November 5th - First Monday

[Anniesnan]

Morning, everyone!

"If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and hope your guardian genius." Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719)

I was looking for a health related quote, but getting frustrated. Then I found this quote.

If I could follow it all the time, I'd be doing great:rolleyes:.

Even though it's not the 1st of the month, it's the first Monday. And I'm going to use it as an opportunity to put my not so great week-end behind me. I did move and shake, though:D.

Make it a terrific Monday and a better November everyone!

[Mitra]

Good morning, Agnes :). That's a good quote to start our week.

[Missy]

Good Morning Girls! :D

[maxlharris]

I'm awake and aware. Was carb loaded this weekend with DW. Was fun to not care. Paid for it last night as I was burning up in bed and couldn't get to sleep. Back to the real world today. Lifted, set new personal bests (as well I should), and am at the desk. Have much to do, so I am brief today.

Life is too short to be small.

My day is also too short to be small. I have two real job leads that need following. I have a looming tower of a deadline to produce something of value to my current employers before I just write off the past three months. Lots of other things to do too.

Rock Out:
"Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
Theres still time to change the road you're on."

-Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven

Rock On!

[Gaelen]

morning, challengers.

If you haven't voted in the 'What Challenges You?' poll in this section, please speak up and let the board know what helps keep you on track.

This morning I had to temporarily ban a regular user whose email address is bouncing. I do not have enough time to sift regular users out of the 20 or so notices of failed email addresses I get every time I log in...so from this point forward, I will be temporarily banning users with failed addresses with the rest of the spammers. It may seem like a hard line, but the back end board maintenance is getting out of hand. We have around 300 new registrations each month (10 per day) and nearly three times that many spammers. The email failure is one of my spam-eliminator tools; I am now going to allow it to run without filtering it.

okay...soapbox off. ;)

I'm going to have a busy day; hang on and hang in, gang!

[Claudette]

Hi, Y'all!

Yep, it's Monday and we are slammed dunked with consults for patients to see. Hope help comes soon to our department.:eek:

Exercise: This am, Body Flex aerobic breathing/toning tape, Callenectics abds, legs. After work, gym for weight work, treadmill x30+ minutes.

Gaalen, I will vote today in the what challenges me. Wow, 300 registrations a month? Wow, some of the registrators never even post for us to get to know them. God bless you, girl, hang in there.

Agnes, great quote! Glad you are back on track.

Max, I'm showing my age as I love Led Zeppelin, espcially Starway to heaven.

Missy, glad to hear from you.

Will check in later, but I am on track with snacks/meals planned for today.

[Ottawa]

Back and raring to go. I had a flu over the past 5 days and will likely have for another day or two, that I caught from a co-worker who wouldn't stay home. The symptoms were much less than he showed and I usually miss most of the flu maladies since going LC.

I have lowered my IF window from 23/1 to a more moderate 20/4 which gives me a snack prior to going home for a dinner that was HUGE on days with a long fast window. I eat less for dinner (so less for the day) when I include some type of LC protein snack before leaving work (arround 3:00pm).

Agnes,
Great ideas in that quote "If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and hope your guardian genius."

I'm a little short on the caution but make up for it with perseverrance, experience and hope which are necessary attributes for success found in eating LC and the associated requirements.

[oceanblueLA]

Happy Monday everyone!

The first day of the week. A new beginning. A clean canvas. I hope everyone has a strong day full of purpose and met goals.

Feel better, Randy. The flu is no fun. :-)

Off to the picket line with me. Wish us luck.

Blue

[Karole]

Hi everyone, We're back from our three, week-long, trail rides !! It is soooo good to be back here.

We actually got home on Sat. but have been so busy I just read the old posts and didn't try to write anything. I wanted to see what the new challenge would be and etc. also.

When I weighed this morning I weighed exactly what I did when I left. I was so thrilled as I was not able to keep a count of ecc or anything and have eaten many things I don't usually eat, like beans, oatmeal, prunes, canned fruit and etc. I didn't eat a single dessert they had, and chose to have my Lindt 85% Choc. squares instead. Still I figured I would gain since my carbs had to increase somewhat. Maybe I will be able to handle maintenance after all. It has had me worried in the past.

I have to get back to the following things I let slip: Water, water, water,
my supplements, counting ecc and protein, walking and weights. Just about the whole show, isn't it!! I have already walked 26 min. and this p.m. I plan on doing a new weight video I just bought.

Did I say, it is soooo good to be back with all of you again????

[Karole]

Great quote Agnes !! Lot of food for thought in it.

Randy, hope you are thru with the flu. Definitely no fun there.

Hi Missy, good to see you posting regularly. Sure missed your "funnies" when you weren't posting as often.

Good luck on the job search Max.

Claudette, it sounds as tho you have really been busy already this a.m.

Blue- at least you will get plenty of walking in !!

Mitra and Gaelen-- I am so glad to be back here again.

[Mitra]

It's good to see you back again, Karole. So glad you enjoyed yourself. You may have been able to tolerate somewhat higher carb levels because you were pretty active. I'm sure you'll be able to handle maintenance - you're practically there already :cool:. And don't feel that you can't participate in challenges, just because you're no longer trying to lose any more. Maintenance is just as much of a challenge, so keep on joining in for as long as it's helpful to you. We'll always be glad of your company.

[Rhyme'n Reason]

Sounds like everyone's back to their usual routine after the weekend.

I'm between classes, so I'm taking a few minutes out for myself.

I did get my cooking/planning for the week accomplished. I made 2 quarts of chili yesterday (actually 9 cups) with a net of 41 carbs for the batch, so that should get me through at least six meals or so. I used Ro-tel instead of plain diced tomatoes and then added the chili powder without thinking about the heat already in the chili, so it's on the spicy side; that's a good thing for me.

Today's on track--I'm working on the water. I'm struggling a bit on these colder mornings with drinking water. I have been disciplining myself to not drink a second cup of coffee until I have my first bottle of water down, but it's been getting later and later until I can face drinking water.

Aside from coffee (my favorite), what do the rest of you drink to keep hydrated when it's cold?

[hawk]

Good morning Agnes,Lynn,Claudette,Blue,Max,Gaelen,RandyMitra,Ka role,Mitra and Ruth. Good luck with your day.

I thought I did really great yesterday until I took my food diary and found I had more carbs than I thought I did. Not tons more but enough.

The diary is doing it's job and I am going to continue to keep the food diary. Fit day takes too long for me. I have Eades small food/carb counter.
It is small enough to fit in my bag, and I have a flip chart 3 X 5 card type notebook I am going to keep on my person.

I could not sleep last night and got up at 1:30 am. I made myself go program intervals on the bike. My left leg was in too much pain to sleep. I did not want to keep my husband awake so I got up and rode downstairs and then Gus and I took the couch downstairs. I read that Makers Diet book, which is lo carb purist.I need some candida/digestive/allergy issues help.Today I am back to Whey w/ L glutamine. I have that Mammo and bone scan tomorrow to check my bone density in my legs because of the RSD, and I may ask about my gallbladder. I stopped taking all pain meds because I feel nauseated alot. I fell asleep sometime downstairs reading and woke up at 4:45 then went to bed and slept til 9.The leg is spasming today. ( notice I said "the leg " I don't even want to claim it as mine at the moment) I was planning on 5:30 gym time today, that is moved to around 1 pm. If I go in at 5 am the gym is pretty much empty, or at 1 pm, or 8 pm.

[hawk]

Ruth, I have jars full of herbal tea that I buy from Frontier herb and spice company by the pound. Organic. Keep in the freezer. Red Zinger is one of my favorites.

[Ammy]

I drink room temp water when it's colder. I know it doesn't sound good, but it is easier to drink!

I am feeling good today-around my food. I made my favorite LC lasagna last night (5ecc per BIG serving) and so I have some good lunches made. I also found some bread that is a bit lower in carbs, but still good. It's very HARDY bread, so one slice is enough. But you wouldn't like it if you don't like DENSE bread.

I have my meals planned for the week-and one of them is a meal at The Macaroni Grill. The last time I went there I OD'd on carbs! The bread, the noodles, the bread, the noodles...yeah, too much, but I'm NOT going to do it this time! I'm going to enjoy a glass of wine while my friends eat the bread, and I'm going to focus on the conversation and not the food. Not even one bite of the carbs that kill me!!!
But that isn't until Wednesday-but it's nice to know it's coming and have a plan.

I also need to plan for exercise. I have been SO busy, I haven't seen my house, and I'm so busy, I haven't been to the gym. I'm going to change that!

[maxlharris]

Blue: HONK! HONK! HONK!

Have a good day putting it to those bastards. I used to bring coffee to all the local strikers when I lived in St. Louis and LA. With any luck, they'll knuckle under quickly.

Today is a study in non-productivity. I'm gonna blame the cold. It's freezing at my desk. Perhaps after a good lunch. Later.

[Bonnie]

Hi All,

It is definitely Monday. Went overboard at a German Schlockfest (not sure of the spelling) yesterday. I even won the door prize. It was fun, but I'm paying today.

And it is probably a good thing that I have made it a policy not to have money in the computer center and not to buy anything from our patrons. One of my regulars has a box of "world's finest chocolate" bars. It is the time of year that local schools are selling them.

I'm on track today.

Bonnie

[Billie]

Greetings everyone on this Monday!

Had a great weekend in Chicago, albeit working most of it. Did get to Ruth Chris steakhouse for dinner on Saturday night. The people that I was with said we are not going to tell how this is prepared, and I thought well okay. As it turns out the steak is cooked at 500 degrees in butter, so hey I was just fine with it!

Gabe and I are going to the gym on Friday to try it out. That is the first chance our schedules will collide but we thought what a great thing to do, to join and work out together.

Feels like fall is leaving and the wind is picking up here, working from home does have it's advantageous, I am still in PJs, drinking some nice warm tea!

Happy Monday everyone!

[hawk]

Billie, I can hear that Ruths Cris sizzle from here. I wish I could afford to go there more often.

Blue, let us know how the picketing goes? What or who do you write for??

Max, I feel the same way...cold. I won't turn my thermometer over 69. But my hands are cold. Today would be a good day to check the wood stove and be sure it is clean and then start a fire downstairs in my queendom where I can be nice and toasty. It sure keeps my feet warm up here with a fire down there.

[maxlharris]

Max, I feel the same way...cold. I won't turn my thermometer over 69. But my hands are cold. Today would be a good day to check the wood stove and be sure it is clean and then start a fire downstairs in my queendom where I can be nice and toasty. It sure keeps my feet warm up here with a fire down there.

My father in law has the same rule. I'm unclear on the point. Central gas heating is generally pretty efficient if it's set up right, and with a good automatic control, probably a lot more efficient at maintaining a set temperature than lighting a fire.

Here at work, I think they skimped on insulation when they built the place. It burns near the wall in the summer and it's freezing in the winter. Clearly, penny wise, pound foolish. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the General Services Administration of the Federal Government.

[hawk]

If I turn it up to 70.It gets too warm. If I do anything around the house I get too hot. I'd rather wear a sweat shirt and pull it off as I work.

[Ammy]

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the General Services Administration of the Federal Government.


ACK!!! My WORST work nightmare is GSA!!!! ACKKKKK!!!!

[Mitra]

We had some experimental cooking tonight :). I did lamb braised in red wine, with chocolate-almond picada. The sauce was supposed to be thickened with bread (actually, toast) but I just used extra almonds instead. It was very good. You wouldn't know there was chocolate in the sauce, but it does give it a richness and depth. It's lucky we liked it, because there's enough left over for at least one more meal (I rarely do enough for just one meal with anything that can be reheated - either as is, or disguised). The meal was accompanied by the sound of all the fireworks outside celebrating Guy Fawkes night (he tried to blow up the houses of parliament something over 300 years ago - I'm not sure whether we celebrate his attempt, or the fact that he was caught ;) ).

[maxlharris]

ACK!!! My WORST work nightmare is GSA!!!! ACKKKKK!!!!

They are scarier than any combination of Saw, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. There's just no comparison.

Funny story (well, maybe not): Went to a roundtable where folks with interesting health promotion programs were presenting. I presented my research on sick use, obesity and productivity. The guy from GSA presented on their program to remind people that they could take the stairs. He went through all the things they did and something kept tickling the back of my brain. So, I asked, "Has stair use increased?" The man said, "Yes, lots of people are using the stairs." I asked, "Is it a big increase?" He said, "I dunno. We didn't measure before the program, but it seems like more people are using them."

Ladies and Gentlemen, the General Services Administration of the United States Federal Government: Spending your dollars to get federal employees to use the stairs instead of the elevator and not measuring how many people were doing it before they made modifications to their elevators and posted 4 color signs all over their building.

[Ottawa]

Clearly, penny wise, pound foolish. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the General Services Administration of the Federal Government.

There are times when it just drags on and on ... never understanding the hows and whys of federal programs and how they are applied ... and then there are times like today. You still don't understand but it slips into place.

My chair that I use at work has some problems and I mentioned it to my boss who I see about 6 times a year. A good guy but quite busy. ...

The Ergonomic Assessment Officer come to my office to check my chair today. I use it to wheel between computers and during slow days end up sitting in it for hours at a time and she declared it unsuitable for the work that I do.

After a brief review of what I do when working at the computers and some measurements (eye to screen, leg length, elbow height when seated, etc.) she told me that I will get a new high backed chair with back, leg and height adjustments, 4 mice (2 right and 2 left to switch hands on both machines and reduce carpal tunnel), new keyboards, wrist supports, and 2 monitor risers. She blew me away. My coworker was here as well and I had her check his also.

The test chairs will arrive next week and if satisfied after testing, my replacement is ordered. I'm to give her a call and she will set it up when it arrives. Normally I would laugh at the process since I have not had a new chair in 25 years (changed locations but always found a chair) and actually needed a new chair. I was just amazed at what going through the right channels does.
p.s. She added that the chair is to travel with me if I change locations since it will be "tailored" for me and my tasks, and should increase my productivity :confused::question::confused: and wellness at work.


On track today and broke my fast a little sooner today. I had a HUGE salad and lots of protein at a buffet house. I think that it was just getting over this flu but I felt that I really needed lots of greens.

[Ammy]

Oh that is a PERFECT story!!
Our gov't...wonderful!!


Okay ladies and gentlemen...I'm going to the gym.
I know you're probably very shocked...as am I...but I must do what must be done. I haven't been there is so long I'm worried I might have forgotten my locker combination!

[Anniesnan]

evening, everyone!

rough day - funeral for the 4 year old granddaughter of a friend.

Lunch out - burger - no bun:D

went walking, too and did my stairs



Max - they probably purposely didn't measure stair usage - 'cos that would have shown the program to be either effective or ineffective ... now, with no definitive starting point, they can make the results anything they want ... yes, I, too, am just a wee bit cynical of government agencies:D

[Ottawa]

Total: 1416 IF: 19/5
Fat: 89
Carbs: 43 - 10 = 33
Fiber: 10
Protein: 118

On track. Will have a weights workout to the first half of "The Great Escape".

[gitfiddle]

I'm ba-ack! Didja miss me? Amy, I thought about you as we drove through the Twin Cities. I had no problem with the food, mostly because I brought some of Randy's trail cookies to fill in when there was insufficient protein served. They go well with coffee and I had no cravings all weekend.

Randy, I sweetened them with almond davinci then topped them with crushed almonds. The last package was so crumbled that I had it as cereal this morning at home with raspberries and cream.

I stayed home from work today because I had taken it as a vacation day "just in case". I used it to sleep in, play with the grandson, run errands, get groceries, etc. Boy did I need it!

Ruth, I have this great herbal tea called "Good Earth" that comes in regular and decaf. I can't really tell the difference between the two, but I have the regular at work and the decaf at home for evenings. It's fruity and spicy and slightly sweet. I thought it was stevia, even though it's not listed in the ingredients, but a lady I shared some with this weekend told me she thought it was the anise. I don't usually like anise, but I can't taste it in this melange. I also have several other kinds of herbal tea in my desk drawer.

[Feelix]

Anniesnan & Max- Thanks for the quotes

Gaelen- thanks for taking care of us!

Claudette- I love Body Flex! :-)

Karole- I know you the water mantra :-)

hawk - did you like the maker's diet?

Ammy - I love macaroni grill!!! good girl . Enjoy the wine!

Good Afternoon!!!!

[Feelix]

This recipe came to me from yahoo group. I tried it and it's delicious. Quick too!
Nacho Cucumbers!

INGREDIENTS

1 cucumber(sliced)
4 ounces salsa
4 ounces pre-shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Peel and slice cucumber.
Put 1 teaspoon salsa on each slice of cucumber.
Top with shreded cheese.
Put slices on paper towel and microwave for approximately 15 secs or
untill cheese begins to melt slightly.
Very delicious, quick, and delicious

[hawk]

Feelix..most of it. I bought the probiotics the book recommends at the health food store and they have some good advise for purist eating. I won't stray from PP carb control . I keep trying to stay at 20 and hit around 30-35 a day. 30-35 is mantainence for me.I only lose at 20. I am trying to keep my insulin low. When it is, I am not hungry.

I have had a major problem with systemic yeast for years. It gives me headaches and digestive problems, eye infections, sinus infections. So far just the headaches and eye problems are back.

[hawk]

Tomato ,mozzarella, basil salad with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil... a little salt and black fresh ground pepper... Love it.

[hawk]

Carol, I grew up on Swedish rye bread with anise. I have a half a pound in the freezer and I no longer bake the bread. I should donate it to my sisters church . They make the swedish rye bread for their salad luncheon.

[Missy]

Reporting in....Had a great day today...and I'm feeling particularly calm. :D Major difference in me as compared to all those times when I was feeling tense and hyper while I taught and was relying heavily on regular pop this past summer....interesting to see/feel the difference. I won't ever 'go back' now, ever.

[Rhyme'n Reason]

Thanks for the ideas for tea, everyone. I don't usually like herbal tea because it always seems weak to me. But that Good Earth tea sounds good, Carol. I do like anise. I sometimes drink Constant Comment decaf tea at home at night for the spices. Where do you buy Good Earth?

[Mitra]

I'm ba-ack! Didja miss me?Certainly did :). Good to have you with us again.

Ruth, I find that unlike tea or coffee, there isn't one herbal drink that I just use all the time. The most frequent one I use most mornings is a cinnamon spice mix. The same brand also has a sweet chilli flavour (especially good in the winter) and a liquorice flavour, both of which I have sometimes. They're all in tea bags, but just made from ground spices. I also make ginger tea by grating a tsp or so of ginger and pouring boiling water over it (that one needs sweetening, so I add 1/2 tsp of honey. All of those are good when it's cold. I also drink green tea, white tea and very weak, milkless black tea. I find the herby teas less appealing generally, and can't drink any one flavour very often, though I quite like lemon verbena if it's hot - and it doesn't appeal at all when it's cold.

[Rhyme'n Reason]

Thanks, Mitra--

Teas with those spices sound good to me. I really like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, anise, etc. Is the brand you use available in the states?

I never thought about grating ginger into hot water--I'll have to try that.

Amy, I did keep my water for the day out of the refrigerator when I packed my lunch last night. Maybe I can drink it if it's not that cold.

[Mitra]

Ruth, they have a web-site where you can enter a zip code to find your nearest stockist, so it looks as if they are available in the US. I'll give you the link, but please ignore all the touchy feely new age intro stuff. I like some of their teas, but the "enlightenment in a teabag" stuff would have put me off ever trying them, if I'd seen it first :lol:. They're athttp://www.yogitea.com/ but it is a truly dreadful web-site :eek:. The teas I drink are listed under their "spirit tea" heading :rolleyes:.

[Ammy]

I'm ba-ack! Didja miss me? Amy, I thought about you as we drove through the Twin Cities.

Too bad you couldn't stop and say hi...it was the weekend of our big OA convention!

[Ammy]

Amy, I did keep my water for the day out of the refrigerator when I packed my lunch last night. Maybe I can drink it if it's not that cold.

I hope it works...let us know!

[gitfiddle]

Where do you buy Good Earth? Ruth, here's the link for you to check out.
http://www.goodearthteas.com/wheretobuy.asp

I always buy online but I have a friend in Ohio who gets it from a store. It's called the "Good Earth Original Sweet & Spicy Tea and Herb Blend".

Have you ever tried Constant Comment Green Tea? I like that very much.

Amy, I wish we could have met! Last year my meeting was in Wisconsin and Joanne B drove to where I was. We talked and talked for at least a couple of hours as we walked around the grounds. Great fun!