It is wonderful. We bought some heirloom tomatoes that were just excellent (and grocery store tomatoes are usually crap).
The other cool thing is that it is on my walking route so, if I need grocerys I can walk to the store (I think it’s just over a mile) as long as it’s not too much to carry. I have the habit of shopping for dinner daily instead of planning and shopping for the week.
I’m realizing again that planning is important. For me especially on Mondays when we have an early gig. Right now we’re booked at this big swanky resort hotel every Monday from 7-11 pm. It’s on the other side of town from where I live and with traffic takes 45 min to an hour to get there. We like to arrive 1 hour prior to our start time to set up which means that for a 7:00 start we leave the house at 5:00. So, I sneak out of work a few minutes early, get home in just enough time to change clothes and do something with my hair. Put on make up in the car on the way to the gig. Get to the gig, set up all the gear, play music (hopefully well) for 4 hours, break down all the gear. Drive home.
The problem with this scenario is that we haven’t eaten. Yesterday I had breakfast and lunch and then nothing else until after the gig. That’s when my husband went into his low-blood-sugar-must-have-any-kind-of-food-immediately mode. What that usually means is that waiting until we get home isn’t an option for him. What’s open at midnight? Denny’s.
We’ve sworn many times that we’d never go to Denny’s again but then there we were (I begged and pleaded but eventually caved, I’m such a wimp) and the Denny’s late night menu is nothing but fried stuff, burgers, nachos, sandwiches…nary a salad or a vegetable to be found unless you count the pickles and lettuce on the burger.
So, last night I ate bad food. Bad in that it was unhealthy and not especially great tasting. But it was fast and filling and that was the immediate requirement. This morning I feel slightly ill from the food and because I went to bed on a full stomach. Oh, I know I didn’t have to eat it but I was starving. Hadn’t eaten since lunch.
Mondays we must have a better food plan. I’m going to have to insist on it.
Know what really frosts my ass? My husband will not gain any weight. Heck, he lost 13 lbs since new years without really trying. He’s naturally slender with a fast metabolism. I swear he does it just to spite me. He also weighs less than me which also frosts my ass.
Today I weigh 172.5 
Whew! glad I got that off my chest…how’s everyone else doing?
Hi, velvetjones. Well, my extra two pounds came off plus one more, so I’m at 171 this morning.
In a previous weight loss thread you talked about these gig nights and how you don’t eat, and it sounded not only uncomfortable, but metabolically speaking, like a bad idea. You need to eat something before and after these gigs. Pack a picnic basket, whatever–you could eat in the car, both going there and coming back.
I know that you walk like crazy (crazy crazy!) and eat right, but have you considered trying a slightly more structured plan? It might be precisely what you need to get you out of the 170s (and I think we all here are sick and tired of the 170s).
I made the mistake of buying a set of scales after Xmas. Since then I’ve dropped two stone, from 15 to 13. I reckon at least 1 more to go but I seem to have hit bedrock. Possibly because I’m finding I just can’t keep up with the time spent walking or on the exercise bike.
I quite like spending the lunchbreak walking but pre and post work cycling is getting too much.
I guess I should try and stabilize at 13 and make another push in a few months.
Personally, I’d love to be stuck in the 170s! But yeah, it seems like we’re all in brick wall territory. I broke through 240 once, then bounced right back. It’s getting really discouraging, and a number of times I’ve considered just giving up.
And I’m feeling fat as well. About the only times I feel good about my body are just after a good workout, especially if I get my muscles nice and sore. But last night I finally received my Beach Body/Turbo Jam DVDs, which included a book, a tape measure, and a few other things. Some of it looks pretty cool, and some of it looks a little bogus. One of the selling points is that the music is really great. Another is that the videos are really popular. That has me a little worried. It would be great if a selling point was that it gets results. Also worrisome was the selling point that the inventor of the system is a “Self-described fitness expert.” What the hell does that mean? I’m a self-described astronaut. Doesn’t make me an astronaut.
Ah well, it has a 30 day guarantee, and in the meantime, the videos can supplement the rapidly disappearing videos on cable. And they promise 10 pounds in 10 days. We’ll see. But at least I have the satisfaction of having spent money on really hot marketing.
One review site recommended using a dietary supplement such as Miracleburn. Anyone have any experience with that? Sounds like little more than legal speed to me.
Why was that a mistake? I know everyone’s different, but I find that a scale keeps me motivated.
Well, you have to maintain your manly physique. And my knee-jerk reactions to weight loss supplements (as it is to all supplements except multivitamins,) is DON’T! Messing with one’s metabolism never leads to anything good…
That’s my first thought as well. But I am messing with my metabolism already. That’s sort of the point. Hence all the huffing and puffing and sweating. 
tdn, a friend and former neighbor used the Beach Body/Turbo Jam videos, and they worked really well for her - I think she lost 20 or 25 pounds doing those videos. She’s got a ton of exercise videos and I think those are some of her favorites.
Good, I hope I’ll like them too. I’m just approaching them with a skeptical eye. But I bought them because one of the videos was on cable and I really liked it. In an “ouch, this fucking hurts, bitch!” sort of way.
Thank you, Sattua, for reminding me of my need for structure. I’ve managed to structure my walking routine but not my eating schedule.
I’d really like to be eating 5-6 small meals a day instead of three bigger meals and you’re absolutely right, going for 12+ hours without eating isn’t really all that good an idea in terms of keeping my aging metabolism from grinding to a halt.
The hotel has an employee lounge which we are free to use and they have a nice cafeteria that’s not expensive. If we can get our stuff set up quickly we’ll have plenty of time to get a little something to gnosh before the gig.
I’m also going to pick up some protein bars to keep in the gear bag that way when my husband is having his blood sugar moments I’ll be able to shove something in his mouth so I can’t hear him pleading with me to stop at Denny’s. 
tdn I can’t wait to hear how you like the new videos. Please keep us posted, OK?
Sure, I’m going to do the introductory one tonight. I’ll let you know.
I already did the strength training one. It required hand weights, 8-10 pounds for men. Mine were 10. Lots of repetitive stuff like rowing with one arm until the tricep burned in searing pain. It’s about 40 minutes long. Very sore and sweaty afterwards, but I otherwise felt great.
Maintainer checking in. I have maintaining my 70 lb weight loss for about 2 years. Over the past month…I’ve slid into complacency. I’ve been ordering anything in restaurants, eating more desserts, eating out of the bread basket, indulging just a little more here or there. The scale is up 3 lbs. I definitely need to get back on track immediately before 3 lbs becomes 10 lbs becomes 20 lbs…
I’m still doing really well when I eat at home, it’s the restaurant thing that is starting to become an issue, like I feel like I should indulge myself when I’m in a restaurant. I need to go back to making good restaurant choices (grilled salmon, no oil/butter, double vegetables). A weekly treat meal is okay, but I’m up to 3-4 treat meals a week.
It has been a year since I did aerobic exercise. A year ago I started a job an hour a way and with two hours add to my day I was too tired to do it when I got home. Then it was found that I had a b12 deficiency and with some shots and patches and diligence I have new-found energy. And TV really sucks lately.
So I figured I would start again - and finally got around to starting tonight.
:eek: Wow. I was sucking wind pretty hard after only 10 minutes, my legs were killing me and I was glad when the phone rang and interrupted!
But 10 minutes is better than nothing and maybe tomorrow I’ll only shoot for 10 and work my way back up to a better time. No sense shooting too high and getting discouraged.
Next week will be tough though - my old boss is coming into town and wants to get together for dinner and HIS old boss is coming into town and wants to get together for some business dinners and an social outing. Still, life is for living, so sometimes you should enjoy.
That’s exactly the right attitude to have. When I first started on the treadmill, 15 minutes kicked my ass. But I kept at it and soon it was 20, then 25, then 30. Now I usually do 40-45 minutes. Eventually I’d like to last an hour. Push yourself but not so hard that you don’t want to try again. Especially since you’ve recently had surgery. Most recommendations I’ve heard are to add a minute a week until you reach your goal.
Glory, I struggle with restaurant eating too. Since I’ve started trying to lose weight, I’ve come to the realization that in most cases, it’s just not worth it. I get a few minutes of enjoyment and nothing in return but a fat butt. Usually when I overdo it, it’s because I convince myself that I deserve it because life isn’t going my way (or sometimes because it is). The fact that you’re not willing to let three pounds turn into 10 is a good sign though.
Because it stopped me from ignoring the obvious and tackle the problem.
This morning on my walk I got to the halfway point and really wanted to stop, except that how was I going to get back home from where I was? So, I forced myself to continue and eventually I get this momentum where my legs feel like they’re not even attached. It’s weird and I’m not sure if I’m explaining it well but at some point the idea that I’m walking fades and I’m just listening to my music and thinking and before I know it, hey…I’m almost home!
I took the extended walk today and rewarded myself with a cup of coffee from Einsteins. I decided not to purchase bagels though.
Which reminds me, I haven’t had breakfast yet. I’m hungry. Time to get out the oatmeal.
Last night I did the Learn & Burn video. Learn was just instruction on the basic 11 moves. Burn was 20 minutes of kickboxing. It takes some coordination, and I looked like a damn fool, but I started to get it. And I worked up a delicious sweat. I’ll do it again tonight.
Ha! Take that, blubber! I Turbo Jammed you into nothingness!
Down 1.1, so I’m on the good side of 240 now, at 239.3.
I posted a response to the phrase “delicious sweat” and I don’t see it. Hungry little hamsters, what do they know?
I’ll just sum it up with the punch line…
[Peg Bundy paraphrased]
Come here boy, mama wants a salt lick
[/Peg Bundy]
Congrats on being under 240 tdn!