Wow, PRINCESS!! Jumpin' high fives to you!! We are gonna celebrate on Fjords :banana: :banana: :app:

I'm like feeling so groovy over your weight loss....should we start calling you 'Nicole'? ;)

P.S. I lost 6 lbs! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

We will have a joint celebration first night in VL!

Suzie...way to go!! Although - you can't lose too much, you'll disappear! Too funny about 'Nicole' - I've been waiting to say I've lost her. Especially ironic since that's also the name of the assistant I am replacing!!

You are all the best - your support and excitement for me means everything. And yes, Olivia, we will celebrate!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AndreaN:
Suzie...way to go!! Although - you can't lose too much, you'll disappear! Too funny about 'Nicole' - I've been waiting to say I've lost her. Especially ironic since that's also the name of the assistant I am replacing!!

You are all the best - your support and excitement for me means everything. And yes, Olivia, we will celebrate! [/QUOTE

We all support you Andrea because you have soooo much to be proud of - and you posted pixs - you are my HERO!!!!!

Wow Andrea!!! Way to go! Don't you just love it when you see the scale move in a big way? You have been doing fantastic!!! Enjoy your celebation. You deserve it.

You know sometimes the music that you listen to can effect your workout.

This morning, I got out to walk the trails by the gym before my weight workout. That is my usual Saturday routine. I get there about 45 minutes to an hour before they open, walk, then hit the weights before going to work. It was a cloudy this morning with a little light mist in the air, but I think, no problem, I can get still get my walk in. Then after I had been walking for about 20 minutes, one tune came on my Ipod and some of the words were "I wonder what it would be like to be a Rainmaker" and it starts to sprinkle lightly. A few minutes later a disco song by the Weather Girls called, "It's Raining Men" (don't ask! LOL), comes on. I am halfway into my walk and the sky just opens up and there is a torrential downpour and I was the one that got "Absolutely Soaking Wet"!!! And it just keeps on pouring for the entire rest of my walk. At that point, I wished that I had downloaded, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone!" LOL

Don,

You need to load "Good Day Sunshine", "I've Got Sunshine" and "Sunshine on my Mind". Of course for summer "It's Too Damned Hot" might be worthy of loading....

Kathy, those are all good too! Anything to get it to stop raining here! This is just bizarre weather. I wonder how many calories I can burn building an ark! LOL

Weigh in was today and with 16 more days left till Independence Day I am now only four pounds away from the century mark. Two more vanished this week!

Don, that's fantastic! You will have no problem reaching your goal by the 4th.

While I am a relatively new poster, I've been "lurking" since Jan. You and Andrea have been such an inspiration to me. I am now a regular at our gym and have lost over 20 lbs since April. Seeing what you have accomplished has really kept me on track. Thank you!!

Today, while on the elliptical, all of the TV news stations I turned to were covering the flooding in TX. Hope you are staying dry. We lived in Dallas for 21 years and there is nothing quite like a TX torrential downpour!

Kathy

Way to go Don!! I am so happy for you!!

Kathy, you're doing so great too. Glad you joined us - we'll keep you inspired!!

Kathy: 20 lbs since April!!!! :app: :app: :app:

Way to go Kathy on your 20 pound loss! :app:

Kathy, I don't know what to say. Thank you!!! That is quite a compliment. Like Andrea said, we will be here for you. Congratulations on your weight loss and keep up the good work!

Yes, we have had rain, rain, and more rain here in Dallas! We have been fine where we're at, but there have been some pretty sad stories in some of the areas!

Way to go Don! I bet you'll be 4 pounds lighter when you dry out!

Welcome to the club Kathy and congrats on 20 lbs!

Andrea, I love your new avatar!

Dave

Thanks so much for the support, everyone. Hopefully I won't do too much damage while on FJORDS and will be able to get right back on the diet/exercise "wagon" when I return.

Don, congratulations in advance on hitting the century mark! You will probably hit that milestone way before the 4th.

Andrea, your new avatar looks great. We'll look for you at the airport on Thurs.!


Kathy

Dave, from the rain or the alcohol? LOL

Kathy and Andrea, y'all have a wonderful cruise! :mecry: Kathy is already gone, Dave leaves in a couple of weeks, and Kathy and Andrea are almost on their way!

No, I'm not cruising either. Going to the cottage next week for a few days, that's all. No cruise until December, which I'm calling "SAND2".

Wendy, same with us. No cruise until we go on CROSS in November. Sure a long haul between cruises for us, huh?

A somewhat tardy "you go, Guys" for the century mark. That is sure an accomplishment you can be so proud of. I weighed in today and have lost a half lb. I am resigned to slow and steady even though it is a bit frustrating. I will be in NY over the weekend for a family occasion and will have a hard time not eating the bagels but resisting temptation is probably the secret to maintaining a weight loss.
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Helen

LOL Don. I KNOW I could loose weight if I dried out.

It's nice to be able to follow every one elses cruise here. That's whats nice about LCT. Kind of makes me feel like I'm traveling. Following FJORDS this week will help me pass the time.

Helen - half a pound lost is better than half a pound gained! Begels in NY, Hmmm. I don't think I could resist that tempation. More power to you.

Dave

Well, I probably should have dried out from the alcohol! LOL This week my loss slowed to just one pound. I think the wine was the culprit this week. I had one glass per night, and I know that it can slow the fat burning process, so I will cut it back a bit and see what happens. I can still get those three gone by the 4th with diligence.

I was also thinking about this thread. Amazing that it is still going strong after 2 1/2 years. It is an ongoing struggle for so many of us.

I was really disappointed when I went back and re-read how well I had done a few times, but then put the weight back on. <img border="0" alt="[c]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" /> I am realizing that the motivation has to be deeper than just getting in shape for a cruise or a specific event, because once that event has come and gone, then what? Well, here is what I did. I lost the weight, then figured what the heck I am going to eat what I want during the cruise and then just go back on the diet when I get home but it just never happened. I get back and say, I'll start back next week, then that week comes and goes and I think, OK, a few more days isn't going to matter, and before you know it the weight starts to pile back on. Then another cruise or event comes up and I start the process all over again. <img border="0" alt="[bang]" title="" src="graemlins/banghead.gif" /> I think the motivation has to be a real desire to change the way you live with regards to diet and exercise. You have to view food and exercise in a whole different way and it has to be all the time, yes you can stray a little bit occasionally, but it really comes down to choices. You can still eat well but make good and healthy choices and be happy with yourself or you can pig out on stuff that you know is bad and unhealthy for you and pay the price. Then there is also a choice on exercise. You can get out and exercise and feel great and have lots of energy, or decide to be a slug and sit on your fat behind and have limited energy!

Who knows! I'm a slow learner, but just maybe I'm finally starting to figure out that feeling great, having lots of energy, and looking better are far more satisfying than any unhealthy indulgence can possibly be! I think Kathy said it best when she said, "Nothing tastes as great as thin feels!"

Funny you brought this up. Last night, laying in bed, I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing. Here we are a week away from leaving and my diet and exercise has complete gone out the window.

It may sound odd, but I think people like me who have 30 or 40 pounds to loose have a tougher time than people with more. We can loose the weight relatively quickly but are more likely to put it back on because we haven't learned to adjust our life style. Don, when you made the commitment to REALLY do it, you knew that you had to be in it for the long haul. I don't know about anybody else, but it's easier for me to focus and succeed at a goal that takes a long time as opposed to something that only takes 2 or 3 months.

Not to say you've had it easy Don, I know several people who have gone through what your are. Some have succeeded but most have failed. I truly admire you and I draw inspiration from you. I keep looking at you and trying to extract some key that I can use to help me see the long term goals that have motivated you.

So I need to stop thinking about my goal being to loose XX number of pounds, but something else. Something further down the road. Therein lies my problem. What is that something else. I'm an engineer, so I have to have tangible goals that can be monitored and measured. "Getting in shape" does not fall under these guidelines.

We're all slow learners when it comes to changing the mind and body. Unfortunately we all need to reinvent the wheel for ourselves. We have to find our own motivation. Something deep enough to truly want to change. We have to find something that deeply motivates us. I think that's why there are so many success stories from people who've had heart attacks or other life threating conditions. That's motivation! You'd think people like that would be enough motivation for us, but for some reason, it's not. It's easy to say "I don't want to be in that position", but it's hard to follow through.

Enough rambling for me. Thanks for listening.

Dave

Dave, I'm with you. I lost 30, gained back 15-20, lost 15 again, gained back 10. Now just trying to eek it down by 20 again.

My motivation has changed, as I approach 60. I still want to look good, and cringe when I see myself in photos. But I mostly want to be healthier, more active, and get my cholesterol down a bit. Growing old sucks, but being physically fit helps. And having a doctor on my case also helps.

I agree with everybody. I may never lost those last 10-15 pounds, but I will keep trying. And try to enjoy life as I'm doing it. Lifestyle is the key.

Dave, very well said! I hadn't even thought of it that way, but I think you are right on!

Wendy, I also agree that growing old sucks and that being fit does help. While I still have those annoying aches and pains, they are not nearly as bad and I'm now able to accomplish more and have better endurance than I've had in quite some time.

Wendy my secret on that growing old bit is to claim to be older than I am so people will say "wow, you look really good for 97!" (i'm soon to be 55). As Katherine Hepburn so eloquently said "Getting old is not for sissies"
I am still plugging away at my diet/lifestyle change but have been travelling quite a bit the last few weeks, some business, some pleasure and it is just hard to make those good choices when for instance you need something you can eat in the car or at the airport. But I feel pretty good and when I was in NY last weekend at a party more than a few people I had not seen in awhile said I looked good so that was an ego boost I appreciated.
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Helen

We purchased an Ab Lounger a few weeks ago and I am feeling it burn in my tummy! :banana:

Due to my muscle weakness I can't go overboard on the number I do, but I am slowly working my way up there...I can do 50 now at one time.

Tom is up to 100 and he has lost 1.5 inches around his waist since he started on June 9. :)

What's an Ab Lounger, Sue? 1.5 inches in a couple of weeks, thats great. I need one!
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Helen

Helen an Ab Lounger is a "chair" that you sit in and you do crunches in the chair. You lay on your back and put your feet on a bar and your hands go behind and above your head where there are cloth handles. You use your stomach muscles to sit yourself up and do crunches. You can do them in several different positions i.e. changing from one side to the other and so forth.

I did some checking online and they make a few different types of Ab Loungers. We purchased the Ab Lounge Ultra Sport (reviews for the best results seemed to be with this model). We bought it at Wal-Mart.

Thanks Sue. May look into getting one of these.
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Helen

Sue, good for you! Tell Tom, congratulations on losing those inches.

On that note, I just got my 6 month update from the gym today. I was so excited!
------------------------------------------------
Dear Gonnabskinny, congratulations on achieving your fitness goals.

For the month of June you registered 14,880 calories burned in cardio exercises, placing you at #1 for males ages 50-59 and #5 overall. YTD totals are 66,349 calories burned and places you at #1 for males ages 50-59 and #10 overall.

For the month of June you registered 863,500 pounds lifted on weight equipment, placing you at #1 for males ages 50-59 and #8 overall. YTD totals are 3,452,385 pounds lifted, and places you at #1 for males ages 50-59 and #10 overall.

For the month of June you were awarded 17,230 Fitpoints, placing you at #1 for males ages 50-59 and #7 overall. YTD you have accumulated a total of 74,984 Fitpoints and places you at #1 for males ages 50-59 and #8 overall.

Again, congratulations.

Fitlinxx Coordinator
Don Rodenbaugh Natatorium
Allen, TX
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Now, if I step on the scale tomorrow and see that I made my Independence Day goal, I will be even happier!

Don those are some mighty big accomplishments! You truly are one dedicated person! :app:

I can't wait for your weigh-in tomorrow, I know you will make your goal!!!!

Sue, I am trimming my moustache and clipping my nails, just in case! :D

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Don!

Dave

Well, I guess it's a good thing that I trimmed my mustache and clipped my nails. I hit my goal. So, last week I lost 3 lbs, which makes it 100 lost since 8/14/06. :woh:

Thanks for all your encouragement!!!

:app: :app: YEA DON! :app: :app:

:nw: :nw: :nw:

I'm so excited for you!

Dave

:app: :nw:

I am so proud of you and can't wait to meet you in person in Funchal and give you a big hug! :hug: