Walked the 2 mile walk for abs today. Good workout. Glad to see ya back, Vickey. Hey, did you see MaryAnn there? If so, did you ask her where she's been? I get in the groove here, and she dissappeared. Wish some others would join us. I really plan on keeping this up, it makes you feel so much better and I am going to get those 20 lbs off or else. Wanda

I tried the tape last night and again this morning. I only did ½ mile each time. I've just really let myself get into bad shape! I used to always have toned muscles in my legs even when I didn't walk, but I guess all this inactivity at my new job is showing up!! I can feel a little burn in my legs with just the ½ mile. I think tomorrow I will do the entire mile.(entire mile??? I used to think 1 mile was nothing! LOL) Do you do any step exercises, Vickey? I used to walk at the school track which is around the football field. I would walk 1 mile and then do steps on the bleachers. The muscles in my calfs started getting too big, so I stopped doing the steps! I do have a step here at home and I think I will start doing a few steps to music. I figure any movement is better than no movement! And since I do have some weight to lose the activity will help! I am looking forward to adding the belt exercise to the mile walk. I hope it will help strenghten my abs. But I think it will help tone my upper arms, and I really need toning there too! MaryAnn

I did NOT want to exercise this morning. I'm so tired and just want to sleep in (even sleeping to 6 would be a treat about now). BUT I did walk. I got a three mile tape in this morning. Remember I mentioned I was into a size smaller jeans. Well I didn't want to really count it because they're the "stretch denim", so I was thinking they were just stretching QUITE a bit. Well this morning I put on a pair of regular jeans, the size smaller, and they fit!! Waist is snug (not tight), and the thighs and butt are looser than they use to be. The belly isn't but I think my belly is "raising" as the muscles tighten, making it seem bigger for now - did that make sense? Don't like that but it's the only explaination I have. vickey-MN

Been a crazy and hectic week....managed to lose 2 of the lbs that I regained in the last several weeks. I am going to the grocery store today to prepare for tomorrow....I am restarting Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. I need to lose 5.8 lbs just to get back to my lowest point (which was a loss of 16.4 lbs) when I was doing SBD responsibly. I am not looking forward to the first few days as I felt terrible the last time I went through Phase 1....but I NEED to do it. But the good thing was after I made it through the first few days, I felt so much better...high energy level, slept really good and my GERD stopped acting up. I also was reading an article about how your body stops responding when you keep doing the same workout over and over again because it becomes very efficient at doing it. So I am making a schedule of a variety of things to alternate during the week. My son is doing well....he's become very accustomed to functioning with the cast so that will allow me to have some of my evening time back to focus on working out. It comes off 2 weeks from this Monday...yeah!