Weighty Matters

We have all heard of the Twelve Steps, which are the foundation of many self-help programs for those dealing with addictions. They have been instrumental in helping millions of people deal with the temptations they encounter as they overcome their addiction. The tenth step is especially important to me this week: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. Ouch. Doing the right thing and being responsible. Admitting our imperfections is something we know we have to do and yet are loathe to vocalize. Almost as though, if we keep silent, it didn't happen. It wasn't real. There's a number that appeared unto me this morning that proved that yes, indeed, it did happen. It was what it was. I didn't like it but it was very real. So dear reader, here is my admission for this week: I did not track as I should. I overate. I ate the wrong things, and most often at night. I had 2 holiday parties this week at which I indulged. Even with exercis...

In my last post, I mentioned that I was doing some baking for my department's gift exchange. The only requirement was that the gift had to be handmade/homemade. If there's a craft to be done, chances are I've done it, tried it, and probably still have materials for it. Except for woodburning and pottery.... but I'm interested in pottery. I have a buttload of scrapping/cardmaking materials. I still have acrylics from my woodpainting days. And I still have quite a few things from my cross-stitching days. I still enjoy cross-stitching, just no time to do it. About the only thing that I can contribute these days? Food. So I decided that if I were going to do some baking, it would be as tasty and as healthy as possible. I chose Hungry Girl 's Caramel Pumpkin Pudding Cupcakes -- easy to make, very tasty, and 2 points apiece. My coworkers have all figured that if I make food, it's going to be on the healthier side, and so bless their souls, they don't complain. But...

It isn't rainy days and Mondays that get me off track; try holiday parties, baking for gifts, etc. I love to bake and do things in the kitchen -- and in the last year or so I have enjoyed the culinary experience so much. But right now, it is my bugaboo. Okay, first, the holiday parties................ Last Saturday evening was our company's Christmas dinner. Let me just say that I am so glad to (a) be working and (b) work for a company that does nice things like this. We had a blast. There was a cheese and cracker station..... a good Brie is just irresistible. Add some cranberries, walnuts, pecans, and other cheeses and fig preserves and pear jam........ Oh my. I sampled -- since after all, I do have 35 points to use. Then I couldn't decide between the pasta station or the carving station. I love good pasta. But I love good roast beef too. I chose to forgo the pasta and enjoy a good salad, a slab of roast beef and even some potatoes au gratin. Yeah, I know: that's one o...

Hello faithful readers -- I haven't forgotten to do a post for this week. The weekend was pretty busy .... but as usual, there's lots to say. Look for something either tonight or tomorrow morning -- and we thank you for your support! :-D (Hey, how many of you are old enough to remember which commercial campaign that phrase came from?)

this morning around 7:55 AM, that would have been me. I was exhaling for all I was worth, standing on a scale at the WW center where I fill in as receptionist on occasion, waiting on the verdict. Maintained . Exact same weight from last month's weigh-in. Thank you, thank you, thank you, sweet little 8-pound 6-ounce Jesus baby in the manger. It also hit me at the meeting that even with being well-hydrated, I had also been relying this week on prepackaged frozen meals. I didn't have much time to cook last weekend, so I decided to use what was already in my cabinet and freezer. Guess what I will be doing tomorrow -- yeah, that's right: cooking my own stuff and being in more control of the seasonings. That's one bad thing about processed foods, or some ethnic foods -- just slap full of sodium. When I was 15 years old or so, I stopped using salt on my food. It's a long story, but basically I realized I didn't really need it, I was just doing so because we always had....

will take place Saturday morning. I stepped on tonight and it was up, and enough to not be within my allotted range for Lifetime. Whaaaaa!!! What's that all about? It was within range this morning! I got up early to work out. I had a PT session today which usually (um) helps move fluids out. I made sure I drank my water. I had thought about weighing tomorrow morning, but that would be getting up even earlier than usual for a workout (so that I could leave earlier to run by for a weigh-in). Nor do I really want to postpone breakfast for 2 hours later than usual. Instead, I will workout tomorrow night, giving my legs a few extra hours of recuperation, and also give me more strength training time. Maybe get 2 sets in, instead of just one. That's the one bad thing about early morning workouts -- I have so little time in the mornings as it is. So tomorrow, I will be sure to keep drinking my water, watch my sodium as much as possible, and hope for the best on Saturday!

For years, I have collected those little mini-books of quotes and inspirations that you sometimes see at or near the checkouts in bookstores. I have a slew of them. Well, for years, I used them at the church whenever I'd need filler for the bulletin or newsletter, and I still use them today .... in addition to the quotes found on the 'Net. One such book is called Moments of Greatness by Denis Waitley . This is a gem that I've used many times over. I was re-reading it this morning before church, and these quotes especially stuck out for me: "It's not what you are that holds you back -- it's what you think you are not." "Self-discipline means doing within while you do without." "Millions of people actually believe that they fail to reach their goals because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time." I know that I tend to be a drill sergeant rather than a hand-holder. But I also am so passionate about taking care of yourself, so tha...

In the everyday, non-weight-centered portion of my world, I embarked on something I called a Gratitude Adjustment . I realized I had a crappy attitude about some things, and I needed to readjust. Either the day of my epiphany or the day thereafter, I saw a church sign that said, "Thanksgiving is one day; thanks-living is every day." True. Very, very true, and a portion of that applies to the weight-focused realm as well. It isn't any specific special occasion that immediately puts 15 or 20 extra pounds on us. It isn't even the 6 weeks between Turkey Day and New Year's (or even that extra Bowl Week) that pads an extra 50 on our frame, although it has been said that the average American gains 17 pounds in that time. (YOW.) It's the day-in, day-out nibble here and nibble there, and the BLT's and the extra can of soda....... It's not Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day or even the Easter ham that piles it on. So how do you get it off? Same way -- a little ...

Pride goeth before a fall..... but while I'm still standing...... Today was a good day. I hit the gym at 5:20 AM, did 20 on the elliptical and would have gone longer but I felt a little cramping (not a pull or sore muscle but it just didn't feel right, so I took it easier). Did some legwork on the weight machines too. Then for lunch, I had a work/lunch meeting. We met at a nearby deli with a really good grilled chicken salad. I had them take off the almonds and cheese -- just chicken & veggies. I also had a cup of their veggie beef soup; really tasty AND had blackeyed peas in it. While I don't like BEP's by themselves, they weren't bad in the soup, and gave me some extra fiber. I guesstimated the soup and salad as best I could, and had a nice, very filling 5-point lunch (at least by my best guess). By the time for my afternoon popcorn break, I was still not starving but knew I'd need something for the ride home .... and surprisingly, it didn't hold me. N...

If you're on a weight-loss program, the holiday season can be the equivalent of The Robot screaming, "Danger, Will Robinson!" So what are you going to do to handle it? One easy thing that you can do is make your recipes healthier. There are plenty of ways to substitute ingredients to cut fats, sugars and other empty calories, or add fiber. If you are a Weight Watchers member with access to eTools, please, please tell me you're using the Recipe Builder, because (seriously) that alone is worth the price of your Monthly Pass or eTools access. If you are not a WW member, fret not -- there are online ways to tweak your favorite recipe and make it healthier. First, try substituting lower-fat, lower-calorie, lower-sugar ingredients within a recipe. The Mayo Clinic has this great list of ingredient substitution ideas -- both for baked goods and other items as well. The Heart Center of the Rockies offers these heart-healthy substitutions . In fact, the one item where I wouldn...

see more dog and puppy pictures This just SLAYED me.......

but I believe with all my heart that negative emotions really do weigh us down, physically speaking. My first night with Weight Watchers, I was shocked by how much I'd gained in just 8 weeks (from the Doc's office to then). I felt tremendous guilt, shame, despair, anger, sadness, desperation, you name it. I couldn't believe I'd let myself go so long and not cared for myself. I lost 12.2 pounds that first week, and I truly believe that a third of it was getting rid of some of those feelings. In the same vein, positive emotions don't make us lose physical weight but they surely make us feel lighter ... and maybe we do lighten up (really!). For instance, this week, I've been working on a project that I'm calling a " Gratitude Adjustment " .... when I stepped on the scale tonight for a courtesy weigh-in, it was about a half-pound less than my actual weigh-in last week. And while I might not have physically lost weight simply because of a change in my o...

Apple Butter Recipe (Crock Pot) This is the recipe that I mentioned briefly here, and on my "regular" blog (Snort! Regular.....), Meanderings and Musings. I am not joking : this is the easiest recipe ever -- the only change I would make is that you don't need that much sugar unless you're using an extremely tart apple. For slightly tart ones (like I used), I used 1 to 1-1/2 cups of Brown Sugar Splenda. For really sweet ones, like Honeycrisps, you could omit the sugar/Splenda altogether. Great, easy, etc. If you have really juicy apples, you may also want to extend the cooking time. In my last batch, I used Arkansas Blacks (again), and ended up letting liquid cook out for around 20 hours. I like apple butter with substance, you know! And this group of AB's were very juicy!! Some of the variables (time, sugar, etc.) can change depending on your specific tastes. Bon appetit!

Another month free! I am up a bit (1.4 pounds over goal), and that's partly due to the incredibly good potluck last week at work, and all the leftover Halloween candy. What's important is that I'm still within range for the month. And so, now my task is to work hard to get back down to a more reasonable margin. I'm also retaining water a bit, so I'm going to have to watch my sodium a little more closely, and keep up with water intake. I've done good but I did have a couple of days where it took some doing to get in 2 liters. *** At last night's meeting, we talked about how to control what you can during the holidays. One member mentioned accurate measuring and portion control. Generally, I have no problem with this: except at potlucks. It's still hard for me to really visualize portions of casseroles and such. Pieces of meat? I have the palm guide and the deck of cards (or checkbook for fish). Veggies & fruits? Yeah, I can visualize a computer mouse ...

This week, I missed my meeting. I *hate* missing meetings more than you know. Even after all this time, I still love the weekly meeting. I have missed maybe 7 or 8 in nearly 3-1/2 years, two this month alone (one to illness, and this one). Yesterday at work, we had not only Dress-Up Costume Day but Ethnic Luncheon Day. We were to bring a food that's either from our heritage, our specialty, or otherwise connected to us. For instance, two folks brought things from their spouse's heritage. Really, my heritage is "Southern" -- we've been over here for so long, there's no special dish that's been passed down over and over except for those delectable (read: fattening! tasty! bad for me! fantastic!) Southern casseroles and desserts. But I do love good Mediterranean food, so I thought I would bring that. As luck would have it, I discovered a homemade falafel recipe in a magazine. VOILA! Inspiration struck me, and so I signed up to bring falafel, tabouleh, and humm...

Yep! I joined Fitness 365 here in town this week while they are still having their "no joining fee" special. And last night, I worked out there for the first time. I am very pleased. It's a fairly quiet facility -- for 7:00 PM, there weren't a whole lot of people. Of course it was also raining, so that may be why it was so quiet. It's a nice facility and I'm really looking forward to working out there. In fact, I'll be heading there early tomorrow morning for a pre-work workout! I wonder how busy it will be at 5:00 tomorrow morning........

Today, I was honored to take part in a 5K -- my fifth this year! Now, I am all about a good cause, and a good walk, and charity 5K's are the best of all worlds. This one was for an awesome cause, finding a cure for juvenile diabetes. I remember when my friend Tee's brother was born ..... and now he's grown with kids of his own, the youngest of whom has this disease. Another friend from Girl Scouts through high school has a teen daughter who was diagnosed within the last year. These are children who, through no fault of their own, have a body part that decided it wasn't going to do what it was created to do. So I was very pleased and happy to help this cause out and be part of Team Gabriel! There are a few other 5K's coming up before the year ends, and I really want to take part in another one. There's one I know on Thanksgiving Day -- I just may do that one. But there is another coming up sooner for lung cancer, and I would love to help with that. If I can do on...

There isn't much to report. I've been monitoring my weight this month, and so far, so good -- I'm still within my 2-pound range, so I'm happy about that! This is birthday weekend -- dinner tomorrow night with the family, a benefit 5K on Saturday morning (for JDRF: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), shopping with Mom Saturday afternoon, church Sunday, and then my godson's birthday party on Sunday. I know it's going to be a wacky weekend, so I have to step up the exercise next week to help compensate. I miss the biking.... seriously! So I'm going to work on even more of that. I'm working with several of my medical team .... ha, I have to laugh at the idea of a medical team.... to figure out just how the heck to get insurance to see that carrying around 30 extra pounds of flab is not healthy and I gotta get rid of it and I'd love them to kick in. Don't get me started. I am on a tear about the SORRY state of things when insurance doesn't wan...

This week's topic was "DIY: Project ME!" about taking care of yourself as a priority in weight loss. What? you might say..... What difference can it make in weight loss? Plenty. So here's the deal: take care of yourself because no one else will. It doesn't matter if you're married or single, in good health or struggling, childless or Michelle Duggar ........... if you learn nothing else in life it's that no one else can care for you. You have to care for yourself first and foremost. Oh sure, there may be people around (spouse, child, etc.) to help you in your self-care, but you have to do it for yourself. I don't know why exactly, but sometimes we have a lot of trouble with this concept. Maybe because we're women -- generally, the nurturers, caretakers, etc. It might be because we're Southern and it's drilled in us that the key to JOY in life is to put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. There's guilt for not handling everyt...

Okay, let me preface this by saying that as a very loyal Gamecock fan, it breaks my heart and spirit that I am resorting to using a phrase loved by Clemson's head coach. But it is apropos for this post. When Dabo Swinney was named Clemson's interim head coach last year, one of his catchphrases was "All In." It's not a bad philosophy, truly. If you know anything about gaming (mostly in poker), you know that "all in" means that you are betting everything you have at hand that you will win. If you don't win, the other player(s) at the table get everything you have, and you must walk away. So what does that have to do with weight loss? Quite a bit, actually. And it applies to so much more than just weight loss, but I'll just stick to that. Being "all in" means that you are determined to reach the goal. There isn't an obstacle that can stand in your path and cause you to lose. Winning is non-negotiable; it's a done deal, the only thi...

After yesterday's disastrous day, I weighed in this morning at my usual center. I wasn't sure what to expect. I hopped on the scale at home before eating breakfast -- below goal, so I realized I could eat and still be within my Lifetime threshold. I stepped on the scale at the center, and there it was: only 0.2 pounds above real goal. WOW!!!!! The first time in ages I've had that much room to spare. YES!!!!! I am thrilled, over the moon. To celebrate (ha!), I had a cookie from the luncheon we had today. I have to applaud Publix bakery: they at least put a calorie count on their packaging! A lot of places don't .... just an ingredient list and a hope that you just throw your hands up and say, "The hell with it" as you indulge. The cookie was a little higher in points than I would ever like to go for such a small snack: for the same 120 calories I could have had a buttload of grapes or an apple and a half. But you know, I haven't had a bakery cookie since my...

Okay, obviously, I am not at my WW meeting; nor am I at the Peace Center for the PostSecret event as I had planned. I am at home, trying to get my bearings, having been hit by a freight train. I don't know if the name of the train was "Seasonal Allergies," "Common Cold," or "Reaction to Flu Shot." But let me tell you -- whichever it is, it's a lulu. Around Tuesday afternoon, I started feeling the familiar stuffiness (but that's a given), alternating with a runny nose, and a scratchy throat. That's usually an allergy thing for me, and I didn't feel exceptionally rundown like I would with a cold. That was in my favor. I was scheduled for a flu shot on Wednesday at work, and I read the CDC Q&A that the clinic provided -- mild illnesses were okay. I felt the sting of the needle and the slight burning that I was told to expect. But nothing else. Until noon today. I ate my usual morning snack, a little later than usual. By noon, my stomac...

I did a courtesy weigh-in tonight -- doesn't count as my monthly weigh-in, just a way to keep me on track. And much to my delight, I'm far closer this time to where I need to be than I was last month at this time, or the month before. This gives me hope that next week, when I weigh in (Friday morning; I'll be at the PostSecret lecture Thursday night at the Peace Center --- WAHOO!) I won't be crossing my fingers and praying and exercising like a dog and getting up early Saturday to weigh in and not having that work either and then waiting until Tuesday night and stopping by ............. ah. I just want a good weigh-in next week. And I'm working hard to ensure that maintenance doesn't seem such a struggle. In good news, the weather is nice enough to go walking again on my lunch hour or after I get home from work. I just hope the rain that is being predicted for Saturday will hold off long enough for the Race for the Cure to be good!! The temperature is supposed...

I worked a WW meeting this morning, and planned a trip to a local orchard with my parents after the meeting. The orchard is not too far over the state line into North Carolina. After stopping for lunch, it was onto the orchard. It's called Sky Top Orchard and believe you me, it is . We got 3 half-peck bags of different varieties -- Mom loves Red Delicious (which is my very least favorite; too soft for me!). Dad & I picked out Jonagold (for eating) and Winesap (for cooking). They had plenty of others: Cortland, Ida Red, Golden Delicious, Mutsu (a green apple), and I think even a couple of others. The only kind of apple the orchard didn't have was Honeycrisp -- which is my 2nd favorite kind, and had already been fully harvested for the season. Luckily, my VERY favorite variety (Pink Lady) won't be ready until mid-October. You better believe that in 3 weeks, I'm going back for some! They will also have Arkansas Black, which also are good for cooking/baking. Now we jus...

Note: this isn't exactly about weight loss, but it's still important. In 38 days, I will hit the Big 4-0. I am actually very, very excited about this birthday. The x-5 and x-zero birthdays from 20 on were tough -- until I hit 35, which was fabulous by comparison! It was as if a light bulb came on in my head on a number of things, and that I was comfortable enough in my own skin to do some things I needed to do. I wasn't quite perfect at first, but I was making progress and getting there. The last five years (almost) since then have been amazing. There are the obvious changes, but there's so much more that people don't see. I'm not a new me, I'm not a different person -- I'm a BETTER version of the old me. So, with all that in mind, I visited my doctor this week. I think in my main blog, I've touched on family medical history before , so I won't rehash the details. Suffice to say that it isn't good on either side for cardiovascular stuff. I ha...

I made a very interesting discovery this week at my meeting. One of the other members and I were discussing our weight stalls and holding patterns. She's been stuck in one for nearly 6 months. Hey, it's been happening to a lot of folks I know, including myself. Even my leader remarked to some ladies from the earlier meeting (at some introductions) that I have actually been in maintenance for about 6 months. It gave me an idea -- I went back through my weight record in the Guide Book and realized that she was absolutely right. On March 26, I hit a certain weight point, and with a couple of exceptions (like the week I made goal, the week I hit lifetime, one really odd week where I had a massive unexplained gain), I have held right around that number since..... oddly enough, guess where it is? Yeah: My upper limit for "freedom" each month. It may be time to consider changing my final goal weight -- which I can do by sending a note to Corporate. At least changing it until...

I worked a meeting this morning -- which I really enjoyed doing! It's been a while, and I forgot how much fun it is! Hopefully, I'll get to do a few more in the upcoming weeks and months. I hate that for the time being, I can pretty much only work on weekend meetings. But such is life. Today, the moment of truth arrived: my monthly weigh-in --- not just my monthly weigh-in for Lifetime status, but Corporate weigh-in as well. If you aren't aware, WW employees are not only Lifetime members, we also have to turn in our weights to our territory management team each month. These last couple of months have been a real struggle for me. I've been within the acceptable range, but I hate being on that plus side of goal and having to cross my fingers and hope. It's almost as if my body has said, "You know, I really don't like that number, so I'm going to put you right here. I like you here. I know you don't like it but I don't care. Your wants are so cute,...

Well, it's almost time for my monthly weigh-in. I spoke with my leader and we think what may work for me is to still come to the Thursday meeting but weigh in on Friday mornings on the way to work -- changing it so that I bring breakfast with me instead. Big change for me but I can deal with that...... ANYTHING to keep me at goal! The protein experiment seemed to work exceedingly well!!! So I am going to keep that up. I'm also going to keep up the 24 points per day...... at least for now. I also signed onto the LiveSTRONG website for The Daily Plate to do some extra tracking -- primarily for sodium and protein (more on the sodium in a moment). According to that, I'm still not eating enough calories for my maintenance needs. Sorry, but really, I feel that I'm eating the right amount for where I need to be, so I'm not freaking just yet. If I ate their recommended calories per day, I would be 20 pounds heavier in no time. Another experiment that my leader suggested was...

The increased protein at night so far seems to help control some of the urge-eating. Last night, I stopped off at Walgreen's for some Orajel (dang these 'stacked teeth'!), and picked up a Pure Protein Hot-n-Healthy Oatmeal Squares in Cinnamon Roll ..... yeah, it was a 4-point protein bar. But it was a good four points and got me through a 30-minute bike ride with no trouble. I also had an idea about my exercise yesterday morning. I'm going to alternate bike days with a lower-intensity activity --- I'm thinking of walking, or an aerobics DVD, or a stretching DVD that I have. I love biking, but I also know that if I do it too often, my body will become too accustomed and quit giving me the same output that I'm currently getting. And I also think it will be good to keep my body "on edge" (so to speak). I'm also very glad that my body (at least for the time being) seems to appreciate this switch-up and has decided to cooperate with me. A little, anyway...

I was driving in when I had this thought & didn't want to lose it....... The last couple of weeks, I have had a couple of nights where I've had ..... I don't know that I'd call them binges or urges. They're not cravings, because it's not for a specific food or even type of food. I was mulling it over last night and thought, "Oh, it was a texture thing!" I was going for things that I could crunch or chew that were ..... I don't know how to describe it. Things that weren't pureed to extreme smoothness. Last night, it hit again. I went to Jason's Deli, as I usually do after meetings, and grabbed a couple of packs of their flatbreads. It's a point each, they're crunchy, they have texture, and they're tasty to boot. I had the points to spare, and even a few from activity & the weekly 35. NO biggie. Then I grabbed a pack of graham crackers. Worth the points. Stopped off for bananas, and had a sample of a cookie from the deli (...

Even though my weigh-in isn't official, I stepped on the scale ..... and I'm up. Naturally. OMG, I am screaming on the inside. I know it's normal to have fluctuations during Lifetime/maintenance. And I know given all the weird crap that has been happening with my body, it's no surprise. But it is no less frustrating. I think maybe it's worse because I'm not sure why things are crazy....... I'm still on program; I use a few weekly points but not over the 35. I'm exercising -- and very well, I might add! The only odd thing is that there have been times over the last few days when I simply could not get enough to eat. Not a craving for anything specific -- just the need to eat something. Anything. Usually after 10. And only a couple of times but it was like "GIMME" (said in extremely deep, gravelly, demonic-type voice). I can't do anything about the hormonal stuff. But there are some things I can do.......... On my leader's advice, I'm...

This past week was crazy -- visitors, eat-outs, etc. And Tuesday was just the craziest day of all. I could not stop eating!!! A bagel (a whole one, from Atlanta Bread), and 2 pieces of chocolate, and and and...... I think I figured up that I used 13 flex points just that day. SO out of character for me. But you know, it has turned out okay. I took a couple of days off from working out, also. As good as it feels for me to work out, I really did appreciate the time off. I don't intend to make it a habit, but the break has been restful and helpful. One of the things that my leader says is that it's okay to fall off the wagon but NOT to have the wagon roll over you. And so we begin the next week tomorrow -- not letting the wagon roll over me, but getting up, dusting myself off, and living one day at a time.

Leave it to the wonderful folks at Prevention to have a 30-minute interval routine in the September issue --- one I can live with for the bike, so that I don't have to figure it all up by myself. WHEW! Because I can tell you, I was about to drive myself completely bonkers with my Excel spreadsheet -- trying to figure up a workable interval routine and figuring out calories burned. And to top it off, all my calories-burned figures are massively wrong; as in, "the workout only burned 10 calories in 20 minutes" wrong. Yeah. SO........ I think I'll try this routine and fuhgeddaboutit. I did stop by Academy Sports on Friday evening to look for padded bike shorts. No go -- I know that REI sells them but the nearest one is in Asheville. Yeah, that's not far at all to drive but a little much for JUST a pair of shorts...... and God knows, these shorts are NOT exactly inexpensive to start. Instead, I picked up a more cost-friendly alternative -- a padded bike seat cover! WA...

I weighed in Saturday morning for Lifetime. Right at the upper threshold for staying within the free range. I am planning to weigh in once more on Friday morning to see how it's going, but I may just take it this month and RUN, RUN, RUN....... So I have been doing the interval training on the bike...... Oh. Em. Gee. Kicked my butt and left me for dead on the highway like roadkill. By the end of the 12 minutes, I was right at the threshold of "plumb worn out." The good news is that the 20-second, totally-flat-out interval took my heart rate into the mid-80s and back to the mid-70s during the 40-second "moderate" interval. WHEW!!!! I'm also trying to determine how I can adjust the intervals to stretch the workout into 15 minutes or even 20 minutes -- not increasing the number repetitions, but the time of the intervals. I am thinking of going from 20-40 to 30-90 intervals instead. Why is that? Well, I feel bad when I "only" work out for 12 minutes .....

I'm still trying to pull off all the "weight" it says I have put on since reaching Lifetime 2 weeks ago. My leader and I are truly quite stumped. Is it fluid retention? Possibly yet another hormonal issue? Could it be a little of both? One of the keys this week for me is being committed to consistency. It's something I've been doing all along --- part of that dogged determination that got me where I am. But I'm going to redouble my efforts. All I know is that I plan to watch my sodium closely this week, yet keep doing what I'm doing. I'm also going to be just as consistent with my exercise -- and shake it up a bit. There was a great suggestion at Prevention.com for interval training , and I am going to try the Workout #2 each day when I use the exercise bike. Hey, it can't hurt, right? So come next week, I will face my monthly Lifetime weigh-in with courage and confidence!! OOH RAH!!!! I also know this fluke carousel-horse situation has got to end ...

Forgive me, friends, for I did sin. Okay, actually, I "celebrated" with a girls weekend in Virginia. One of the girls brought lumpia (I guess the best way to describe it is "Filipino spring roll")..... oh my, was it good. I made some good choices and some bad ones. On two of the three mornings I was there, I walked on base. It was kind of funny -- on Monday, I got to see some of the units doing their PT and they looked at me as if to say, "Hey, how come SHE gets cool exercise clothes and an MP3 play.... oh. She's a civilian!" I put back on some poundage -- and so far, I've gotten about half of it back off. I don't weigh in again until the first week of August.... WHEW! So I'm going to bust my butt off to get back down. I know what to do and how to do it, and I'm well on my way! So what does this mean? It means I'm human. I still am tempted, and I do give in on occasion. Being a Lifetime member doesn't mean that I am suddenly bey...

LIFETIME!!!!!!!!!!! I did it. I lost 3.2 pounds this week, to not only get back to goal but under it -- WAHOO!!!!!!!!! I worked my butt off on the exercise bike and being extra-vigilant. So that's a total of 229.8 GONE. I have so many people who have helped me along the way: Debbie & Tisha, my leaders; Gail, Eldora, Bev and all the other receptionists who have been with me along the way; all the many fellow members -- especially those who have been part of the Thursday 7:00 PM meeting. I won't name you all because I'll leave someone out and I don't want to do that!!! I have enjoyed the help of so many people. They have inspired me to be better, stronger, wiser, smarter, and to always persevere. I could never, ever, ever, have made it to this point without them. Then there are my coworkers, who were just as vigilant with me to keep me going, and keep me on plan. I love you all and thank you!!! There are all my dear friends across the nation -- WAY too many to name, b...

Remember about a year or so ago, when New York City began requiring certain types of restaurants to post calorie/nutrition information on the menus so that people could make better choices? Why isn't this a national law yet, requiring all chains (e.g., those with a certain number of locations operating under that brand) to do the same? Right now, there is supposedly a law where restaurants are supposed to provide their nutrition facts to you, the consumer, upon demand. But best of luck, in most cases. In some cases.... well, they have it for the "lite style" menu items, but not for the rest of the menu listing. I'm not talking Mom & Pop restaurants; most of them do not have the financial resources to have their menus analyzed. And I can forgive that. But national or regional chains DO have a little more flexibility in their resources to be able to afford it. Even local chains or little Mom & Pops should be able at least to tell you the ingredients and rough es...

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??