tigra

I just wanted you to suffer along with me! Talking about a bagel with cream cheese made me jealous! My breakfast tasted a little too much like cardboard! I'm trying to be good and read lables, but I've got to find the right balance between healthy and tasty. This brand went too far on the healthy side.

Have some fruit or whole grain cereal. Bagels are evil! I had whole grain high fiber high protein all natural cereal for breakfast and it tasted like cardboard. I want everyone else to suffer in the same manner!

How is the range of motion, overall strength and what is the level of pain? That's what you need ask yourself. If your motion is limited and the arm is significantly weaker, that could be a problem. But, from what you describe, it sounds like everything is getting better and you aren't terribly limited. You've got a couple of months before its REALLY jumpable in the Chicago area anyway! Gotta love springtime in Chicago- once it gets warm enough to jump comfortably, the winds pick up and stay that way until mid to late May!

I'm with you. The movie wasn't what I expected. I think Jodi Foster is an amazing actress and the movie did keep my attention, but I thought the messaging was pretty heavy handed. I prefer a story that makes me think and allows me to draw my own conclusions over one that leads me and tries to tell me what to think. I think The Brave One crossed that line because of the plot coincidences and "comic book" villains. Still, I thought Jodi Foster played the role of "accidental vigilante" really well and her performance was enough to keep me watching the movie.

I haven't even seen the little crack peddlers. Just lucky, I guess because I honestly don't think I could just say "No Thank You" and keep going. Sometimes you have to admit you are powerless over your addictions, right? And you know, there are much better cookies out there too! It must be the crack!

Three words ... Girl Scout Cookies. I have not allowed a box close enough to me to read the print. The only will power I have against Cadbury Eggs and Girl Scout Cookies is to keep them away... I have no idea what it is about Girl Scout cookies but I totally hear you. Most years I buy at least 4 boxes but this year, all the folks at the office missed me. At first I was bummed when I saw everyone with their cookies on "cookie day" and then I was sort of relieved!

Its a rare day when I CAN'T eat! I eat when I have a cold, a fever, a headache, whatever ............... About the only t me I can't eat or hold food down is when I am severely hungover! Since a hangover tends to follow a night of over indulgence, I can't even win there!

I came to a major forehead-slapping realization yesterday ... when I'm bored (like, oh, say, when I'm laid off and have a lot less to do with my days... it's a lot easier to overeat. I totally hear you! Try to use the time to fit in an extra yoga class or something!

Take care of that foot. I thought about telling you that sooner but its not like you would have listened, right? There have been some articles and things in the news lately about artificial sweeteners in general and how they trigger a similar response to sugar. Try not to over use that stuff. I know, you're working on an addiction (been there.......) but sometimes its better to go with a smaller portion of the "real thing" than a larger portion of a substitute which isn't quite as "guilt free" as is appears, you know? Just something to think about, anyway. OK, so me...... keeping up with the workouts and for the past 3 weeks, have gotten at least one in on the weekend. Weekends tend to be my downfall- its a lot easier for me to hit the gym on my way home from work. Keeps me out of traffic, I've got my gym bag in the car all ready to go and they gym is just past the turn I would take to get on the expressway towards home. From home on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the motivation is a lot more difficult to find, so I'm pretty happy with 3 weekend workouts in 3 weeks

WOW! You've done a lot of hard work since December. Good for you!

They've got a scale and calipers and a few other things hooked up to a computer. Just one of the cool things I get to take advantage of when since I'm shelling out cash for a personal trainer ....... You can take a bunch of different measurements and come up with a metabolic assessment- your "body age" basically. He did the whole thing back in early December, but this was the first time he busted out the calipers since then. And since my body fat % went down and my muscle mass went up, I wasn't as concerned about my weight as he probably thinks I should be. But lately, I get a bigger kick out of being able to add weight to the machine I'm working on than I do about fitting into a smaller pair of jeans. Ideally, of course, I want to do both but I'll get there.........

My trainer made me get on the scale again last night, PLUS he did the body fat % with calipers. Not too happy with the scale, BUT since the last time he measured, even though I've gained weight, I've gone down in body fat % and the calipers give me a better (and I think more accurate) reading than my Health-O-Meter scale at home. I think he took the last measurement in early December and I've gained 4 pounds of muscle mass since then. That explains why my clothes still fit even though I've gained weight. And even though I do want to lose the weight and make more progress, I feel OK about the body fat %, and the increase in muscle mass ESPECIALLY since I haven't been dieting or paying much attention to what I eat at all. After the weigh-in, we did a pretty hard core full body workout (I'm sore today) and I got a lecture on nutirition and we set a goal to lose at least 3 pounds over the next two weeks. AND, I promised to track my eating, at least for a few days. Wish me luck................

My kittehs enjoy being a little mysterious, and I'm OK with that.

That IS interesting because the cat who loves lip balm, lotion and pretty much anything with that camphor scent doesn't care all that much about cat nip. One of my other cats LOVES cat nip and isn't into the lotion, etc.........

That's way too complicated. I just try to avoid the hangovers- moderation and stay away from the stuff I know for sure will trigger one. (Yes, for me, Vodka is one of them and cheap draft beer is another.............)

One of my cats loves anything with camphor and menthol. She will even try to lick off my lip balm.

No, for me its the vodka. It used to be my liquor of choice but now I really just can't tolerate it. (Yes, I'm sure I abused it too much in the past..........)

Vodka tends to be the cause of my worst hangovers so I have a hard time believing its a cure.

This week I'm on an Ozomatli kick- I like pretty much all of their music. I've been listening to Street Signs- the whole album and my favorite changes from day to day.

The all you can eat Chinese Buffet, Diet Pepsi, Taco Bell, PB&J, and the SO swears by menudo but I personally can't stand the stuff.............. And of course you have to get to the point where you can actually hold food down before any of those will work..............

Would Ben and Aaron count as the "Oceanic 6" since neither one was technically in the flight manifest? That would explain why 8 returned and they refer to the Oceanic 6, right?

OK, DISCLAIMER>>>>>>> not a trainer, more of a trainee - but I try to hit the abs on almost every workout. I never just do an ab workout though. I (or my trainer) incorporate crunches and core work into whatever I am doing. I doubt he'd consistently throw in the ab work if it was bad. I'll also do light legs the day after a hard core leg workout with him just to keep the muscles loose, same with arms, etc. Sometimes the best treatment for stiff or sore muscles is to work them a little more.

I totally hear you about the weight and honestly, I think I am well past the point where strength training would make me gain. (It definitely can at first........) I really do need to get my overall diet back under control- smaller portions and better choices- and I'm working on it, but dayum, I do like to eat! Yes, the extra holiday weight bothers me buuuutttt...........I've been at this for a while now, I'm in it for the long haul and determined to do it the "right way" so I won't let myself get sidetracked or discouraged over a stupid number on a scale, not when everything else is going really well. It will come off ..........................

Amen to that! My goal right now is long term sustainable changes in my diet and lifestyle. I've done the diet and deprivation routine before and while it works for a while, the weight has always come back on. I've been doing pretty well as far as exercising but I know my overall diet could be improved- quality, portion control, that kind of thing.........

Worked out Sunday (cardio, some upper body, legs and abs), Tuesday with the trainer (biceps, triceps, abs and legs) and last night (cardio, back, chest and shoulders). Tonight depends on if I can leave the office on time. There's a salsa class that looks fun and interesting but I'll need to rush to get there on time. Otherwise it will be cardio, legs and abs. Funny thing- I am literally 10 pounds heavier since Thanksgiving but all my clothes fit the same or maybe even better/ looser. The strength training is doing its job even if the numbers on the scale tell me something else! I still want to drop that 10 and more but I'm not going to stress over it.