Happy Friday!

Did L2 this morning & started on water. Got to get ready for work, so I hope everyone has a wonderful friday and remember to keep breathin'
& guzzling!

Alicia

START WGHT=292(June,2002)
CURRENT WGHT=260
GOAL WGHT=135
"You can't change what you don't acknowledge"

I did my exercise and oxycise last night. Then I had a talk with my dh about his goatee... I never did like it, but he just didn't want to shave it off no matter how I tried to convince him. (He's had it for a couple months now.) So last night we made a deal that if I can fit into size 12 by our anniversary (November 9th), he will shave it off. Now I really have the motivation I needed! So after that I did some stomach crunches, and did O! breaths while I was doing that. I just have to lose 3 inches off my waist in 3 weeks and one day. Can't afford any more slacking off now! Let me know if anyone has any good pointers about how to really trim off the stomach inches.

Rose

Good morning everyone.

Rose, what a great motivator! I may have to try something like that with my dh. I believe that the stomach crunches (done very slow) will really help with your waist. I try to fit in 100 per day. I have to remind myself to do them slow so, I lift a small amount and then go up to the bra line and then back to a lower position and then down. Did that make sense? It's kind of a three part process but it really makes you work those abs. Another exercise is to come up and point your elbow toward your opposing knee. That little twist works the sides real well. I hope that helps.

Alicia, you would really love Pork Day! I can just see you with your sense of humor going for it. Pork Day was made up by my family members. It was an accident really. We just started making up rules. We honor the pig by wearing pink, wearing our hair in pig tails, eating with our hands (no silverware allowed!), drinking swill and playing crazy games. We even have a person crowned pork prince or princess at the end of the night. This year, we are going to play the swine bowl and have the porkettes as cheerleaders. I recommend doing something like this in your families. It helps you get a lot of goofyness out and laughter really does help with your health.

I hope everyone has a terrific weekend and I look forward to reading about all your lives on Monday.

Merritt

Good morning everyone! I was late getting to it, but I just finished L2.

I have SO much to do, but I've already gotten a lot done today. This is going to be a busy weekend for me. We're having a Sunday School party in the morning (partly to honor one of our members who just got married). Tomorrow evening is the annual Fall Festival at our kids' school. Last year I won some really fun stuff at bingo. Maybe I'll do well again this year. I'm also trying to get ready for a party I'm having next week. I'll tell y'all more about that later.

Merritt, I hope you have a great Pork Day celebration this year! Take some fun pictures and share them with us.

Rose, your bet with your dh sounds interesting. Maybe I need to come up with some sort of incentive like that. We'll all be rooting for you!

Alicia, I'm already off to a good start, but I'll take your advice and keep on guzzling! (which is how I drink ALL beverages....I've never been a sipper)

Hope to see posts from many more of you before the day is over.

Kelly

Rose, way to go! Do get your dh to motivate you so that you can't help fitting in that size and making him take off his beard. You can do it!

Merritt, be sure to have fun on that pork day! As you are in charge nothing much to go wrong, is there? About those crunches: I heard that doing those every day is not as profitable as every other day as muscles need 48 hours rest before being worked again... just a thought you might want to check up. But boy, you must be in shape to do 100 of those three phased in a row... I'm open mouthed and amazed! Great job!

Karen, way to go! Come on, you can do it. And I'm sure you started Friday right already, right?

Alicia, I love your signature. Yes, putting my goals into the signature to read them everyday - plus where I came from really helps to keep me focused. And yes, I don't think I told many people what my weight really was before I started out. Yes, acknowledging helps!

Gail, great job on the O! workout and the 8MM. Kepp up the good work!

Am having dinner with my mother tonight - but mean to be real good, of course. Was good about eating all day, didn't even go for my afternoon snack, so I'm pretty proud. Haven't finished O! yet, but more than halfway through. Better get busy to finish it before I leave!

Have a great weekend everybody and KOBAS,

152|9off161|13-2-go|139@x-mas2002, Kathie

I didn't do my O session until after everyone had gone to bed last night. That is why I didn't post yesterday. I almost didn't do them at all but decided I couldn't start not doing them on purpose. I hurt but I could still do it. It is one thing to forget, it's an entirely different thing to just choose not to. I did just the breathing cycles with the lifts, no stretches.

Today I am feeling better and have done a full session, stretches and all.

Make it a happy day!

Linda Lou

Good Friday, everyone.

Yes, Kathie, I did start my Friday out right. I did my first O!ing in a month. I did L1. It was amazing to see that I was still able to get through all of it, and I surprised myself by still being pretty flexible with the one where you sit on the floor and press your knees down. And my stomach can sure feel it OUCH!!

I'm going to clean house now (more exercise) and get ready for the weekend. My two oldest kids are in marching band together. They won Sweepstakes at their first two competitions, and tomorrow is their third. Wish us luck!!

XOXOXOXOXO...Karen

Hey Everyone!

It is really great to be back! I did not get in an O yestarday, my schedule got all messed up first thing in the morning, but today I am going to do level 1, that will make three times this week. More than in the last two and a half months!

One of the things that has made it possible for me to get back on track is this board. If I didn't occassionally get curious to see how others are doing, and i couldn't pop in and get motivated, I would feel very alone. You guys are all so great, and so good for me. Thanks.

I did start the day off very poorly, I ate all the things that i shouldn't have, and enjoyed every bite! But, for the rest of today, I am eating the way I know that I should.

I could use some help though. I have been doing the low carb for the last few years. I like it, it works (when I work it) and I really do feel better when I do it. In the long term though, it is very difficult for me to stick with. But, when I have carbs in my diet, even good ones, I never feel satisfied, I am always hungry, even when I am not, and pretty soon my eating is totally out of control again.

So, I guess what I am asking, does anyone know of a relatively lower carb, but more balanced eating plan than either atkins or protein power. Is anyone on Weight Watchers and do they have a plan that has more protien? Any advice or comments would be welcome, if you want to e.mail me directly my e.mail is

smartblondetwo@worldnet.att.net

thanks,
beth

By the way, thanks a bunch for the welcome back! I love this place.

I did my level 1 just now, it was very hard to get through today, but I am glad i did it. I have to say, that all of you out there who do over and above your O workout deserve a medal. I know if I hang in there and do this one day at a time, I will be able to add on more. You are all so encouraging.
beth

bethc,
I could have written your posts myself. I don't post nearly as often as I check the message boards. They, and the Oxycise newsletter, are what keeps me "keeping on". I don't Oxycise or do any of my exercise tapes nearly often enough. If I don't do them in the morning, they don't get done. I need to get out of that, since I am not a morning person. I hate to post when I have had a bad day. It seems so negative and unfair to the others who are counting on the board to help motivate them, although it does help me to know that others have the same problems I do.

A couple of years ago I had really good success using "The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet". It is basically low carb, but for one meal a day you can have a serving of anything that you want. You don't get the hunger pains and cravings like you do when you eat carbs because there are guidelines for how much of the carbs you can eat. Getting the book and reading the complete diet is best, but basically you only eat when you are hungry, and you must eat a protein and low carb veggies at every meal that you do eat; even breakfast. Then, one meal a day is a reward meal. At that meal you must eat a salad first; then divide your plate into 3 equal portions. One portion is for your protein, one is for a low carb veggie, and the third portion is for anything you want. If you are still hungry, you can have as many servings as you want but must eat more of all three portions equally. I lost 35lbs on this diet and it wasn't all that hard. And I did it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day; all "bad eating" events. Of course, I was very motivated at the time because I was not feeling very healthy. I felt extremely good when following the diet, but for some reason I am having a hard time sticking to it this time around. I guess I haven't gotten to the point yet where I want it bad enough.

Kathy

Didn't do any O today. My husband and I did go
for a 3+ mile walk/hike in the morning. But
things got very busy later in the day and we
had a dinner party to go to, so the O and the
Jorge Cruise workouts got left out.

Will do better on Saturday, walk, Level 1, Jorge Cruise and commuter CD are in the plans, we will
see what comes to fruition.

Gail