'm tired of it.
  
• Bitch - Rolling Stones. Gone. Beat is WF, but one that has been on so long I'm tired of it.
• Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wind & Fire. Gone. I love EWF more than you'd believe, but this is another "been on so long I'm tired of it." Sorry, fellas......
• Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train - The Tractors. Gone. I like the song, and it's quasi WF, but again: tired of it.
• Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen. Stay. You'll notice a recurring and semi-scary theme in a lot of these "stay" songs. This one stays.
• Brand New Lover - Dead or Alive. Undecided. Great WF beat, I love the sassiness of the song, and I love reminders of the 80s. This one will most likely stay, but just in case.....
• Cigarettes & Alcohol - Rod Stewart. Gone. I had taken this off, and put it back on later. Now I wonder why. I like the song, but it just doesn't move me like I thought it might.
• Cool the Engines - Boston. Stay. Great song, WF beat, and I have long enjoyed it as a cool-down song. The length and beat is perfect for that! And I love Boston something fierce. Next!
• Cradle of Love - Billy Idol. Gone. Don't get me wrong: I love this song, it's WF, and it's got that swagger I adore. But I am skipping it more often than not, so it's time. But it will go in the "bring back later" pile.
• Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin. Gone. It's okay, but not really all that for a workout. Meh. Yeah, that's it: meh.
• Dancing in the Moonlight - King Harvest. Undecided. I love this song. It's not exactly WF. But it's one of those songs from my childhood that makes me happy, and I'm not sure if that's good enough reason to keep it around.
• Dazz - Brick. Gone. I like the song, but I'm tired of it.
• Deeper & Deeper - The Fixx. Gone. That one is tough to part with, but it's time. I just need a change, and the space on the MP3 player.
• Dixie Chicken - Little Feat. Gone. Another tough one to let go, but honestly, not very WF except for a warm-up or cool-down, and I have enough of those already.
  
• War - Edwin Starr (in this position only due to a tagging error). Gone. I love this song for so many reasons. God knows, the content is as relevant in 2009 as it was in 1970 (good Lord! 39 years?) And it's a very WF song. But I tend to skip it about half the time, so .......
• Eruption/You Really Got Me - Van Halen. Gone. I have skipped this about 90% of the time. What I need is a playlist called "Interstate Driving Songs" -- now this is a prime candidate for that!
• Every Little Thing - Carlene Carter. Undecided. I like the song, but again, I skip it more often than not. But it's just WF enough that I might keep it. Can't decide just yet.
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police. Gone. It pains me to even type that. I love this song in 2009 as much as I did in 1981, and to me, it sounds just as good as it did back then. But another one that I skip because I've had it on for so long that I don't think I can listen one more time and really enjoy it. When a song you love becomes background music, that's a sign you need to put it away for a while.
• Everybody Dance - Ta Mara & the Seen. Gone. I love the song, and a nice little reminder of my high school days. The beat is WF, but it's just not..... mooooooooooving me. Hard to explain.
  
• Far Cry - Rush. Gone. Love the song, good beat, and all. Again, just not moving me like it should in a workout. Great song, though.
• Move Over - Janis Joplin (another tagging error puts it here). Undecided. Love the song, but it isn't reaching me like I thought it might. So probably gone, but need to really think about it.
• Gemini Dream - Moody Blues. Gone. Another song I love and a little bit of personal memory for me (another story for the main blog). But it's time to go. However, I might replace it with one of its album-mates, "The Voice." (Another FINE song!)
• Go Faster - Black Crowes. Undecided. Love it, it's WF, and it can be motivating if I'm in the right frame of mind. But I can take or leave it right now. It may stay.... I don't know.
• Hair of the Dog - Nazareth. Gone. All I can see is the Geico gecko driving a little toy car into his "Employee of the Month" parking space. Sorry, that killed it for me.
• Hearts on Fire - Randy Meisner. Undecided. I like it an awful lot, but it's at a skip rate of about 50%. When I do listen to it, it reminds me why I have it on here in the first place. But not sure if that's reason enough to keep it.
• Home and Dry - Gerry Rafferty. Gone. I love the song, but no need for it here. Not a WF beat, and it's just not doing it for me.
• Humans Being - Van Halen. Stay. A new addition, and GREAT for a workout. You know, I have some thoughts on "Van Halen" (with DLR) vs. "Van Hagar" but again, that's for the main blog. It stays.
• I Feel Free - Cream. Undecided. Love the song, and another one that gets skipped probably more than it should. But when I do listen, I love it. Not exactly a pumping workout beat, but......
• I Want to Break Free - Queen. Gone. I am a big fan of Queen and miss Freddie Mercury dearly, but this isn't doing it for me as far as workouts. So......
• I Want You Back - Jackson 5. Stay. When I started this particular post, Michael Jackson was still among the living; so this kind of has a little special sparkle now..... Anyway, for the youngsters out there (born after 1983), at one time, Michael Jackson wasn't a freakshow (see any of the specials they'll run from now till Christmas). He was nothing less than an amazing talented little ball of fire. This is from that time. I may also add "ABC" (another great J5 song) and "The Love You Save" ..... all very WF. **Plus, I love the Special K commercial from a couple of years ago where the teen daughter took her mom's old jeans and this song was used as the mom worked her way back to the smaller size, and then grabbed the jeans from her daughter and said, "Not so fast....." That's motivating! RIP, Michael. I hate that the last 20 years were more well known for the weirdness instead of your HUGE talent.
  
• I've Got A Rock & Roll Heart - Eric Clapton. Gone. Dagger to my heart. I love this song, but it's just not cutting it for workouts. Big le sigh.
• Invisible - Alison Moyet. Gone. Good song, but just not cutting it for the workouts.
• It's In the Way That You Use It - Eric Clapton. Gone. Good song, good beat, but again, just not doing it for me. Sorry.
• Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy. Gone. Love the song, but it's been on too long. I need to take it off for a while then put it on again at a later time.
• James Dean - The Eagles. Undecided. Love the song, but another skip rate of > 50%. When I do listen, I love it, but it's kind of take-or-leave right now.
• Jealousy - Black Crowes. Stay. Even though I've had this on forever, I think it will stay. Something about the swagger makes me keep it around, even though the beat is just a wee bit slower than I would normally like in a workout song.
• Jive Talkin' - Bee Gees. Gone. I thought this would be a good addition, but it's just not moving me like I imagined it would.
  
• Journey to the Center of the Mind - Amboy Dukes. Stay. Love the song, can't explain why it's working for me right now, but I'm not messing with it.
• Keep Yourself Alive - Queen. Stay. Good workout beat. I tend to skip on occasion, but not that often, and I'm not going to take it out of the rotation just yet.
• Leave It - Yes. Stay. I have loved this song since 1984, and I see no reason to remove it. The beat is a bit slower than I would normally like, but you know..... I'll call it interval training. Yeah! That's it!
• Let Me Love You Tonight - Pure Prairie League. Gone. Love the song, and it was the first time I ever heard Vince Gill (before he hit it really big on his own). Great if I'm shag-dancing -- and for non-South Carolinians, the shag is our official state dance, but it's not what you think. But for a workout, nah..... not cutting it.
• Life Is A Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) - Reunion. Stay. Love it. Nuff said.
• Lights Out - Peter Wolf. Gone. Like it but it's got a high skip rate. So....
• Love Will Find A Way - Pablo Cruise. Undecided. I love this song, and it has an okay WF beat..... but I tend to skip it. Hmm. What to do....
• Lovefool - The Cardigans. Gone. Most likely. I had it on here quite a while back, took it off, put it back on ..... and it's just Meh for me.
  
• Midnight at the Oasis - Maria Muldaur. Gone. I'm not even sure why I have it on here. It's okay for a cooldown, but really.....
• Misty Mountain Hop - Led Zeppelin. Stay. WF if I'm doing stationary bike, a little less so for walking, a little good for a jog section..... So it stays.
• Need You Tonight - INXS. Stay. Michael Hutchence will always have a place on my MP3 player. Rowr. That man was sex on a mic. (Okay, who turned off the A/C?)
• Never Been Any Reason - Head East. Undecided. I've had it on here a while, and I don't want familiarity to breed contempt. But.... I love it. AARGH.
• New York Groove - Ace Frehley. Undecided. It's a good beat for walking, less so for biking. Gotta ponder these last two.....
• No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper. Gone. I love the song, don't get me wrong, and the beat is pretty WF. But another where it's time to come off the rotation.
• Oh Yeah - Yello. Undecided. Okay, DEFINITELY a WF-beat. But after about a minute of it (usually the 3rd chicka-chick-AH!), I'm ready to move on.
• On and On - Stephen Bishop. Gone. Much like "Midnight at the Oasis," I don't know why I have this one on here. I like the song, but it gets skipped in my workouts, so.....
• Ooh Child - The Five Stairsteps. Stay. I know -- definitely not a WF beat. But the message. Oh my...... I have to have it there for just that reason. A great pick-up for when I need to remind myself that it's all worth it. And for that alone, it stays.
• Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin. Gone. Love the song, don't get me wrong. But it's not good for a workout, with all the tempo changes. I need something with a little more consistent beat. But again, a great song.
• Party - Boston. Stay. Good beat, but I do need to make my own edit to take out that slow intro and start with the electric guitar.
• Peace Frog - The Doors (without "Blue Sunday"). Stay. The beat, that's why.
• Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues) - Three Dog Night. Stay. A recent addition, and while the beat's a little slower it's still uptempo enough for me to keep going at a moderate pace. And it makes me smile too.
• Pop Life (Fresh Dance Mix) - Prince. Gone. Love the 1986 single of this, but I'm trying to remember how I got this mix .... because I am less than crazy about it. The 1986 "radio edit" (ha) might go back on here, but this one is outta here.
• Pump Up The Volume - M/A/R/R/S. Undecided. This one is actually a 12" remix (the Colourbox remix). Great, but goes a little long for my liking. If I find the 1987 single as it was played on radio, that would go back here -- awesome consistent beat, perfect for working out!
• Radioactive - The Firm. Gone. Love it, but it's not doing anything for me. :(
  
• Ray of Light - Madonna. Stay. If ever there were a beat that was WF, it's this! And it's a good song, too.
• Real Wild Child - Iggy Pop. Stay. Of course.... good beat, love the song, so why not?
• Redneck Friend - Jackson Browne. Stay. I love this song too much to let it go.....
• Remedy - Black Crowes. Gone. I like the song, but getting tired of it.
• Renegade - Styx. Gone. Another one that I like but need to take out of rotation. I have a feeling that's the reason for so many of my "gone" list.
• Rock & Roll - Led Zeppelin. Undecided. Like the song, and I'm finally able to hear it without thinking of Cadillacs...... but I'm kind of "meh" on it for workouts. Driving down the interstate is another story (heh heh heh).
• Rock & Roll Is King - ELO. Stay. Good beat, short but not too short. What rock and roll really used to be ....3 minutes of joy.
• Rock Star - Nickelback. Gone. Was on, then off, and I put it back on.... no idea why. I mean, I like it, but WF it is not.
• Rock the Casbah - The Clash. Gone. Needs rotating out.
• Rock You Like A Hurricane - The Scorpions. Gone. Ditto.
• Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh. Gone. Yet another needs to be out.
• Romeo's Tune - Steve Forbert. Undecided. I love this song, I'm not tired of it, but it is good for warm-up/cool-down and that's about it.
• Runner - Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Stay. A slow start, but it picks up pace. Ha, much like a runner, right? This song actually makes me consider running.
• Running on Empty - Jackson Browne. Stay. One, it's the story of my life since .... oh, somewhere around 1984? I swear, there are days I do not know where I find it to keep moving. But more importantly, this is the song that always crops up in my "running dream" - so why wouldn't I keep it?
• Running with the Night - Lionel Richie. Stay. Sense the theme here?
• Sexyback - Justin Timberlake. Stay. It's the beat. The swagger. I can walk on this one and sashay my hips and get a little extra oomph in the walk (that is, if no one is with me). And I can shadowbox to it as I walk, for some arm action. Yeah. It stays.
• Shining Star - Earth Wind & Fire. Stay. Same as "Ooh Child" -- it's not the beat, it's the message.
• Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder. Gone. Love the song, but it's time for a rest.
• Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves - Annie Lennox & Aretha Franklin. Stay. Good beat. I like the message too. Oh, don't act so surprised.... hello? Anyway.
• Smoking Gun - Robert Cray. Gone. I love this song (this whole CD), but it isn't working with the overall picture here.
• Some Like It Hot - Power Station. Stay. The beat. Period. And remembering how smokin' HOT Robert Palmer was in the mid-to-late 80s. That man did more for suits than anyone... yow.
• Stone in Love - Journey. Stay. Good song, good beat, and I like it because it's not B2AC on the radio. Shout hallelujah for that reason alone.
• Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers' Wheel. Gone. Another good song that just isn't working here.
• Suicide Blonde - INXS. Stay. Beat. Beat. Beat. And another smokin' hot singer.... Michael Hutchence and Robert Palmer left us too young. Dang.
• The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy. Gone. I enjoy it but just a little too B2AC for me.
• The House Is Rockin' - Stevie Ray Vaughn. Stay. Good beat, just about the right length of song...... yeah.
• Vehicle - The Ides of March (here due to another tagging error). Undecided. I had been thinking of taking this one off, but it worked in tonight's bike workout. So it may just stay.
• The One Thing - INXS. Stay. Haven't we talked about them already? :D
• The Other Side - Aerosmith. Undecided. I had thought about taking this one off too because I'm quasi-tired of it. But it worked well during my last walk and tonight's bike-out. So... it may stay? I may substitute another Aerosmith song instead, though. Just gotta mull it over.
• There's Only One Way to Rock - Sammy Hagar. Stay. It's a good beat..... driving and just fast enough to make me work harder.
• Tom Sawyer - Rush. Gone. Oh I love this song, but not here.
• Tuckered Out - Clint Black. Gone. I thought it might work because it's got a fast tempo, but it's just .... not right. Not right for what I need. Oh well.
• Under Pressure - Bowie/Queen. Stay. Love the message. Love the tempo. It works whether I'm walking, biking, even (gasp) maybe running. It stays.
• Vacation - The Go-Go's. Stay. It's working for now. The other possible GG songs that I might switch this with would be "Turn To You" or "Head Over Heels" from '84. NOT "We Got The Beat" (total B2AC for me).
• Vogue - Madonna. Stay. It's working for now.
• Well All Right - Blind Faith. Stay. Love it, and it's working. A little slower-tempoed, but usually in a place when I need to bring it back down for some interval work. So it's staying.
  
• Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon. Stay. It does nothing for me workout-wise, but I love this too much to let it go.....
  
• What You Need - INXS. Undecided. This is the one INXS song I could take off and it wouldn't bother me.
• Whatcha Gonna Do - Pablo Cruise. Gone. It's a great song but it's not working for me.
  
• Whatever Gets You Through The Night - John Lennon/Elton John. Stay. Good tempo, and something about it that makes me smile. I can't explain it. But it's staying.
• Who Will You Run To - Heart. Gone. I like the song just fine, it's just not working well here.
• Winning - Santana. Stay. Always a stay. Another good message song and the beat is just enough to keep me going .... it stays.

And there you have it. I plan to spend the weekend adding a few new ones (probably a couple from The Gloved One or switching up a few others). I'll post a new list soon.

Maintenance, Week 3 -- YES!

Hallelujah, I lost!!!

It wasn't much, "just" 0.4 pounds, but after the last two weeks any loss is a good one. My leader also gave me a great idea for some exercise to help with the continuing loss to get back to goal: stationary bike, 3-4x a week (at least 3, aim for 4). I know from doing it just one day this week, it kicked my rear six different ways to Sunday. And the added benefit is extra activity points for it.... which I am NOT going to use for fuel.

Also, as a follow-up on the medical front: I went to the doctor this week and they drew blood for some labwork. I'll know the results by Monday. Either way -- whether the results are normal or abnormal -- there will need to be some sort of treatment plan. Once I know the results, then I'll figure out where we go from here, physically and otherwise.

I really want this to come off. I have worked too hard for this, and I am going to work just as hard to keep it off. It's just really frustrating to have your body betray you..........

Maintenance, Week 2

I am up. Badly. Over 3 pounds, to bring me to almost 5 pounds above goal -- YIKES!!!! So my leader and I have determined that my old points level is probably going to be the one that works best for me. I am not upset because I know that I followed the program, I exercised 5 out of the 7 days, and I'm most likely retaining water -- easily fixed.

But what has me really upset about it is that my body seems to be playing some tricks on me that it hasn't before. As I mentioned in a few posts back (TMI alert), I'm having some issues that are probably hormonal in nature. I am closely monitoring this situation so that I can go back to my doctor and say, "Listen, something is not right, what can we do to fix this?"

I'm 39 ..... old enough that it's a possibility but still too young for the Big M. I really do not want to have to do HRT at all, if I can avoid it. I also don't trust the compounded or bio-identical things because I am not sure how safe they are. Not that I entirely trust the FDA these days, but at least it's something of a safety net.

I'm a little scared, to be honest.

But the weight. It's coming off. I will get through maintenance, on to Lifetime, and keeping this off. I don't ever want to go back to the old me at all.