Hi Spider,

Regardless of where you train, home or gym, I still recommend the book "Woman's book of Strength" She give tips on training at home. Sounds like you have all you need. Also, she takes a meditative, almost spiritual approach to it. It's not just physical - it really does involve, or can involve the mind and soul as well. I really like her approach, and I like her focus on women's needs.

Rain

I'm game for weightlifting!

I'll check out the Woman's Book of Strength by Karen Andes in a few days. Things may get a bit hectic in the next week, company coming and my son MAY be getting discharged from the Army. He's been trying for 2 years to get out.

Meantime, I'm going to start doing arm curls and lunges.

Arnie, what's your plan?

Josee, here's a pat on the back!

I spent an hour and a half in my garden this morning before it got too warm. It was lovely. My lettuce is about done for the year. Sigh..... well.. I enjoyed it while it lasted.

I have good news! I am down a whole pound this morning. Yup yup. I am so tickled!

Rain, I don't know about you.... but I haven't got much boob left to have it sag. LOL... ain't it awful? First place I loose weight is in my chest......and now that there isn't much left I guess maybe I will start loosing it in my thighs. I hope so.

Woooo Woooooo Josee!! Way to go Girl!

Must run......
Libby

Well, when I was thinner before, I had a C, and I have a large D now - I'm hoping it doesn't go below a C, but whatever the size, I want the muscle underneith to hold them up nicely, so I do a lot of weights for my chest - even though I never see the muscle underneith the fat.

I decided to change my initial goal to 170 and stick there for a while. Then move on down when I'm ready. Eventually I'd like to be between 135 and 145. But I think I could be really happy at 170 for a while, and then 160...etc.

Spider...yes, Karen Andes! That's the name! I think I was getting her mixed up with Kathy Smith.

Rain

Rain,
I do "mini-goals" too. It makes it much more rewarding for me to reach each little step along the way.

When I get to 150 I have a bunch of (go figure) Everlast sports bra/tank thangys on layaway at WallyMart that are waiting for me. I was so silly, I bought one in white, loved it, and ran back down and put four more on layaway. One in each color. I only owe a few dollars on my layaway and the sales people probably think I am wierd for leaving it there still.

Catch ya later,
Libby

I started the exercises today. Body flex, then some weights. I checked out the 8 minutes in the morning book, just looks a bit too good to be true. I don't think it's something that would really work for me.

I never used to exercise. I'd joke while loading wood into the pickup that I should get someone that wanted to join a gym, they could pay me, and load my wood. Or I could get someone to clean the barn, haul water to the animals, dig ditch, till the garden. No wonder I'm out of shape! I'm not doing anything but cleaning the house once in awhile.

Yesterday's meals:

Br: 1 coffee, 2 pieces of LC bread with peanut butter.

L: 1 soup (it had onions in it) and 1 spring roll....

D: WAS STARVING... craving carbs... lunch caused it. Had broccoli with beef, rice, 2 italian sausages & turtles cheesecake for desert.

Yesterday I drank a TON of water.

Ya'll are doing so well!!

I spent the morning in my garden before it got warm. I love to get up extra early and have some piece and quiet out there. Only the birds talk to me at that time of day.

I am 159.5 this morning. I was looking through my journal and I am just amazed that I am under 160. I am no longer, and never will be 190 or 180 or 170 or 160! Whew!!

Yesterday I saw myself on our home videos when I must have weighed 180+ and I can't believe that was me. Then the tape jumped to this past Easter weekend. I look like a different person. I certainly still need to loose 20+ pounds but I am amazed to see how much I have changed.

I am going to do this! I am going to do this with you folks! WE are going to do this together!!!

Have a great one.......
Libby

I was up a pound today - back up to 187. Very annoying because I was steadily going down! I'm not going to worry about it just yet, but if it stays or goes up again, I'll need to examine what's going on with my food.

Does anyone else ever go up one day for no apparent reason?

Rain

Rain, I started keeping track of my weight - the daily weight and noticed that a certain amount of days before tom, the weight would go up about 3-4 pounds. It's back down 1 or 2 the next day and by the third day only 1 pound up. Then a few days later tom starts. My cycle varies from 23 to 25 days. It's always been like that and anything that is unusual in my life, affects my cycle. Keeping track of the weight seems to help predict it. So annoying!

Yes, that happened to me two weeks ago, and it was my TOM, but now I'm in the middle of my cycle. I'll wait and see if it goes back down. Maybe I had a high salt dinner or something. I'm sure I could not have actually gained a pound of fat in one day! So...if I start stalling on my weight, though it's too soon to worry about that now...I'll need some advice from people who have been there!

Thanks
Rain

Rain, Keep a food diary, then you'll know what's going on.

I started a food diary a few days ago - maybe it was monday. Last night I had two hamburger patties with cheddar, and lots of salt. I intended to have only one, and I'm thinking that probably has made me retain water or something. Because, on the brighter side, last weekend I had gone shopping for clothes, and I am now wearing a skirt that I bought, and I'm sure it was much tighter when I tried it on! Who knows! I don't want to put too much weight on what the scale says, but it's hard not to get hung up on it.

Rain

I have a couple of trigger foods. I have to be VERY careful with pepperoni, and sausages ...because you don't always know whats in them.

I also have to watch my cottage cheese and my regular cheese intake during my Complimentary Meals.

I love all of those foods and when I was sorta stalled I moved all of them, and the other foods the Heller's marked as borderline to my reward meals. It made a huge difference for me.

Ta ta for now,
Libby

ps... it's in the CALP book page 121, very bottom of page.