Posts by anniebean57

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like everyone had good Mother's Days... the quiet peaceful ones are usually the best!  

Thank you Della, Barb, and Cheryl for your suggestions and comments about Walk away the pounds... I bought a Tony Little Gazelle last year and have a treadmill, but both sit idle in a corner because I rarely have time to use them, so that's why it feels like I "should" be doing formal exercise -- It's like a constant reminder.   I will take your suggestions to heart about trying to fit in my exercise in the middle of the day, during normal actitivities.  I work on a large campus and the distance to get to the cafe is pretty long, and there are stairs that I could do some stairclimbing for a few minutes every lunch hour.  And, I did check out the WATP DVDs online -- hopefully this weekend I will be able to order one.

I strugggled the last few days with eating right... we had an "after hours" get together for our team at work on Tuesday at a local brewhouse.  I ate well all day (but not enough food to be honest,  because I was running all day from meeting to meeting), but when we got to the brewhouse I chose to have a beer (which added up to a total of 3 throughout the evening) and ate from the buffet.   I had gotten down to 179 pounds as of that morning but now I back up to 182.   I was also out of sorts all day yesterday -- bloated and tired.   It was fun, and I'm glad I had that social time with my co-workers, but I wish I had eaten better and limited myself to a single beer.    Even yesterday, all I seemed to want was "comfort food".   Today, I will try to get back on track and eat better, and since I'm working from home with no travelling in between, I should be able to get some exercise in. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!        ;   Annie

Happy Mothers Day to all!  And, thanks all for the warm welcome to the group! 

Yesterday my hubbie and daughter took me out to dinner for Mother's day to a BBQ restaurant (his surprise).   My hubbie took over and ordered a "sampler" platter for 2 that included ribs, chicken, pork brisquet, corn on the cob, fries, beans cole slaw, and corn muffins.  So, I had to be creative and figure out how to eat within my calorie allowance... I asked for a garden salad and by eating it first, I was able to curb my appetite a bit and not overeat too much on the rest.  We also shared the platter meant for 2 between the 3 of us, which meant everyone had enough, but we took nothing home for leftovers.  It was fun, but definitely challenging.

How does everyone "fit" exercise into their schedule?  During the weekdays, I can't seem to find time because of work, etc., and on the weekends, I can't seem to make time because I am working in the yard or cleaning the house.   I know its all exercise, but I am trying to figure out how to motivate myself and find time to do that hour of formal exercise every day.  Yesterday, I finally started doing light calisthenics -- crunches, and upper body work.   Today, I just got finished doing lower body exercises -- squats, lunges, leg lifts, etc.   But, I don't ever seem to get in anything aerobic -- walking, etc.  My weight has been static at about 180-185# for the last 2 months or so, and I know I need to up the activity in order to lose it... and tomorrow I go back to the "grind" of getting up at 5:30 to be out the door by 6:00 AM, and not return until about 7:00 PM just in time to get dinner ready for everyone... so I know even maintaining the little amount of exercise I've started will be difficult.   Any suggestions would be helpful... 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday and Happy Mother's Day!

One other reason to drink plain water is the rise in Hodgekins-like symptoms amoung people who drink a lot of drinks sweetened with Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.   I had a friend who was experiencing uncontrollable "shakes" and muscle jitters - her doctor told her to lay off the Crystal Light because she was having a bad reaction to the Aspartame. 

One thing you can do is increase the water-based foods you eat.  Make sure you get 5 servings of fresh vegetables a day, and at least 4 fruit servings.   Raw is best, but if you do cook them, cook them slowly in their own juices (i.e., soups, stews, etc.) or in water or steam to maintain the water in the vegetable.   Grilling or cooking at very high heat removes all the liquid from the vegetables and you don't get as many benefits.

I love to knit also.  I knit while watching TV and movies mostly.  Last year I belonged to a group called "Hugs for the Homeless" at work.  There were over 75 women involved and we either knit or crocheted scarves for the homeless shelter in Newark NJ.   We collected over 400 scarves!   This year, I was too busy and working in a different building now, so I just knit scarves for my family members, and team mates at work.  

I find it hard to exercise since I'm on the road from 6AM until almost 7PM every day.  I don't really have time to do anything while cooking dinner, and once I eat dinner I just want to sit and relax.