Everyday Systems

Green for diet and exercise (4.5 m). No alcohol.

Green day. Had Mexican food for lunch but brought almost half home and ate it for supper, only added a fruit.
Green for exercise too: 3 m.; weights
One beer

Totally wiped out. Green for exercise (2.5 m), but took a yellow day for food. Exceeded glass ceiling for alcohol.

Get a good night's sleep!

Hi! Hope you had a good night's sleep and feel rested this morning! Happy Thursday!

Thanks for the encouragement! Work is pretty stressful these days, and there is no end in sight. I have worked in an intense high stress field my entire career, and I have developed decent coping skills. However, when you add poor upper management and insufficient funding to the normal stress, it becomes a little much at times. I got some rest and faced today with new resolve.

Today was a green day. Exercise was good (3 m.), and no alcohol.

Green day..not the best but green. Lunch was the 2/$3.33 McDonald's fish. Hmmm. Green for exercise. 2.5 m. 3 beers.

What do they call the person who graduates last in the medical school class? Doctor.

Green is green. Green in two months may not be the same meal but it is still green.

Green is green. It might not have been a particularly healthy lunch, but that's not always the issue. You stuck to the plan even in the midst of stress...THAT seems like victory to me!

janie

You are both so right! Pre No S my fast food meals would have been much more indulgent...maybe a super-sized meal with fries and something sweet to top it off!
I am off to try my first run in almost 2 weeks. I am hoping my hamstring strain is sufficiently healed. I plan on doing a lot of walking and a little running to ease back into it. I have been able to exercise this 2 weeks, just could not run.

oolala53 wrote:What do they call the person who graduates last in the medical school class? Doctor.

I LOVE that!!!

janie

Of course, they don't let you stay in medical school if you are not pulling B's...

Good point Oolala. I have to be at least a B level most of the time on my food choices or I will gain. Maintenance is okay, but gaining is not.

Saturday was a green day, but I ate carry out for supper so the plate was full. Exercise was good; 6.5 miles total. I timed 6 miles and then did a cool down. I was very happy with my first post injury attempt at running. I mixed in a fair amount of walking and did 6 miles in 69 minutes. Woohoo!

4 beers over a period of 4-5 hours working on project with friends.

Actually, I meant our "school" is easier. You get an A no matter what's on the plate (besides sweets) on N days, and no matter what on S days. Remove the guilt but not the kindly observation.

While I rarely have red days, I often have N days where I eat more than I really need to. These days would be a C for me or perhaps Green with qualifiers. My point was that I cannot have those days every day or I would probably gain. I need to have more B's than C's. In my posts I often qualify both my N days and S days with explanations, but I do not beat myself up about it. Today is no different.
Today was definitely an S Day. We had a special breakfast after early church with close family and then an early afternoon lunch with extended family. Supper was a plateful of yummy leftovers. However, I filled my plate once each time without going back for more, and I skipped the Easter candy. The only thing that made it an S day was the venti mocha my sister brought me for breakfast, and a frozen dark chocolate covered banana with nuts for dessert at suppertime. I consider today as an example of S day moderation. It was yellow but not out of control.

I also logged 6.5 miles; 5 miles was a timed walk/run.
No alcohol.

That sounds like a great day. Good work! It feels so nice when you can just enjoy food, but not feel undone by it, doesn't it?

You are so right Thtrchic! I just enjoy food now without guilt!

Green day today, but big lunch out to celebrate with a coworker. Exercise was also green-WATP 2 m. One beer.

I liked this, found it on another post..you commented on..

Yet, I enjoy food more now than I ever did before. I take time to choose food I really like and to relish it rather than just inhale it.

Thank you Deb! As I read it again, I realize all over again how much more I enjoy food these days.

Today was a green day. Once again it was not a perfect day with fast food for lunch and 3 beers this evening. However it was green!

Exercise was good...4.5 miles with 4 miles as a timed walk/run.

Green day. Ate out again for lunch so more food than usual.
Green for exercise- WATP 2 m and short walk in pm.
One drink.

Today was an S day, but it did not feel like an S day. One of my coworkers makes a luscious homemade cake for everyone's birthday in her unit. My birthday is next week, but she will be gone so she brought it today. I had a huge piece and loved every bite and then went back to being green the rest of the day. There is no color for S event versus S day, but sometimes I wish there was!

Green for exercise: 5 miles; 4 of the miles were a timed run/walk.
No alcohol.

Great to see you are still working it like usual! Looks like you've totally increased your mileage!! Awesome!

Thanks Tobiasmom! Good to see you back working it too!

This is going to be an extremely busy weekend. Yesterday was green, but I ate a big lunch at 1 pm and then did not get home to eat supper until after 9. Supper was a quick sandwich and chips. (Oh no! Chips again!)
I am feeling sore so I took a day off exercise other than a little strolling with dogs. Had one beer.

It is 530 am, and I am up, and my Saturday is a class from 745-5 and a fundraiser from 6-10. I have to drive home and clean up in between so I am sure I will be late to the fundraiser.

This weekend I went to a motorcycle safety class that involved 20 hours of instruction in about 48 hrs. It started Friday night in a classroom session. Saturday and Sunday involved about 5.5 hrs. (each day) with our butts on motorcycles. Then lunch, then more classroom. I now will have a motorcycle certification on my driver's license. For those who favor the term bucket list, that is what this was. I started learning to ride a motorcycle 35+ years ago and never followed through. I am exhausted and sun burnt and ecstatic. I passed the skills driving test with much better scores than I had anticipated.

Green days for eating. No standard exercise other than a little dog walking, but I am calling it green. The motorcycle training kept me on my feet and moving and that has to be worth a green.

2 beers.

r.jean wrote:For those who favor the term bucket list, that is what this was. I started learning to ride a motorcycle 35+ years ago and never followed through. I am exhausted and sun burnt and ecstatic. I passed the skills driving test with much better scores than I had anticipated.

Wow! Congrats on passing the test and checking another item off of your bucket list. Way to go!!

Thanks gk!
Today is an S day (my birthday). I definitely plan to splurge. I exercised (WATP 2 m.) and got my annual physical out of the way and the rest of the day is pure decadence! Woohoo!

Happy Birthday! And congrats on the motorcycle license!

Happy Birthday!!! Hope you had a wonderful day with lots of yummy S's!!

Happy birthday! And thank you for your encouraging words on my check in - I have just read your posts for 2012 and learned a lot about what it takes to be successful at this. Lots of "food for thought"

have a great week!

First Happy Belated Birthday, I hope it was enjoyable!!

And you go girl, a motorcycle license!!!! So do you own a ride?

Thanks Deb, Amy, gk, and Thtrchc!

I had a great birthday and one of the most indulgent S days in a long time.

I do not own a motorcycle, and my husband's bike is too big. However, my dad has one that mostly sits in the garage that he has offered to let me practice on. I am not sure if I will ever go out and get my own motorcycle, but it is a powerful feeling to get my license.

It is incredible how much more I enjoy my life these days! I am more fit and more adventureous and more self-confidant. WooHoo!

PS: No exercise other than a little dog walking. Another S day today....more birthday treats.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

That is so cool..I have a friend and she is this little bitty thing and had a harley, small one of course...I think it is great....the closest I come to that is my bicycle and that scares me when I got too fast downhill

So great to see how life has become fuller for you without the food...gives us all hope here I'm sure..

This time around for me I so see what food has done to me, like the veil has lifted..

Enjoy your day
deb

Thanks Deb!

Green day.
WATP 2 m. Half mile dog walk.
No alcohol.

I still cannot run due to a sore Achilles...frustrating!

The usual..green day for food...WATP 2 m for exercise..no alcohol.

I may try a little running this weekend. I am being slow and cautious. I do not want any more injuries.

r.jean wrote:The usual..green day for food...WATP 2 m for exercise..no alcohol.

Wow - now that's what you call reaching your goal of achieving good habits.....to be able to report in casually saying, "The usual---green day for food, took time for exercise, no alcohol..." Just another day.

And how you described yourself as being "more fit, more adventurous, more self-confident"..........You give us all hope!!! So glad to see how much fuller and richer your life is now that have succeeded at maintenance and consistent exercise. WAY TO GO!!!!

Thanks so much gk! I do feel really good...both physically and emotionally. You never really know how bad you felt until you feel better.

I am still overweight, but I am not upset to just maintain and let my body adjust for a bit. I have hit a plateau, and I am just waiting it out. I am not going to make the mistake of drastically changing my habits. This is working for me as is.

S day today. Green for exercise (WATP 2 m).

Hi, you definitely inspire me!!!

Hiya! Just popping in to say Hello! I agree! You are a big inspiration. Have a great weekend!

Awww. You are all so nice! I believe that this forum is a big factor in my success. It is easier to stay on track with support and feedback.

Green day yesterday even though supper was junk. I am trying to spend more effort on making good meals, and I did make a great chicken Caesar salad for lunch.
Exercise was 7.5 miles (6.5 timed and 1 dog walking). I am back to training for my first half marathon in May. I forced myself to slow down to a walk/run combo that averaged 13 minute miles. After a sore hamstring and then a sore Achilles I know I need to be careful.
2 beers

Wow did I sleep last night!

Today will be a green day for eating even though it was a bit indulgent. I ate out for breakfast and had sandwich and chips for lunch. Supper is a burger (no bun) and Caesar salad.
Exercise was mild but green. 2 m. Walking. I am going to try for a little shovel glove before the end of the day.
Exceeded glass ceiling with 3 beers.

Good luck, r jean! I had a horrible weekend of eating junk so I just needed to vent right now plus read others' posts for a good bit of inspiration!!

How exciting you are training for your first half marathon, coming up soon! I did the half marathon here in Brussels - it's an incredible feeling crossing the finish line, a great sense of accomplishment (and tired legs)! I am keeping my fingers crossed that your Achilles behaves itself in the meantime...

Thanks for the encouragement Amy! I may stick to 5k tp 10k distances after this, but I wanted to do the half at least once. We will see.

Hope you recover from the junk overload! It happens!

Monday was green for food and exercise (4.5 miles). 2 beers again. Hmmm. As the nice weather comes on I tend to have more beer which is not great for the calories.

Green day for food and exercise (WATP 2 m and one mile dog walking). Two beers again.

I've done four halfs, but decided to stick to 15 KM or less from now on, it was just too hard on my body (bad hip).

I hear you on the beer! My thing is red wine in the evening and I am trying to cut back.

Well Amy, I may have to do one more half marathon after this one just because...
--because I am still limited by tendonitis in my Achilles. I stepped off a curb wrong today and it was painful. I walked home.
--because I am going to revert to walking again until I know it is better
--because this means I may have to walk a lot of this half marathon, and I want to do a half marathon uninjured and with more time to train.
I guess I will just have to wait and see how I feel about it after this half which I am determined to do even if I walk the whole thing.

Between my disappointment over my injury not healing and a stressful day at work, I made today my weekday S day and over did it. It was not horrible though until I hit that package of Chips Ahoy. I do not even like cookies that much!

Isn't that the most frustrating -- getting carried away eating something you're not even excited about?! I'm somehow remarkably good at doing that. Luckily much less frequently than I used to, though. Clearly, it's not too frequent for you these days either and that's what the release of S days is (sometimes) for!

Sorry you're still in pain. I hope that doesn't last too much longer.

So sorry to hear about your tendonitis, rjean! I've had it in the past (from running on the treadmill)and it is not pleasant. I was advised to put a heel lilft inside my shoe for several weeks/months and I am pleased to say it worked! Fortunately, I have had no recurrence since then. Fingers crossed you'll be feeling better soon.

It is very frustrating to be training with an injury like that, and my guess is that if you have to walk it, you probably will want to do one later when you are healed up. So just focus on making sure your injury doesn't get any worse in the meantime. I ignored my hip injury for a long time and it has ended up being a kind of permanent condition I've had to learn to live with.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice.
I went out yesterday and bought heal lifts and wore tennis shoes to work.
I have focused on heat before exercising (slow short walks with the dog) and ice after.
I am gently stretching several times a day.
My husband does water exercise twice a week so I will start going tonight and will stay in the deep end.
I read that bicycling is okay with a tendon injury so I may try that next week.
I am using light compression for a few days.
I am counting my blessings that I am able To do far more physically than many others my age (56), and I am going to quit feeling sorry for myself.

Green day.
Half mile walk with dog this morning and water aerobics tonight.
No alcohol.
Time to stretch.

Indulgent green day, ate out twice, had some beer. BUT it was green.
Did not exercise...still in the first 72 hours of R.I.C.E. after stepping off the curb wrong on my sore Achilles.

Hi there rjean! Sorry hon to hear about your ankle. It sucks and it will take some time, but you are doing the best/right thing to take care of it. The heel lift will take off some of the pressure. From experience, it took a few months of constantly wearing the heel lift in my shoe but it gave almost instant relief.

Thanks Roxy.
S day today, and it was pretty bad. Way too many sweets and dinner out was big.
Slow walking today. No pain but very stiff. Still hoping to at least be able to walk the half marathon. Doing lots of stretching, elevating and icing.
Work is hectic. Feeling pretty out of sorts. Time to count my blessings and soldier through it all.

Enough is enough! Time to get back on track. Maintenance is still my goal from month to month, but In the long run, I still want to lose more weight.I need to stop being so lazy! I hate keeping a food log, but I am going to try it for one week. If I know I have to write down what I eat, I will give more thought to my choices.

Prepared all meals at home.

Breakfast: One pancake made with a recipe seen on this forum. (1 egg, 2 TBSP flour (wheat) and 3 TBSP milk)...I could really taste the egg but not bad. Also put some margarine on it. Also cottage cheese with fresh strawberries chopped in it.

Lunch: 2 pineapple brats; half of a wheat bun; strawberries and bananas

Supper: Grilled boneless skinless chicken breast; Caesar salad; frozen strawberry bar

Green day for food and exercise. No alcohol.

After I wrote this, someone stopped by with a new sweet treat to taste. It would have been rude to refuse just a taste. I tasted, and I am not considering this a fail.

Breakfast: 2 eggos with PB; banana
Lunch: Applebees blackened chicken with penne pasta (ate half so I could share the onion rings and mozzarella sticks)
Supper: ate the other half of my lunch and a small portion of the beef stew I made in the crockpot; strawberry frozen bar

Hey rjean! I think you did marvellously for an S Day (Sunday) - good for you! My two S Days were ridiculous and I felt bloated and uncomfortable. Even today (Monday), I feel a bit out of sorts and I also slept in this morning (10.30 am) meaning by the time I had breakfast and took my neighborhood walk, the day was almost over!

Thanks Roxy. I recently started to modify my S days. I found that my Sundays were almost always green without even trying. I also found myself struggling on special occasions during the week. Most of my friends are retired, and events are often planned during the week. Sometimes i would take an NWS day, and other times i just felt deprived. So now I flex my S days, and I actually take fewer S days than before. For example, on my birthday this month, I flexed my days rather than take an extra S day. I did the same for a friend's birthday.

Last month I ended up with 7 S days, but there were 9 weekend days in March. This month there were also 9 weekend days, and I took 9 S days.

I do not recommend this necessarily, especially for the newbies trying to establish habit. I went over a year of Vanilla no S before trying it.

Wow, I hope I can get to where you are with your S days at some point!

How is the achilles/ankle feeling?

Hi Amy. Thanks for stopping by! The Achilles is healing. I have been more diligent this time with stretching and icing and I am sticking with walking. I was worried briefly about whether I would even be able to walk the half, but I am sure I will if I am careful.

I am happy to report a 2 lb loss on April. I am not sure what was different this month, but I finally got off my plateau. I exercised less with the injuries, and I did not consciously eat any differently. In fact I had some pretty over the top days. Who knows?! That goes to show the value of just sticking with a good thing!

I am 4 months into year 2 and have maintained the 45 lbs from year one plus added 2 more lbs lost. Slow but going in the right direction.

May 1: Green day:
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB; banana
Lunch: Chicken tortilla soup
Supper: Culver's cheeseburger snack pack (CB, small fries, diet soda) and small Caesar side salad

Exercise green

Well done on the 2lb weight loss, hon! Fantastic! No S ROCKS!!!!

Congratulations on the loss and glad to hear you're going to be able to walk your half! It's actually very encouraging to hear that after being patient for several months you've managed to drop another 2 pounds. Getting into a plateau situation always seems to push a panic button for me, which makes me want to try '"something else" but with No-S I think it's slow and steady wins the race!

Thanks Amy and Roxy! I am excited about this month and revving up for vacation.

I am working out of town and have only one hotel choice that is on my employer's preferred list and has rooms available at the rate they will pay. It is not bad, but the breakfast is. Choices are minimal: microwaved pancakes and sausage; one type of oatmeal packets; oranges; English muffins;donuts; white bread for toast. I was very hungry and toasted 2 English muffins. There was no PB so I settled for margarine and a tiny bit of jam. I took an orange but ran out of time and threw it in my bag. I will have to bring my own PB next week and a banana. This is the start of an indefinite period of covering another office 2 days a week.
Lunch was at a diner with a friend, and we ate breakfast food: 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and coffee.
Supper back at home: Leftover beef stew; 2 frozen strawberry bars.

Green for exercise.

Green Day
Breakfast: 2 eggos with PB. Orange.
Lunch: Panini Sandwich...large
Supper: Triscuits and Chicken Salad; 2 frozen strawberry bars

Green for exercise:
Still taking it easy so as to avoid another injury.
Still have some stiffness and soreness but healing
Walked 1.5 miles; 20 minutes elliptical.

Funny Story. We talked a bit about how we hate buying jeans. I used to buy jeans without trying them on if they were a brand I was used to wearing. However, I would buy them in the size I wished I wore, and they were too small. So they would go in the back of my closet. I sometimes returned them but not always. Recently, I have been cleaning closets, and I found 3 pairs of new jeans. One pair was too big. The other two pair fit well. How exciting is that!

So glad to see you're still here truckin' along. You are doing wonderful!!!

Good to see you around again Tobiasmom!

Fridays are always a challenge, but I managed to squeak by today.
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB
Lunch: Triscuits and chicken salad; banana; cottage cheese; baked Cheetos
Supper: Drank beer while grilling; Cheeseburger (no bun); Steak fries; Frozen Strawberry bar

Exercise was green: WATP 2 m. 1 m. Walk.

Saturday! S day!
Green for exercise: 4.5 m.
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB; cottage cheese
Lunch: leftover cheeseburger (no bun); small McDonalds fries; strawberry bar.
Supper: Philadelphia cheesesteak nachos at a baseball game
This is where things fell apart. I had a bit too much beer, and we stopped for ice cream on the way home. I got a chocolate soft serve cone which was fine, but maybe the beer or maybe the chocolate set me off on an eating binge when I got home. It was 3-4 small snickers and 2 strawberry bars before I reined myself in. I have not done that in a long time. Even though this is an S day, I still do not feel great about that sort of eating craziness. It is times like these that I realize how easy it is to fall into old habits...even after 16 months of No S.

Green day.
Breakfast out to eat; 2 eggs, 2 small wheat pancakes, hash browns, 2 bacon
Lunch: beef stew, strawberries and bananas
Supper: leftover grilled pork chop, baked Cheetos, McDonalds yogurt parfait, strawberry bar. (weird but fit on a plate)
Green for exercise: 5.5 m.

Regarding your Saturday - yes, those old habits never really disappear do they? They will take the slightest little opening to pop right back into our lives!
But good for you for going green again the very next day!

You are so right Amy! Hopefully some day the new habits will be as strong as the old ones!

Green day
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB; cottage cheese with strawberries and bananas mixed in.
Lunch: Leftover grilled pork chop; cottage cheese, nuts, banana
Supper: Cheeseburger (no bun), chips, cottage cheese, strawberry bar)

Green for exercise 4.5 miles

Took my weekday S day Tuesday. (I do one weekend S day and one weekday.)
It started as a funky day waking up too early and heading out of town for my current stint working at another office 2 days a week. I was exhausted by the end of the day and ate too much for supper and also had a strawberry smoothie. Sometimes smoothies are okay, but this one was definitely a sweet. I topped it off by snacking later in the evening.
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB; cottage cheese
Lunch: crackers and cheese; banana
Supper: Culver's chicken sandwich special of the day, not even sure what all was on it; fries; smoothie
Snack: crackers and cheese
Exercise was less but still green; 2.5 m.

Green day but food choices were indulgent.
Breakfast: 2 English muffins with PB&J, orange juice
Lunch: Smallish patty melt, a few chips
Supper: Out to eat. Steak, shrimp, mashed potatoes, mozzarella/tomato

Green for exercise: 2 m.

Looks like your week is rolling along quite well!

Hi Amy! I like your persistence not perfection signature, and I have thought of it often as I struggle with the idea of getting through this half marathon on the 20th. I am still sticking to walking, and I am still limiting my mileage as well. I am healing but both the Achilles and the hamstring are still sore if I push it. I am pretty sure I can do the distance, but it may be more of a stroll. Persistence will get me through this if I play the turtle in this race. But I will not be able to do it at all if I injure myself again before I get there.

Green day
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB; banana
Lunch: chicken sandwich, chili
Supper: Subway sandwich; footlong; but threw away the top bread and ate it open face; strawberry bar
Green for exercise but only 2 m.

I know where you are coming from. I was having a lot of hip issues before my 10K and I just thought I would listen to my body and give it pretty much total rest for about a week before the race, aside from normal walking and some very gentle yoga. I was nervous about not being ready for the race, but giving my body what it needed allowed it to come through for me on the day. (Although I was pretty darn sore afterwards!) So I would follow what your instinct is telling you.

If you are confident about walking the distance, then you should be fine. I know setting out to walk that distance is an entirely different ballgame than running it - and just as difficult of a challenge! But it can be just as enjoyable too.

I'll be rooting for you on the 20th!

That is very encouraging to hear Amy.
I am walking normally now without pain, but I have not run for 2 1/2 weeks. I was told that when I can go quickly up and down stairs without thinking about it, I could start running. I am not quite there but I am close.
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB
Lunch: Fish sandwich, a few homemade fries
Supper: 2 corn dogs, frozen steak fries, strawberry bar

Exercise 1.5 m.

I decided to walk 10 miles today. I needed to know for sure if I could do the distance for the half marathon next week. I figured if I can do 10 then I can do 13.1. I did not push it, and I did not run at all, and I finished 10 miles in 2:39, a little less than 16 minute miles. Given my running injuries in recent months, I am happy with this result and more confident now that I can finish next week.
Green day
Breakfast: 2 Eggos with PB; banana
Lunch: WW Smart Ones Salisbury Steak & Mac&Cheese; granola bar, strawberry bar
Supper: Pretty full plate: McDonalds Dollar menu: double, small fries, and parfait and a granola bar and strawberry bar.

Added another mile with dog walking so 11 miles!

I am so glad to hear you did that and how well it went! Now your mind can relax because you know your body can do it - awesome!

Thanks Amy! I am going to try to eat healthy this week which will help prepare me as well. I was surprised that I was not really sore today. I was a little stiff after periods of sitting, but not bad.

Now.. About today...It was very over the top. My husband and (adult) children all chose to treat me to food for Mother's Day. I ate out 2 meals and had some gourmet candy. The third meal was scarfing down my leftovers. I also got a car wash which was definitely needed.

Gotta love Mother's Day!

LOL - I was taken out for lunch too, and ended up with a tummy ache from food that while delicious was much richer than I am used to eating! A car wash would have been very nice...

Green days Monday and Tuesday for both diet and exercise. My oldest daughter (who is doing the full marathon this weekend) just told me it is supposed to be unseasonably hot where we are heading. (Upper 80s and sunny the whole weekend) It will be cooler when we start but it will not take long to get hot. I guess it is a blessing in disguise that I have been forced by injury to slow down.

That's too bad about the heat - you probably will be much better off walking it. Be sure to get a lot of water in the two days before the big day - you'll feel a lot better if you're well hydrated ahead of time (tell your family members too). Do you have to travel far for the race?

Sorry to hear you're injured. You are so consistent, Girl. You continue to inspire me!

I was thinking the same thing about the water Amy. I am off Friday through Monday, and the race is Sunday so I will have two relaxing days beforehand and no excuse not to get the hydration in. It is 5 to 6 hours in the car, and we will have 2 cars. We are coming back the day of the race but will shower and rest first and take turns driving.

Thank you for your input Amy..it has been helpful. Have you always been a runner? I ran until I started having children and then took it back up again 25 years later. After losing weight, I finally started getting better at it again. I plan to keep at it, and we will see what happens as time goes on.

Sounds like you'll be able to take good care of yourself before the race - that's great!

I've been running since 2005, so not that long. My mother was turning 65 and her big idea for her birthday was to run a half marathon with her four daughters (I'm the oldest). So that's what we did and the rest is history! I blog about my running (and other things but not about eating or diet issues) on www.fitandfabulousatforty.blogspot.com

Anyway, enjoy your days off and relax - I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you on Sunday!

Such a neat story Amy! Our whole family is running together for the first time tomorrow. Four of us are doing the half and one is doing the full. Our 3 children are all adults and on their own and have busy lives so getting together for an out of town weekend is hard. We have done lots of runs, but someone has always been missing.

I would like to do a 5 person marathon relay some time.

Off to dinner!

Have a great time today - I'm thinking of you all and hoping it goes well for everyone!

A relay would be a lot of fun, too!

The marathon weekend was a combination of a good family getaway and a disappointment. The day ended up being so brutally hot that they shut the race down. Our first three family members finished right after they called the race officially off at 9:35 am. (The race started at 7.) They were not even aware that they were not given official times until later. I was at mile 11 and figured I would be finishing with a time around 3:10. The course abruptly ended, and we had the choice of waiting for a shuttle bus or getting back on our own. Because this part of the course went by a side street shortcut, we were not that far away from the finish. I walked. I would have walked the actual course on my own but was not sure of the route. We the waited for our one full marathoner who finished the course with a group of rebellious marathoners who decided to finish on their own. She finished in under 4 hours.

I still feel good. I ran off and on the first 5 miles and then mostly walked after that. I paced myself, stayed hydrated and would have finished the half if allowed.

Oh no! That really is a disappointment, I'm so sorry it ended like that! I'm glad, though, that you are feeling good and that you still had a good time with your family. At the end of the day, that's what matters most.

Stopping by to say hi! It was pretty hot here as well yesterday; something like 87...for May but then again our weather has been crazy.

Wow that must have been pretty hot for them to shut down the race! I'm sure it was a disappointment..but just think it is early yet in the season and plenty more around I hope for you to enjoy!

My friend and I are going to Hersey PA for a bike trek. We are doing the 17 mile the easiest one . I have been out practicing, but I do get tired after like 10 or 12 these days...could be the weight I'm sure

Have a great week...

Good luck on the bike trek Deb. Biking is such great exercise; however, my butt is always sore no matter what kind of seat I try!

The high in Green Bay, WI yesterday was 91 degrees although it was still in the 80s when they called the race. It was also sunny and humid. The high on the day of last year's race was 48 degrees, and the average is 68 degrees. May is so unpredictable in the Midwest. They said they called it because medical resources were overwhelmed, and they had no ambulances left on the course. The runners had been training in much cooler weather and probably failed to slow down and hydrate and adjust to the change.

By the time I walked back to the finish line area and walked all over looking for my family, I probably came close to the 13.1 miles anyway. By the time we waited for our full marathoner who finished, we were walking around in 90 degree heat anyway.

There were a lot of angry people and a lot of second guessing in the news today about calling the race. I look at it this way...A lot of us were disappointed, but no one died.

I am already considering the Des Moines IA half marathon in October, but right now I am preparing for a trip to Guatemala in a few days.

Yeah, the ironic thing is that when they call a race, a huge majority of the participants still have to run or walk a significant distance anyway just to get back to the starting point... My brother in law did the Chicago marathon a couple years ago when it was so hot (and one person died) but he just managed to come in before they shut it down...He said it was incredibly chaotic.

Have a great trip south!

I managed to get through this Sunday with the appropriate number of S days since I float my S days. Yesterday I had my first red in a long time. Our whole family had taken the day off to rest from the race. It was a beautiful sunny day in the 70s. We hit the back yard and had a few beers and cooked out. I actually did pretty good until I exceeded the glass ceiling (by 2) and felt the need to snack before bed time (Sun Chips and 2 frozen strawberry bars).

It was also a day off exercise. I had a massage. I walked the dog a little...slowly.

Green for food Tues/Wed. Exercised (WATP) on Tues but took Wed off because I slept in and spent my evening after work packing. The extra sleep was part of the recovery from the busy weekend I think. It felt good.

I weighed myself today because I am leaving on vacation and will not be back until after my normal weigh in on the first. I could tell I had lost weight and recording it will challenge me to maintain it while on vacation.

I lost 3.6 pounds! WOW!

I thought my scale was wrong and tested it by weighing some other things. HeeHee. After a plateau of 3 months, I am losing again. I lost 5.6 lbs total since April 1.

See you in 2 weeks.

Awesome, r.jean! Enjoy your vacation!

Wow congrats that is awesome!!!!

wow! good job on the loss!

Back from vacation and back on track. I went back to work today and ate normally for the first time in almost 2 weeks. I also stepped on the scale today, and it was not pretty. However, I know from past experience that vacation gains are usually very temporary. And...I have the rest of the month to get back to what I weighed before I left.

Maintenance is the goal!