Good Morning Warriors!

Had a great UBWO with my trainer yesterday and got my HIIT knocked out this morning.  I went to lunch with a friend yesterday @ Mimi's Cafe.  I didn't really try to order the healthiest thing on the menu, but moderately healthy.  Once I got home and plugged into MFP, I realized how unhealthy it really was...ha.  There is so darn much sodium in everything!!!  My eating is on track today!!!  I have one week before I will be poolside; I don't feel ready for that yet.  And, 2 1/2 weeks before vacation.  Wow, where is the time going??

runnermom: that is so funny about you and your husband.  Wow, the similarities.  I, too, have a foam roller and love, love, love it.  It is not anywhere close to a massage for me; it's too painful...but it works, and it is cheap.  My back was giving me issues before we went to Disney, and I used the foam roller on it for just a few nights and felt such a difference.  I haven't looked at your menus lately, but what is your last meal on Wednesday nights?  You may want to eat it later, or throw in a few healthy carbs, since you seem to feel rundown on Thursdays.

Parson:  I think we all lose more in the summer due to the heat/humidity (ha).  Can't believe it is starting so early.  We are in low 100's already.  I am sooooo happy about your daughter's arm.  I hope it is feeling 100% before vacation. Where are you going?

Island:  I hate to lose a long post.  Sorry.  Great workout, great accountability...you are killing it!!!!  Thanks for the kind words.  Actually, my husband is not as built as he usually is.  He's had so many setbacks over the past 6 months.  He broke his finger at the gym, then had deviated septum surgery, been busy with work and buying these rental properties, got sick @ Disney wtih upper resp. junk, so hasn't really worked out as intensely as usual.  He does turn 50 this year, so not looking too shabby for an old guy!  The abs seem to be the last to go.  I love the saying, "abs are made in the kitchen, and seasoned at the gym."

KK:  So good to hear from you.  You have been missed!!!  Good call on the competition; it is a lot of work and stress for a lot of people.  I think looking fit and feeling great should be the ultimate goal for everyone.  Congrats on the new BF.  Where'd you meet him?  Hope it all works out well for you. You deserve it!!  Keep us posted.

Vicki:  Let us know how your measurements/BF testing went today.  I am sure you will see some progress, but it's still early on, so do not feel discouraged if you don't see the numbers you were hoping for.  Just keep plugging away.  I didn't really have any noticeable progress in my first challenge until weeks 9-10.  You can do this!!

I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday.  We have a concert at the school tonite.  Delaney (4th & 5th graders) will be doing some musical instruments, and Brittany (middle school choir) will be singing.  They were supposed to be on separate nights, but had to combine.  Works for us; makes us only have to be to the school one evening instead of two.

Make it count today, Warriors!!

Greetings Warriors,  Hope everyone is having a healthful, productive day so far.    BDMOM: I wouldn't feel so bad about the transgression yesterday at Mimi's cafe,  remember sometimes we just have to eat that cake, (just not all the time of course), I had to do something similar on Thursday for a Mothers Day meal with my wife, but I did try to pick some of the healthiest things on the buffet and less of the wrong things (I did have a salad for example).  Thanks for the photos of Disneyland and the info on the sugar in the Dole Whip (I am currently checking on this in various sources to see just how much is in there),. Your husband looks great, especially since he isn't able to do full workouts right now, pass that on, I can see how he must inspire you to do your best always as well as those wonderful kids. Keep me in mind should you visit out this way sometime but Please give me at least a months notice to allow for some time off to help out.  Island: Great workouts despite the challenges of work. I actually was able to do a front squat yesterday adding another 5lbs and bringing it up to 335lbs.  I do use the Smith Machine rack, would I get better results if I did the true Front Squat without a machine and with the arms over the top technique?(I would probably have to drop down a bit to do this one though for safety reasons and to guard against back problems at my age). Mohala for any advice on this.   Vs: Welcome to the group and I hope you can overcome any of your current challenges to continue on.  Cuervo: Great to hear from you and that you are still progressing towards your goals.  Parson: I am glad your daughters arm is getting better. Sound like your workouts are as well.  How is the flock getting along one year after the mishap with the water supply at the church?  With you leading them I am sure they are all doing great. KK" Congrats on the new boyfriend I wish you all the best and Thanks for letting us know how you are. Long time hearing from you but great that all is going well.   Well got to go for now, it's Cardio day , second day of WEEK 6 for me in C3 and I am raring to go today for the ellipitcal (wow I finally learned how to spell it correctly, always want to stick a y in there for some reason).  Got a bright red gym bag with BOdy for LIfe on it to take my gear to the gym in (Otomix shoes, weight belt , BFL SUccess Journal , water etc) , got it from Ebay overseas for a song and dance(and a lot more in shipping of course) so It should be a great conversation starter in the lockeroom and gym from now on. Hope everyone behaves there today, no machine stealing, rude comments and a really big prayer.....EVERYONE  RERACKS THEIR WEIGHTS ON THE STACKS AND DUMBELL RACKS...common courtesy that last one but hardly every happens now that the Bally crowd is at our gym.   Keep MOving Forward!!!  (By the way the Certificates of BFL CHallenge Completion should be going out soon to all of last years Challengers (2011) according to BFL who sent me a message this past weekend on site. YEah Yeah!!  Best wishes to anyone I missed this time and stay healthy, drink lots of water too!!!

WPBill:  I totally agree!!  However, I have been indulging far too much lately.  It seems like once I get a jumpstart on a loss, I have something else come up to derail me.  Disney, then dinner out with friends, lunch with a friend, and then this Saturday, I am having a mother/daughter brunch with Delaney and a bunch of other moms/daughters.  Then, that night my hubby and I are going to a happy hour.  It is a high school alumni party from my old high school, and should be fun, but it is at The Sandbar Restaraunt/Bar, and I know I will end up having at least a drink or two......

I really wish you could change gyms.  I get frustrated reading your posts.  It must be nationwide too.  I hated working out at LA Fitness.  They need to get new management and clientelle across the board!! Hang in there!  You are bigger than all of that!

K...I really gotta get my butt off this computer.

Good Friday Warriors,

Ooppsy I got ahead of myself. Well it's Friday for me off work tomorrow. Time for spring cleaning around the house and see if I can fix the pool. I'm hoping it's just a leak. Weirdest thing turned off the pump last fall to drain the water and it drained in 3 days by itself to about a foot of water. First job tomorrow find the leak. Next will be helping Linda change her wardrobe from winter to summer yeah! what fun. Oh! well I'll have to suck it up this year as her back is too sore and I want her to get better quick.

WPBill, glad you checked in. Here's my 2 cents worth on squats. Drop the weight and do them free style and gradually move up. This will help all those stabilizer muscles to kick in.

KK, Glad you checked in. I'm with you on the bikini comp. too much stress. Better to be healthy and having fun. Congrat's on the new BEAU. If it feels right it is right, but only you will know.

Parson,

Glad your daughter is ok. It's so much easier with a half cast. Shouldn't take that long to heal. As for you special meal question,mines not a meal but first promise me you won't tell runnermom on me.lol. Last night Julie asked me if she could make me a batch of peanut butter cookies because she was making some for the others. Mine are glutten free she found a recipe. So how do you say no to that right. They are so good it's been a long while about 4 yrs. since I've had peanut butter cookies. This is a treat I will enjoy until they are all gone.

Vicki,

Can't wait to hear back on the BF. I'm too afraid to get mine done.

BD,

Have fun and restart after the party. And enjoy tonight.

Runner,

Send me any recipes you have from mexico I love traditional food. You can go to my profile and use my e-mail from ther the scouter one. Here's my story about Linda and I pretty much like yours. Met at work 2 yrs. later started dating. I had already applied for a position in QC just before. So we kept it a secret for abput a year. One month after dating we decided to get married. As it turned out I was hired single and one or two months latter we were married. 22 YRS. later we are still together. It's funny how our stories match to some degree.

Island,

I can't wait for the final result of your challenege especially how you feel once you stop supps. Power through I know you will.

Someone was asking about music I inherited my sons ipod I loaded with KISS, ZZTOP, STONES,BEACHBOYS, The Cult, and so on. Also my daughter loaded the musical RENT which I'll have to get rid of someday when I remember. lol

Have a great day.

Claude

Morning Warriors!  Happy Friday!  TGIF!

LBWO is done.  It was supposed to be deload workout for me today, but I felt good so I decided to try a new 1 rep max on squats.  I got 315 to good depth...felt good.  My squat max has hardly progressed in a while, but 315 is another monkey off my back.  I might have 325 or more in me, but no need to push it today...I also did farmers walk with 25lb plates for approximately 1/4 mile.  Not sure about that, but I did it LOL!

Well I had something last night that I have not had in months food wise...a pepsi!  My kids got me one for my birthday last week because they know I love it and really treat it as a treat.  I had and I loved it, but I was bloated this AM.  It has been the only thing different in my food this week from normal.  Anyway, I don't regret it one bit, but it was nice to recognize the bloat and be able to pinpoint what did it probably.  So I guess I learned something new that I didn't plan on learning LOL!

Any big plans for any Warriors this weekend?  We are going shopping tomorrow with my Mom for some appliances.  She is moving in a few weeks and we are going to look for a few things.  That may count as cardio before it's over with?

WPBill - I cringe/cry/laugh at your gym stories.  They make me so thankful to workout at home!  I really do like people, but sometimes I don't (if you know what I mean).  WO by myself makes life so much more pleasant I think?  I already have things setup for my next workout when I leave my garage each day.  When I walk out there on monday morning I want even have to move the bar or bench in place.  Well - I say take the high road always.  I know you will even when frustrated...

Have a great day my friends!  Drink your water...lift your weights...eat your food...get your sleep!

Hi Warriors!!!! Yea....Friday is here!!!

It is Special Olympics at my school today, so it will be a fun but busy day! The kids are so excited!

Parson: Glad you enjoyed your Pepsi!  I can't stand Pepsi!!! I am a Coke girl....not that I drink Coke, but I do enjoy a diet coke every once in a blue moon. Did you walk outdoors with your weight plates? I have been trying to do farmer's walks around the gym holding 20-25 dumbells. Soccer games are on the schedule again for this weekend...only one more week of soccer after this, then I'm sure my weekends will be filled with swim meets!

Claude: Wish I had some recipes to send you, but unfortunately my grandma never wrote down any of her recipes! I don't cook much Mexican food, that's why I though your Dr. Oz recipe sounded nice and easy!

BDMom: I have gone back to eating cottage cheese most nights for my last meal. I don't add an additional carb but I know that cottage cheese has some carbs in it. One of the guys in my spinning class told me this morning that he couldn't even get up yesterday (Thursday) b/c he was so tired, and he blamed it on my spinning class. So, maybe just the hour long spinning class is what wears me out on Thursdays!

WP: I love the Smith machine. I use it frequently for squats b/c I don't have anyone to spot me.

This morning was back and biceps for me. I did a warm up on the Stairmill. I haven't used the stairmill in a couple of years and I have to say, it scared me! I kept feeling like I was going to miss a step and fall off! I am such a spaz with no coordination! Anyway, I made it 10 minutes, then went and did some jumproping before hitting the weights! It was a great workout and I really hit my 10's on my back and biceps!. I did some different core exercises in the group fitness room using the small gym towels under my feet as sliders...super fun!

Nutrition is packed and clean. I'm having leftover grilled chicken and veggies for lunch today.

Have a great Friday Warriors!

@ Runnermom - YES, I did go outside in the neighborhood @ 6AM for the farmers walk.  I set off going around the block basically to see how far I could go.  Thankfully I did not see any cars out...who knows what they would be thinking if they saw me LOL!

Question for everyone - Do you have a pillow recommendation?  We are shopping for them this weekend.  We have bought tempurpedic pillows in the past and given them away.  They are nice, but not comfortable to us...

Good Morning Warriors!!!  I am so happy it is Friday.  This week has been so long and busy.  I don't know if I mentioned that I am going in for a 90-minute combination massage on Sunday.  It is my reward to myself for passing Chemistry!!  Other than that, we have another busy weekend in store.

I got up and did a HIIT, and will go to the gym in a bit to do a LBWO.  Then off to pick Britt up early from school to take to ortho.  Countdown is on for getting braces off.  She is getting excited.  I am going to try to go to the grocery store tonight because I don't know when I would have enough time to get there this weekend.  I am making a good dinner tonite...mahi mahi with mango lime salsa w/avocado, steamed broccoli, and rice pilaf.  That is my 9-year old's favorite meal.  The rest of the day will be clean too.  I am still hanging on to about 3-4 pounds that I want to shake!!  It's not just the scale; it's the way I feel and the way my pants are fitting!

runnermom:  Maybe the addition of the spinning class is what is wiping you out; that makes sense. I think my gym has a spinning class on Saturday mornings; I may do that every once in a while during the summer.  I love the smith machine too, but ours are always taken, and we have two.  I love the stairclimber; I try to add that at the end of my weight workouts.

Parson:  I can just picture you walking around the block with those plates.  I did 35# plates a few weeks ago, and walked on my tippy toes just around the gym a bit, and the next day, I could totally feel it!!!  I think that carbonation bloats most people, but people who drink it all day don't really notice it.  I will buy Hansons or Zevia on occasion for my kids, but they really don't drink any soda at home.  A funny story about my 9-yr old.  They are having a gazillion parties at the end of the school year, and it seems like they have those little half sodas for all of them.  Delaney mentioned drinking a soda at school yesterday, and I said, "well doesn't soda still make your tummy hurt?"  She says, "yes, but that's just until I burp and then I feel better."  Too funny.  Have fun appliance shopping.  Where is your mom moving?

Claude: That house better be sparkling by now!  Funny story about your inherited ipod.  Hope you are eating clean today.

I better go get some food and then head to the gym in a little while.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Hey gang, doing my weekly check in from my phone. Time hasn't allowed much more.

BD- beautiful pictures of the family. You should be proud.

Island dude- you are our new poster child. You hard work shows. Great job.

Parson- if the local pics saw you carrying those plates around the block, I bet you would have some explaining to do. Lol. It was good talking to you a couple of nights ago. You always keep me thinking about how to improve. Thanks. I saw some old pictures today from a Christmas party we had at work in 2000. You look better today than then. Your hard work shows that we just get better with age.

Runnermom, Claude, kk, wpbill, and everyone else- keep on rockin.

As for me, I have totally found my groove again. I am working out 5 days a week and finding many ways to work around my shoulder. Lifts are going up, weight is going down (13 lbs total), and foods are clean 5 or 6 days. It is amazing when you have an issue or injury how you can feel every wrong move you make. I adjust my exercises to be sure I don't cause any more damage. I am around 60-70% on all moves now with little discomfort. It might be a blessing in disguise that I am figuring out that I had a few issues with form. Anyway, I am on the fast track to getting back inshape. I really feel that I am not as far off as I thought. Great thing is that I am about 25 pounds heavier at the same bf% as in the past. That equates to alot of muscle mass added. I hope to shed some more fat and reap the benefits of bulking for a while. I overshot my goals in bulking, but might just be really happy I did.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Parson-I meant to type local cops. Dang auto correct on the phone changes things all the time.

Island: Nice pic. The only sup I take is a pre-workout which I am totally sold on for great pumps. The 2 I have used are NO Xplode and Jacked3d. I will have to try the Hemavol. I've have been thinking of a testosterone booster as well since I am 52 but I have no signs of low testerone at all. I feel great.

Wow BD.....great pics! Your husband has a mean set of pipes on him!! You two make a great couple.

Rmom: Thanks for the song suggestions. I too have a couple of playlists for different runs.

BD: I too only use music for cardio although when pumping iron the gym radio is on.  I new song I just heard for the first time a few days ago is "Awake and Alive" by the christian band Skillet. I'd be interested to hear what you and the other Warriors think of it.

VK: I have been very fortunate and have never had an issue with shin splints. Thanks for your song suggestions. I now realize how old I am when I barely recognize the names of some of these bands. I'm still stuck in the 70's and 80's....lol.