<p>applicannot - you did the right thing! </p>
<p>Those clothes last forever in my experience and it’s a lot easier to go to classes if you feel like you are dressed appropriately. It’s great that you like the music in your class. I never found a class for which that was true.</p>
<p>lilmom, I warm up a little before I do weights, but I do my main cardio workout afterwards. Personally, I’m tired and sweaty after cardio, much less so after weights.</p>
<p>MISSYPIE! I am so happy for you - doing my own little happy dance!</p>
<p>Keep up the good work everyone! Let’s have a good weekend. </p>
<p>I never was a cheerleader in hs! But was the editor of the yearbook and lead in the musical. Maybe I should try cheerleading this group. I can just see me in those little white sneakers and those pompoms. Wonder what my sweater should say? Maybe just a picture of rear-end cheeks. And I will cheer to “Pants on the Ground”. I am picturing it all in my head. But no jumping - it wouldn’t be a good thing. 
Who wants to cheer with me?</p>
<p>missypie, that’s great news on the smaller jeans size. I bet that feels good. </p>
<p>I’ve noticed no matter how little I eat my weight goes up the next day if I haven’t done any cardio the day before, meaning after my two weight training days and my one rest day. I might try putting in a little 15 minute something on my weight training days just to give the metabolism a boost. I was struggling on my run today and switched to walking on an incline after 3k to finish it out but keep the heart rate up. Tomorrow is my rest day but since I kind of cheated today, I may try to run tomorrow.</p>
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<p>Ah, Eddie, no white sneakers (there are special cheer shoes for parents to buy, of course), no poms, no sweaters. Gotta get yourself a midriff top, skirt so short it barely covers your cheeks and a giant hair bow.</p>
<p>LMAO! lol.</p>
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<p>Our girls’ uniforms actually cover their bellies, but we’re about the only gym that does. Rumor is that the rules are going to be changed soon to require bellies to be covered and believe me, it’s a good thing. I find myself distracted by some of the jiggling out there.</p>
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<p>Gym or at home. Doesn’t matter. All you need is:</p>
<p>a) floor mat (or carpeted floor)
b) stability ball (we have a cheapo from Marshalls that holds air for about an hour)
c) Pair of dumbbells (WalMart)
d) A step bench (I just use the bottom of our stairs)
e) Some kind of cardio machine (we have a pitiful old yard sale exercise bike).</p>
<p>I have a life-threatening allergy to gyms, but I’m assuming that they have all that kind of stuff you would ever need. Almost all of the workouts are using your own body weight as the resistance (pushups, and so forth) as opposed to weight training. The guy lasted for a few years in professional soccer and then became the fitness trainer for the U of Toronto soccer team. His routines are geared towards normal people – burning fat, increasing lean body mass, etc. Not building big muscles.</p>
<p>I’m finally making The Analysts’ recipe (post 1342) for Cauliflower Soup. Bringing it to an Olympics final party on Sunday.</p>
<p>I went to jazz dance class this AM at the Y for the first time (at 8:30 and that was a stretch for me). Good class, good teacher, and I could do most of it. So, that is four exercise classes at the Y for me in one week: yoga, tai chi, aerobics, and jazz dance. Next week, on to Zumba!</p>
<p>At the end of the jazz class today, this whippersnapper little lady in her late 60s or even early 70s said to me as I was leaving, “Oh, don’t you want to stay for Pilates? That’s next.” I wanted to whack her with my gym bag.</p>
<p>Blue Diamond almonds with wasabi and soy sauce flavor. One of my few remaining treats in life. Costco has huge jars, but I just buy one tiny can at Target and try to not eat the whole thing. If you like almonds and wasabi flavor, don’t miss this.</p>
<p>bookiemom! Wow - that is amazing. And you are trying different things. That is what I should do, also. Maybe next I will try something new at the YMCA. I will look at the schedule and figure out what my back can handle - or just do what I can in any class that I choose. I don’t make any new friends when I am just walking on the dreadmill with my earplugs in. Maybe if I take a class, I will also make a new friend along the way.
Hubby and I went out to dinner and then the Y tonight.</p>
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<p>That will be me in eight or ten years. :)</p>
<p>One of the things I love about exercise – whether it’s weights, or jogging, or abs exercises, or lunges – is how it makes me feel. Not in terms of feeling virtuous, or proud, or any other emotions, but in terms of how it makes my body feel. I love turning over in bed at night and feeling a little sore in some part of my body. That’s how I know I’m really making progress.</p>
<p>21 pound weight loss - 8 weeks. Whoot! I am a happy girl. Many more pounds to go.</p>
<p>I rewarded myself with a spiffy new pair of bronze sandals. There is snow on the ground, but I rolled up my pants legs and painted my toenails and have these sandals on. Can’t wait for spring.</p>
<p>Have a great Saturday everyone!</p>
<p>Eddie, that is AWESOME! As of this morning, I have lost 22 pounds. Hooray for us!!!</p>
<p>Sabaray - You go, girl! That is just wonderful. Keep it up! Please tell me some of the changes you have made to help with the weight loss. I am always up for new ideas.</p>
<p>I must add - I am only wearing the sandals inside the house. :)</p>
<p>Wow, some awesome weight loss going on here! I would like to add my 8 lbs. since Jan 4th to the list as well. I made it to a treadmill 2-3 times each of the past 2 weeks for a 3 mile jog, which is a step in the right direction again. It’s embarrasing how red I get, but I like that I’m in and out. Hope to add weights again soon. GO US!</p>
<p>Oh yes, and my new gray/silver coach purse from the outlet looks stunning with the new size 10 (a little baggy) jeans :)</p>
<p>7 pounds weight loss…reducing “fat,” walking twice a week for one hour, and counting calories. It seems everything has a lot of fat! I was abusing of the good “fat” products such as olive oil, avocado & peanuts! The idea of good “fat” does not mean a free card to abuse consuming a lot of it!.</p>
<p>I’m in to lose at least 15 more pounds…Best wishes to all!</p>
<p>Yes…I’m looking good too…my H already is complementing the results!</p>
<p>Wow! Between just the 4 of us this morning, there is a 58 pound weight loss! How about adding to it CC friends? Maybe we will get to 100 lbs this weekend!</p>
<p>sabaray, wow, wow, wow. You and Eddie are just amazing. That is almost 3 pounds a week over a sustainable long period. I am in awe. </p>
<p>Greenery, I had to learn that lesson on good fats too. I used to put an entire avocado in my salad until I saw the calories in one of those. Someone earlier said the banquet is in the first bite and I am using that philosophy by allowing myself a taste of avocado (1/4th of one max) and a taste of walnuts (usually 6) rather than the larger amounts I used to consume. WW recommends two teaspoons of a good fat like olive oil a day so I measure that amount onto my salad and then use a spray dressing on top of it for taste unless I plan to have baked veggies in which case I use the olive oil on those, also measured. I just use Pam if I don’t have any olive oil allowance left or need more “fat”. </p>
<p>I successfully completed my full 5k run today at a 4.6 mph pace. I have done it as fast as 4.8 mph earlier, but pushed to 4.9 yesterday and hit the wall at the 3k point, so had to scale back today to make sure I could go the distance. Two steps forward, one step back. I’m never going to be a speed demon but I really would like to be able to run a 5k in under 30 minutes some day. So far, I haven’t gotten bored because it’s too darn difficult to be bored. It’s more a grit teeth and convince myself I can make it one more minute–repeat to self 40 times until done.</p>
<p>H is running 22 miles on his practice run this morning. It just boggles my mind the distances he does and considers fun. At least he has pretty good weather out there and isn’t running in a blizzard today.</p>
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<p>Good job, Eddie. I’m down 1.6 this week for a total of 14.6. Going on my fifth week. I’m noticing (heart rate monitor) that I’m burning a few less calories for the same workouts. I am assuming that as one loses weight, the number of calories burned starts to go down. I could get depressed thinking about that since I have really been working hard at exercise. We bought a Wii for Christmas (family present) and the other day I added the Wii Fit. After working for over an hour to get it synched (I’m tech-challenged) I did a couple of the programs. I have to admit that I thought it was a little lame, but I did burn calories. I did the step program, running, and some of the exercises (triceps, plank, etc.) and it was pretty easy. That being said, it was great to have it because we had snow/slush/rain all day and I didn’t feel like driving to the gym in the thick of it. Anyone else do the Wii Fit? What are the more challenging programs?</p>