Motivational Thread - February 24 - March 2
 

As requested by my fitday buddy, Libby! This quote is for you girl ;)

The difference between your body this week and next week is what you do for the next 7 days to achieve your goals. It's a new week. Make it count!

And to add a little more push to that quote....if you need an extra push that is...

You can only fail if you quit!

I added in the second quote this week because I've been struggling with motivation recently. I know I'm not alone on that one....we all struggle with motivation from time to time. It's a good reminder to keep forging forward. Even if weight loss slows down or even halts, quitting is failing! I've tried many times in the past to lose weight and ended up failing because I quit when the going got tough. I did lose the weight a few times, but ultimately failed because I quit trying and didn't learn how to maintain my weight and gained it back. I refuse to fail this time!

Let's make this a great week! By great I mean, even if the scale isn't cooperating, even if life gets in the way and we don't get in a workout, even if we slip up and eat more than planned, even if we lack motivation...WE WON'T GIVE UP!!!

For those of us who set a goal for the end of February, this is it! 4 more days until our last February weigh in! Let's do our best whether that means hitting your goal or getting as close to goal as possible. :D

Thanks Debbie. I've been struggling with motivation myself but vowed I would set goals for the week.

GOALS
1. Stay within carb limit
2. Increase servings of fruit and veggie (at least 4 serving)
3. 6 glasses of water
4. Exercise 4X for 30 min
5. Lose 1lb

Personal goals
1. Clean powder room
2. write more
3. clean/organize office

Jenn

I've been horrible on my healthful lifestyle since my last weigh-in on January 10. No special reason--I just fell off the wagon and each day said "tommorow" I will restart.

Well, after a shout-out from Jenn, I'm here.

I ate on plan for breakfast today and just finished 18 minutes of a 28 day cardio + strengh boot camp DVD. Whoa! It has levels from beginners to already fit, but even the beginners routine is hard for me. I can't do all the fast paced moves yet, but I keep moving nonetheless. Two-three days per week I will try to add as many minutes for which I have the stamina. I will do a mile of aerobic walking tonight.

I haven't weighed. I'm sure I'm up at least 5 lbs. since my last doctor visit. Would like to be down from that visit by 3 lbs. on March 28.

My simple goals this week are to eat on plan and to exercise at least 5 days.

I've got to go back to Food Talk and browse for more low carb recipes or ones I can adapt to low carb. I don't have ricotta cheese on hand but I will get some next time I go to the grocery because that filling for Debbie's spinach and cheese calzone looks nicely low carb enough for my limit of 25g net carbs per day.

Today's menu:

Breakfast: spinach and eggs with roasted red pepper sauce

Lunch: spinach and Laughing Cow Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Cream Cheese on a low carb tortilla. (Idea from Debbie's spinach and cheese calzone.)

Dinner: casserole of low carb pasta, chicken sausage, sauteed green pepper and onions, and tomato with Italian seasoning. Cole slaw with ranch dressing.

Snacks: choose from celery or cucumber spread with peanut butter, almonds, another protein shake--subject to change as long as on plan.

Hi all - Checking back in with day 29 of Chasing the Sun which was 40 minutes cardio/abs intervals. I'm planning some extra cardio this evening in order to try my best to get closer to my February goal!

Welcome back Mern! Each week, I've been watching our daily thread hoping you woudl post again! I know it's hard when you fall off the wagon to get back on, but I'm glad to see you're back :) That spinach and cheese filling is very low carb and also nice and filling and feels like comfort food. I bet if you rolled it up in your low carb tortilla and warmed it up, it would be yummy! If you want to try making the dough, you could always replace some of the regular flour for almond flour to reduce the carbs. Also, not sure if I mentioned it before, there's a great site that I like to go to that focuses solely on low carb recipes. You should check it out....maybe you'll get some good ideas!

Mern and Jenn - Awesome job setting exercise goals. I personally think exercise is essential to weight loss! Mern, what's the name of the bootcamp dvd you're using? Jenn, what kind of exercise are you incorporating into your week?

I'll check back later to see how everyone is doing and what the goals are this week. ;)

I have been doing well with diet and exercise. I am reading the shred diet and trying some new recipes. By Friday I hope to be down to 168 again.
Thanks for repeating the quote Debbie and welcome back Jenn and Mern.
I like the new quote too. You can only fail if you quit.Lets all stick with our goals this week.

Thanks for the link to the site Debbie. I have put it in my favourites and will have a look later.
Today I walked around the mall and grocery store because I had to run errands. I want to get back into using Wii. I do the Wii Sports Active video game usually for 20 mins. I haven't worked out for a while so it might be ambitious goals for this week.

Jenn

Hello everyone. Thank you for the great quotes Debbie. Much appreciated! Let's stay motivated.
I did my weightlifting class this a.m. for one hour and then a protein shake afterwards. I'm really enjoying the shake I made btw. The recipe is- one full scoop protein powder, 1 cup soy vanilla milk, 1 banana, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I think it makes the perfect breakfast! Tomorrow I'm going to add some cinnamon too. That seems like it would give it a nice flavor. Occasionally (1x week) I like to use my juicer as well if anyone is ever interested in a few recipes- let me know. They can be surprisingly good!

Goals for this week are:
1. Daily 6 glasses water + 3 glasses green tea
2. Workout 5-6 x week (protein shake after)
3. Log food/journal
4. Eat 4-5 small meals per day and stay within 1400-1500 calories eaten.
5. Lose at least 1-2 lbs for the Friday weigh in.

Welcome back Mern. I know how hard it is to get back on track. I'm out of my protein for shakes. Tomorrow I will have time to get some. I use almond milk and fruit and protein powder. It does get my protein count up. I've been out for 2 days and I miss them. Let's have a great week. I expect to meet my goal for Feb. Plan is the same as the last few weeks.

If anyone is looking for a good protein to try, I love Whey Gourmet Naturelle. No artificial sweeteners added or other funky ingredients ;)

I was also curious to know how many daily calories everyone tries to target? And if you post that range, how active are you?

Hi, all. I was on briefly a while back, but didn't last long. I'm recommitted now and some things have changed. I gave up diet soda (that's all I would drink all day), and I'm now drinking lots of water. I haven't noticed any difference, and it's been a couple months, but I know it's better for me nonetheless. I am also exercising this time. My teenage son and I have been doing a weight/cardio circuit 3x/week that lasts 30 minutes. We started about 2 weeks ago. Right now I can only do once around, but maybe next month we'll shoot for 2x around for an hour workout. But baby steps are good. He keeps me motivated and makes me go even when I don't feel like getting up off my butt. I've already been able to increase weight on many machines, an I have increased my steps during cardio a lot.

I'm having a hard time getting my protein in. I'm interested in some of the protein shakes you all are talking about, but are they high in calories? Mern, I have found that the best cookbook on the planet is Pinterest. You can find recipes of any type on there, including low carb. I use it all the time, and have found many many recipes that my whole family loves. I recommend trying it if you haven't already. Also great resource for paleo, gluten free, low cal, etc.

My goals are
1. Exercise 3x, and maybe even 4.
2. Increase protein

Keeping it simple so I don't get overwhelmed from the get-go.

This morning I remembered reading this post from Mary last week that I meant to respond to but didn't. I love your suggestion Mary and couldn't agree more! The scale certainly doesn't tell the whole picture. I agree it's important to celebrate our NSVs (non-scale victories).

Speaking of NSVs, I had one this morning! I'm wearing a pair of dress pants today that I haven't been able to wear in 5 years! These were the pants that I tried on at the end of the summer that made me realize just how much weight I had gained. For some reason, the number on the scale wasn't resigtering with me (I think I was in denial). Putting those pants on and seeing how far apart the button and button loop were shocked me...I mean shocked me! :eek: I've been trying them on periodically throughout the past 6 months and they slowly were easier to button up. This morning I pulled on the pants I normally wear to work and they looked almost too loose, so I grab my target pants and realized they fit nice again! :D Feels great!

Aimee - I don't count calories. When I first started here at fitday, I was counting calories but it was making me crazy!! I decided that whatever I am doing to lose the weight, I need to be able to do for life, so stop counting. I just do my best to eat well 90% of the time which is something I feel I can do for life. As for how active I am, I workout anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, 7 days a week. I aim to do a 40 minute interval workout daily in the morning. I mix cardio and strength into each of these workouts. Then 3-4 days a week, I do extra cardio (up to an hour) in the evening which has mostly been the elliptical and sometimes treadmill running. Long term, I plan to keep the daily morning workouts and hope that will be enough to maintain my weight once I reach my goal.

Jedi - Welcome back! It sounds like you're off to a great start and have a good solid plan. That's awesome that your son is doing this with you and keeping you motivated! Motivation can be one of the toughest things....at least in my opinion. As far as protein goes, the protein powder I use has only 120 calories per scoop and I mix it with unsweetened almond milk which is only 40 calories per cup. So 180 calories and I get 20 grams of protein. Having said that, I personally think that unless you're going pretty hard at the exercise, you really don't need to add in a protein shake. The fitness industry is a billion dollar industry so they promote things like protein powders because they make money. Protein powders are good if your workouts are hard enough that you're breaking down muscle to build it up and it's needed for recovery. Having said all that, if you feel sore and tired from your workouts, then you could benefit from adding in extra protein...if not, you may be getting enough protein from your diet. Just my 2 cents.

Jenn - What kind of game to you play on the Wii? Or is it more like an exercise video that you follow along to?

Libby - How is you reading of the Shred Diet coming along? Do you think it's something you're going to tryout or are you just interested in the recipes? I've never heard of it...you'll have give us a preview.

Ian - Hope we didn't scare you away with all the questions about your job :p

Mern - How was your first day back?

Have an awesome day my fitday buddies!

lildebbieg...Thank you for the welcome. I have seen cans of protein powder in the health food section that are extremely expensive, and I would never pay that much money for them. But I can get unsweetened, unflavored protein powder from the bulk bins at Sprouts for a fraction of the cost. Is it essentially the same thing, do you know? Also, I keep track of my protein and it has been about 1/2 of the minimum my health coach says I should aim for. Some days I don't eat any meat, and particularly on those days it is hard for me to get anywhere near what she says to get. So I have been thinking about getting powder to supplement.

Debbie, thanks for the welcome back. :) Kudos on your exercise! My low carb tortillas are only 5 net carbs and I love them--actually prefer them to regular bread after eating them for several years. They are rather doughy and I can actually use them for calzones by folding them over the filling, moistening the edges with water, crimping them shut with a fork, and baking on parchment paper in the oven for 10 minutes. I also use the tortillas as pizza crust--put them in a skillet to toast them and then put pre-warmed toppings on it and then top with cheese and cover the skillet until the cheese is melted. Oh, thanks so much for the low carb recipe link. I have several but have never seen this one and will check that out after I exercise this morning. I sent you a PM with the name of my bootcamp DVD because it's from another weightloss support website and Mike or another administrator would probably have to delete it from my post. My first day back felt good--did better on my exercise than I expected--31 minutes divided into two sessions--as far as my stamina honestly took me and I'm proud of myself for that, ate totally on track, but forgot about water. I'll have a goal of 48 oz. of water today.

Aimee, hi! Well done on your exercise. Your shake sounds yummy. I manage my blood sugar through diet alone (reversed from pre-diabetic to normal) and so wish I could eat bananas, but it does sound delicious. I do, though, have some low carb protein shake mix that does taste like banana. I'll add some vanilla and cinnamon. Thanks for the idea. Admirable goals--especially with the small meals. I aim for 1200-1500 calories per day and am not as active as I should be--1/2 hour exercise per day is my target, but right now I'm having to split that into two sessions.

JediMindTricks, that's wonderful that you're exercising with your son! My doctor wholeheartedly agrees that babysteps are good--in fact, she recommended that for me last December in getting back to exercise. I had Pinterest before but terminated my account. I may give that a try again. Thanks for the recommendation. :)

Libby, you seem to be doing really well. Congratulations on your hard work!

Kumochi, thanks for the welcome back. I used the protein shakes to get my count up, too. My doc finally agrees with me that I can handle 120g per day and my protein numbers are quite normal in my bloodwork--and that more protein helps me lose weight more easily.

Jenn, way to go on your walking yesterday! Just do the best you can--as long as you go as far as your stamina will take you without overdoing it, you're getting a good workout. I'm a little stiff since getting back to exercise yesterday for the first time since January 10, but I'm not sore. I couldn't do all I'd have liked, but I honestly went as far as my stamina would take me. I did 18 minutes of my bootcamp DVD (6 minutes of warmup and 12 minutes of intense (for ME) cardio and later I did 13 minutes of aerobic walking which was the equivalent of .8 miles. I'll try to add two minutes more exercise today however I can accomplish that.

Great question! I've seen the plain protein powder at Bulk Barn, but I've never tried it or read the ingredients. We don't have a Sprouts here either so I can't speak on their product. You could always ask your health coach if the Sprouts stuff compares to the other more expensive brands. My guess is, it would be the same but without a Brand Name, it sells for less money....just a guess though.

Delicious dinner thanks to Debbie! :)

I made the Baked Chicken Strips with Mustard, Almond, and Parmesan from a website Debbie suggested Kalyn's Kitchen® It was under low carb recipes and my husband, who is not a low carber, loved it.

As Kalyn said, some of the ground almond coating did fall off (maybe 1/4) but it was still really delicious. She said total cooking time at 450 is 20-25 minutes depending on the pan used, but mine took only about 16 minutes to cook completely through and perfectly. Maybe my cooking time was shortened because I lined my cooking sheet with aluminum foil to save cleanup.

JediMindTricks, I reactivated my Pinterest account to look for
low carb recipes. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

Nice to see so many active people. I missed the Y today - mainly because my legs were sore although a new client gave me a second excuse. I plan to go tomorrow to make up. I'm not sure if I swept to hard at curling last night or why my leg hurt. I have been lower on my protein the last 3 days. Maybe I'll have a shake tonight. Usually I use my protein shake for breakfast with almond milk and fruit added.

aimeet, I try to stay around 1200-1300 on a good day, but will still feel good about myself if I go up to 1600 once in a while. That will put me at 600-1000 deficit on a rest day and up to 900-1300 calorie deficit on an exercise day. Given that, I don't understand why the weight is not coming off. It's taken almost 2 months to lose just 10 lbs.

Can you all tell me what brand of protein powder you use? I'm thinking about trying it, but don't know what to look at.

Mern, I hope you find lots of good ideas on Pinterest for your low carb cooking.

Mern - So glad you've already put Kalyn's website to good use! First time I tried ground almond meal was with one of her chicken recipes....I think it was homemade chicken nuggets. So yummy and browns up nicely too!

Jedi - Be patient with yourself. It takes time to lose weight as much as we want the process to be faster. That is one thing I've learned this time around....it really does take more time and waaaaay more effort than I ever thought it would to lose weight. It's taken me nearly 6 months to lose 20 lbs.! If you're losing 5 pounds a month and keep at it, you'll be down 60 pounds in a year! That's significant!! I say keep doing what you're doing because you're doing very well! ;)

Mary - Hope your leg feels better tomorrow!

I put in an extra 60 minutes on the elliptical tonight and followed that up with a brutal 12 minute HIIT workout. According to my Polar Heart Rate monitor, I burned 1003 calories today! Woohoo!!!

Have a great evening all!

Quick report for Tues
I did keep to my carb limit but definetely didn't drink enough water today.
Didn't get my exercise in today as I was cleaning and did 2 loads of laundry. I did clean the powder room which was on my to-do list :)

Jenn

Mern- Those baked chicken strips sounded yummy. I looked at Kalyn's website last night but haven't tried any of the recipes yet. I like that she has put so many diet/healthy options according to what plan you might be using. I had also been experimenting with paleo options so it was nice to see some additional recipes for that. For anyone else doing paleo- I highly rec. the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. I've done a bunch of their recipes and love almost every one of them. Good stuff. Also? What was that low carb tortilla you were mentioning? I may look for it in the store.

jjrudd- I was bad on my water intake today too...sigh. And now it's too late or I'll be peeing all night instead of sleeping, lol. Sorry if TMI, but so true! Ha.:o

Debbie- thanks for the continued support and congrats on your pants victory!!!;)

JediMindTricks-I am so going to check out my bulk bin at the local store now. I never even thought to look there for protein powder. Great idea. And I also would like to tell you that I've been at this since Jan 15th or so and have lost a grand total of 8 pounds now...I can totally sympathize with you on the slow results, but as Debbie said -- 5 lbs a month can really add up over time.

Mary- Sorry to hear about your leg and I hope you got some rest and are feeling much better by the a.m.

Me- I made it to 45 solid minutes on the elliptical this morning. Pretty proud of myself. It was on the middle hard setting so good on that too :D My water intake was not quite on track which I regret, but it was mostly because I didn't have a glass sitting nearby. I need to just carry a gallon jug around-- sort of kidding-- but not really...I am just not used to all this water consumption. My body must have been dehydrated for so long it just didn't even notice anymore and gave up, lol. I read online that for an average of 200lbs of weight, you need to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day-- and that doesn't even count if you excercise-- which increases the amount you need to drink to stay hydrated. .... baby steps...I think I had maybe 4 glasses of water today for the record. Oh --- and also??? I lost a pound!!!

aimee, 45 minutes on the elliptical? and on that setting? wow! And debbie too...60 minutes? You kids rock!

Mern, I'm interested in finding out about your low carb tortillas too.

I have great news! The scale may not be moving much, but the tape doesn't lie. I started exercising 2 weeks ago, and in just 1 week I've lost 2 inches off my waist and 1 1/2 inches off my bicep. My protein intake was terrible yesterday. Only 41g! We didn't have any meat so I tried to increase it a little with beans in my salad. They have so many calories and carbs though. I could eat more eggs. Maybe I should boil some for my salads. We are having a roast today, so my numbers should be at least a little better. Tonight is gym night with my son.

I use a Whey Gourmet naturelle protein. In Canada I can get it at Shopper's Drug Store or Zehrs. Cheaper at Zehrs. 120 calories for 20g of protein per serving. I like the taste and texture of it. I can't stand anything that is chalkey. I am thinking of buying a few premixed boxes to have on hand for travel or when I run out. Since I use it for breakfast I figure the cost is offset somewhat by not having to buy other breakfast items. I add almond milk and sometimes yogurt and fruit. For 160 calories, 250 if fruit and yogurt added I have a good start on the day -- and its easy.

My leg is mostly better. I plan on doing the pool and weights plus some elliptical to make up for yesterday. I can skip out of the office today so it will be easier.

I can recommend three brands of low carb tortillas: where I shop they're in the bread aisle, but sometimes stores put them in the International Foods aisle by the Mexican foods.

-- my fave is Ole Mexican Foods Xtreme Wellness High Fiber, Low Carb
--second is LaBanderita brand low carb tortillas
--third is Mission brand low carb tortillas

Low Carb Beans :) I eat Eden Organic Black Soy Beans. I don't care for beans in my salads, but make delicious low carb baked beans with these, or use them in chili and soups. They're a little al dente right out of the can, but you can easily get them softer by further cooking, if you prefer. A half cup serving has only one net carb: 8 grams total carbs less 7 grams fiber. For anyone who is new to carb counting, since fiber is carbs that do not impact blood sugar, most carb counters are allowed to deduct fiber from total carbs. I haven't found the beans in stores here, so I order several cans at a time from vitacost.com where I also get my Walker Brand low carb shake mix which is one net carb per serving and I enjoy the taste. I also get almond extract there. I place a large enough order to get free shipping.

My simple report for yesterday: I did eat cleanly. Did 21 minutes of bootcamp DVD (admirable accomplishment for me) and later 9 minutes of aerobic walking to tally 30 minutes for the day. The 9 minutes was .6 miles--it was quite a struggle--so even though I wanted to do a whole mile, I honestly went as far as my stamina would take me. Water was little more than 32 oz.--must improve on that today.

Debbie, I grind my own almonds in the food processor. I also sometimes dredge fish in a mixture of almond meal and Parmesan cheese. I was amazed to read about your elliptical minutes accomplishment! You have to be so proud of yourself.

Kumochi, I'm glad to read your legs are feeling somewhat better today. Curling is something new to me that I watched for the first time on the Olympics last week. Fascinating sport. I usually have two protein shakes (1 net carb each) per day--one 25-30 minutes before exercise to help with stamina (I don't know for sure whether it works) and the other in the evening as I read protein is good to have 1-2 hours before bed to keep metabolism revved up. Not eating after 7PM is a bit controversial for those who must keep blood sugar stable.

Jedi, congratulations on those inches lost! I think the scale numbers aren't as important as how we look and feel in our clothes. I agree with Debbie--as long as your scale numbers are going down, you're doing fine. I also find it encouraging to think of my rate of loss in terms of how much it would add up to in a year.

Jenn, although not formal exercise, cleaning and laundry are exercise nonetheless.

Aimee, wow! Kudos on losing 8 lbs. since January 15th! And kudos on the elliptical! I tried Paleo once and didn't have the fortitude to stick with it. I admire anyone who does. I follow the customized way of eating my doc and I worked out together (through trial and error) for my blood sugar and cholesterol management. But I'm going to look over more of Kalyn's recipes in other categories because I'm good at adapting recipes to my needs.

Jenn, day 3 of my 28 day bootcamp DVD exercise done. My target was 22 minutes--I did 25 :D Will do at least 1/2 mile aerobic walking tonight to tally a minimum of 30 minutes exercise. How are you doing?

Debbie, I got some ricotta cheese and mozzarella but I forgot I used up all my Parmesan in the chicken tenders last night, so will be trying that filling for the spinach and cheese calzones tomorrow.


Today's planned menu:

About 10AM late breakfast: 1 1/2 cups mixed low carb veggies and a protein shake before exercise

Lunch: chicken sausage wrap with spinach and Laughing Cow Cheese

Dinner: lean chuck roast, cooked broccoli, cole slaw with ranch dressing.

Snacks: another protein shake and choose from cold leftover low carb chicken tenders (yeah, they're delicious cold) almonds, celery with natural peanut butter (lower sugar)

Hi all. I had a rough couple of days but I am back. I walked for 53 minutes on the treadmill this morning and plan to do some more later today. The kitchen is a disaster and I am going to clean it up. Have a good day.

WATER:

Aimee, the 100 oz. water per day is kind of controversial. Some say you don't need that much. You could ask your doctor what he/she recommends for you.

I weigh almost 230 lbs. and my doc said 64 oz. is fine (FOR ME) and if I can't do that, to shoot for 48 oz. She also agrees with a nurse who told me it doesn't matter where your water comes from--that it doesn't have to be clear drinking water and that your body appreciates and "counts" even water that's naturally in our fruits and vegetables. So even though I don't try to figure out how much water was in that stalk of celery or pile of fresh spinach I ate, my doc told me to go ahead and count the water I add to my tea, protein shake mix, and my decaf coffee, etc.

I counted 32 oz. of water yesterday, but I forgot to count the 24 oz. from my protein shakes, so my doc would count it as 56 oz. yesterday. :) Don't get me wrong--I'm not suggesting we all skimp on our water, just saying our bodies don't always feel as deprived of fluids as we might think.

Libby, so sorry you had some rough days. Welcome back and kudos on your treadmill exercise! Come clean MY kitchen! Wishing you a good day, too. Big hug to ya! :)

We have a small group in our motivational thread this week, but I'm finding tons of support from those of you who are here. Thanks so much for all your help and encouragement. :)

Hi Mern. I am glad to see you back and doing well.

Wed report

GOALS
1. Stay within carb limit no
2. Increase servings of fruit and veggie 3 could be better but we hardly have any veggies left in house
3. 6 glasses of water YES
4. Exercise 4X for 30 min no
5. Lose 1lb

Personal goals
1. Clean powder room (did yesterday)
2. write more yes
3. clean/organize office

Mern as you can see I didn't exercise today. My Mom wasn't feeling very well so I was taking care of her. TV is in living room and that is where she was napping.

Jenn

P.S. Good job on your workout today!!

I've had a good day. My calories were under my limit and I walked on the treadmill for 53 minutes. Now I am tired and ready for bed. Night night.

Jenn, sometimes life just gets in the way, but you did as well as you could, so you can be proud of that. Kudos on the fruit/veggies, water and writing! Thanks for your pat on the back over my workout. :)

Libby, thanks for the welcome back. You certainly had a great day on calories and exercise. Congrats on that. Sleep well.

BEANS: I forgot to mention the Eden Organic Black soy beans have 11g protein per half cup and just one net carb.

Jenn, I hope your Mom feels better soon. :)

Hi all! My workout today was supposed to be a 40 minute cardio interval workout, but I was so pressed for time that I cut the intervals in half and decided to go full out to make the most of my 20 minutes.....well wouldn't you know it...I think I pulled something in my front hip area...I think? I'm not even sure what hurts...maybe my hip flexor? I'm praying it goes away as fast as it appeared so I'm back in business quick!

Hope you all had a better day than I did! I did get to sit and watch my daughter for 2 hours at her gymnastics practice this evening. One of my very favourite things to do, so my day wasn't all bad ;)

I'm glad to see more activity on our little thread.

Libby - Through all the ups and downs, you always persevere! You're doing awesome...keep it up!

Mern - I'm so happy you're back! I can't wait to hear what you think of the calzones!

Jenn - Hope your mom feels better soon! What a good daughter taking care of your mama ;)

Aimee - Did you try the cinnamon in your shake yet?

Mary - Are you getting in your Y time?

I'm about to hit the couch for an hour before bed and alternate between heat and ice then pop some ibuprofen before bed. I hope this muscle thing miraculously resolves itself overnight ;)

I did try the cinnamon actually. It was a nice addition to the vanilla flavor. I also found this very interesting article on Fitday about Cinnamon I thought might be of interest:
How a Scoop of Cinnamon a Day Can Help You Lose Weight / Fitness / Weight Loss

Good morning all. Well I definitely hurt my hip/hip flexor :( Looks like there will be no exercise for me for a few days. This concerns me since I feel it's the exercise that helps me lose weight more than diet....especially since I don't count calories.

Aimee- Thanks for the article....I'm going to read it right now!