Welcome to January, April Bandits! It's a New Year, can you believe it? Let's think back to April and compare it to how we feel now. WOW, dieting and exercise really pays off. Then just think about how we'll all feel in April 2007. Woohoo! This is OUR YEAR to make goal! We've made it through the holidays and it's time to bust a move. We can do it!

We're upping our challenge for the month in duration. I think we've decided to hold steady on the number of sessions. Our ultimate goal is 20 sessions a month for 45 minutes each session, and we'll get there by April. For now, here's January's challenge:

(1) Complete 17 or more exercise sessions (counting only one session per day, if you're the type to do more!);

(2) To count, each session must be at least 40 minutes in duration (two 20 min sessions in one day still counts); and

(3) Set a goal (whether in lbs/kilos or NSV) for your upcoming bandiversary and share with the group, if you wish.

We can do it! Speaking of, I'm off to the gym....

Just foolin around this week-end, watching the games (not really my thing, I just peek occasionally)..........got my NIA class in the morning.

My son and a couple of my grandkids are coming over to sleep here tonight - the big sister is having a Birthday party sleepover at their house and they are escaping to Grammy's!

40 mins at Curves this morning.

Roberta

When I said I was just stickin around the house this week-end I forgot we have tickets to the symphony this afternoon! Gonna miss the only playoff game that I'm interested in - the San Diego Chargers (my old home town) - will have to tape it!

Got my NIA in this morning. That's 3 days in a row for me.......and yeah, also...........the scale went back into the 170's (just) this morning.........hopefully, I'm on a roll!

Betty, you're so light, I didn't see you there. 170s -- geeze, you're going to blow away on us!

I got to the gym for a marathon cardio session -- 2 hours -- because I missed yesterday and I have to get in an hour a day to make my St. Barts exercise goal. I did a very leisurely hour on the elliptical, then an hour on the tread with 20 min of jogging. It was a good workout. Oddly, I don't feel too tired.

I'm picking out wall colors for my new apartment that I'm moving into next month. So much fun! I'm painting the whole apartment "Tiffany" box blue. It's bold, but I love it.

Ah, Julie, from your lips to G..'s ears.............light as a feather! Blue is my favorite color...........my house is a combination of all kinds of blue and white................."tiffany" box blue..............sounds so gorgeous! So tell us more about this NY apartment of yours???? So exciting - new bod, new house, new guy?

Off tomorrow morning for my 4th NIA class in a row!

So tell us more about this NY apartment of yours???? So exciting - new bod, new house, new guy?

The apartment is great. I can't WAIT to move. Now, it's tiny by non-NYC standards, but it's actually not too small by my standards. It's about 750 square feet. It's a one bedroom with a separate dining room and a prive garden. I'm so excited about it! It's my 5th apartment in NYC, but it's the first one I've owed. The buying experience here is a trip. They need so much information from you, it's crazy. I actually have to go meet the co-op board in person next week. I'm assuming that will go fine, and, if so, I close on January 24th and move in on February 10th. I usually paint my walls a very neutral color (Sherwin Williams "Gourmet Mushroom"), but this time I'm going bold. If I hate it, well, it's just paint. I think I'm going to love it though. Most of my furniture is red and those colors really work together in my opinion.

New bod. That's coming along too, slowly but surely. I had a long conversation with my Dad last week about my PS. He thinks it's a certainty that I can have a breast lift and a mini tummy tuck on April (March 28th, actually -- we tentatively scheduled it). I'm having my "consult" with him in Feburary while we're in St. Barts and that's when we'll make the final decisions. The only real decision is whether the mini-TT will be enough, or whether I have to wait to goal and have a full-TT. I want the full now, but I don't think he'll go for that. It's a really big surgery and he wants to keep it simple since I'm not at goal and, thus, am subject to a higher risk of complications. We'll see. I secretly hope that if I can lose enough weight before St. Barts, he'll agree to do the full TT along with the breast lift. Then I'll do thighs and arms when I get to goal, but thighs and arms don't get in my way like the tummy does. We'll see. I'm trying to be patient.

New guy. No, unfortunately. My history there is that I have this very close friend in NYC whom I've had a crush on forever. I don't see him very often because we both work crazy jobs and he takes primary care of his elderly and ailing parents after work, but I've always wanted it to turn into something. I'm truly not waiting on that though -- I large part of me thinks that it would have happened by now if it was meant to be. So, I'm beginning to put myself out there. I keep telling myself once I get under 200, I'll try a little internet dating to get myself back in practice. One of my problems is I really don't know what I want from a man. I know I want a career. I don't know that I want children, but I don't know that I don't want them. Most 34 year old women have made up their minds about that -- not me. I guess there's an immaturity about that that comes with living through my 20s morbidly obese.

Speaking of, 4 more pounds and I leave that moniker behind forever. I can't wait.

Hi everyone---busy day, and I am ready for bed! I have the fire stoked, and am headed that way as soon as I touch base with y'all. It is freezing cold here, it didn't make it above the low 20's today--it is about 6 degrees out right now....love that fire!!!

Niki got about 3/4 of the mural done, it looks finished, but she wants to let it finish drying completely and do a wash of irridescence (sp?) over it. She put a small (2 ft X 3 ft) castle with requisite turrets, up towards the corner of the far wall, away from her bed. Then she did a path winding down towards the other end of the wall, and angling down. She painted a tree in the other far corner, it fills the wall, without really "filling" the wall. It was done on a white wall, it is a gray and pink, overall. She has small details she still wants to fill in --she says 2 more quick adjusts and it will be done, and she will do something on Kinseys wall then. To make up for the nursery Amanda left behind. She painted a tree and garden on the nursery wall, and then they put up an actual picket fence in front of it. She had little animals, and bees, and dragon flies all over...she even painted a row of 6 little tiny ladybugs climbing along the rail of Kinsey's crib! Lindzie was thrilled, she also got a new comforter set, sheets, and curtain that all say Princess, and are done in a very pale pink and orchid, with little crowns/tiaras on them. They are going to make her a set of bookshelves to go on the wall, and use the little toy tiaras, and make it look like the shelf is balanced on them---Niki has it figured out, I will just enjoy the finished product!!! Being raised by just her Daddy--he had not done much of the "girly" thing for her, and she is in hog heaven, she is loving it! It was a fun day!

I did 2.4 miles on the treadmill---just enough to make my time...and it took effort to get it done--not sure why, just tired today.

Will check in with everyone tomorrow---hope you are all doing good and shrinking!!! I miss talking with you guys when I am gone all day!

Anyone get the holiday off tomorrow?

Kat

Hi Guys,

Julie, the apartment sounds great!!! Wow is all I can say.

Guysis you are exercising so much these days and that is great.

kat... can you cut down wood for me too??

Well, it was COLD here this weekend- Iknow the Arctic is January what would you expect, but I mean COLD.

It was -31 F (putting in the F for you guys in the States) and with the windchill that made is -42!!!!

But, because I am crazy I went for my run, but i did it in the afternoon instead of the morning. I was warm enough, except for my feet. I just can't run in boots, so my new balances were it. I had to soak my toes in warm (not hot) water when I got home, but I was proud of me!

So... let's hope it warms up a little.

Have a great Monday everyone!!!!

p.s. a great nsv... sliding with my kids and being able to get my backside up the hill over and over again!!

Dawn

Banded April 4th, 2006

Montreal

Dawn! Your ticker moved again, WOOHOO!!!! Dancing and jumping bananas for you!

:confused::bananajump::bananajump:

How are you feeling about going into Onederland? Is it just another number for you, or are you a little anxious about it? Your head seems screwed on better than mine (wink), so you're probably fine about it.

Kat, any chance you can post a picture of the mural? I know we'd all love to see it. I have days like that too -- where I do only exactly the number of minutes the challenge requires. I guess days like that are why we have a challenge, no? Way to go for meeting it.

Yes. I will definitely post a picture, will get it as soon as it is totally finished, and they get the new curtains, and comforter, and all in place!!!

Your new apartment sounds nice---how big is the complex/building it is in? I am slowly changing to more color, when we put in new carpet in the main part of the house, I painted it white. Then as I changed furnishings whatever, it left me with a clean palette. Now that I know which direction my heart took, I am highlighting it more--if that makes sense!!! Without any intention, I ended up with a lot of sage green and taupe--both colors I had always thought I didn't care for so much---and now they are among my favorites! We live in a rural area, and our decorating mimics that, and it sets it off well.

Dawn---believe me I cut way more than my share of wood!!! Ok, I don't actually "cut" much of it, but I load and unload and stack, and then haul in more than my share!!! We also haul wood for both of our parents. My Dad is still actively involved in getting the wood, we just help him, as does my brother. Rick's folks however, are both in their 80's, and we take care of it all, with help from our son, and my brother. He is one of 4 kids, but the others don't lift a finger---shock and surprise!!! But if we don't do it, it doesn't punish the siblings, it punishes the folks! So we do it--most of the time it doesn't bother me, I am just on a tear withhis siblings right now---so I better leave the subject alone!!!

A friend on another thread, has joined a challenge to walk 1000 miles this year--I declined joining, I know myself, and if I am supposed to log almost 3 miles a day, I will be in a panic when something keeps me from it, I mean good grief that would be 6 miles the next day, and that is only if you miss 1 single day! Instead we have agreed as a group to just see how many miles we can log as a group--so that will be my new signature line---not to confuse anyone. I have been doing a mile and a half in the evening, it is enough to wind me down, and keep me there, makes my muscles tire a bit, but not enough to hit the hormone release, and energize!! I have slept better.

Betty-- you are doing so good, days in a row---good job! I am doing Curves this afternoon after I get back from taking DGD to meet her Mama---she too has a dentist appointment today. We set it up when I went this morning. She has her 2nd set of molars coming in, and the dentist looked at them, she allowed it, so he is going to put sealant on the first set. With my Curves, and my walk this evening, I will make today count! It is terrible to feel like I did last night, watching every second tick off---I was so lazy!!! I had that birthday cake, I really think it was the crash following the sugar high.

Roberta---breathing any easier? Hope so.

Well ladies,the DW is not going to unload itself, nor is the washing machine going to load itself---I am so popular around here!!! This is my escape time to the computer, and chores---Sesame Street!!! It is the only TV she actually sits down and watches intently and inneracts with, I love watching her!!!

Will check in later---hugs to all!

Kat

You runners are amazing. And special kudos to Dawn for running in extreme sub-zero temps. Have to say, that's not something I would do. But then, I don't even like running.

Swimming is more my thing. But I passed on it this morning because all the wannabe skiers on a holiday weekend with no snow (only rain, freezing rain, sleet) had made their way to the pool. And the lanes set aside for lap swim were already doubled up. Oh I hate it when that happens! So I did my stretch class and came home. January doldrums indeed!

Picked up an extra yoga class yesterday, so I'm pretty much on track (heh) with exercise this month.

April 2006 Bandits January Challenge: TWELVE days of exercise completed

Bluehill,

Congrats on the extra yoga class. I wish there was a pool here where I could swim. I love it when I go to a hotel and I can swim and swim and swim!!!

Hope you all have a good day.

My January goal is getting there- to date exercised 10 days!!! I am hoping for warmer weather tomorrow

Dawn

Banded april 4, 2006

Montreal

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Julie, your new place sounds very nice (private garden). I've heard how those interviews can be. I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Dawn, impressive run in that cold weather. I can't imagine doing that.

Kat, that mural sounds beautiful! It's damp and rainy here so I'm still a little congested but holding my own. Went to Curves this morning, used the elliptical and ab lounger also.

So nice to see everyone checking in today! Just got back from a marathon morning at the gym..........did 1 hour of NIA, 1/2 hour of core, 1/2 hour of strength training...........this old grammy is pooped! But, out the door to pick up a grandaughter to go on a shopping spree for her Birthday present.

Check out the weight change..........I'm so excited, the scale is starting to move again................guess what it takes - NOT EATING MUCH and lots of exercise! SURPRISE!

Kat - your grandaughter's room sounds adorable. Julie, so exciting to own your first home............get ready for company.........we're all coming!

Dawn, how do you do it............it's in the 20/30's here and I'm frozen. Roberta, keep up the great work.

Guysis,

Look at that scale!!!! Wow!!! That is actually below my goal. Amazing. Good for you.

Tomorrow looks cold again- but better early in the morning so I will try to get out for a run (the afternoon is supposed to be winds gusting to 60 km and hour so no way for the p.m.

Wish me luck!!

Dawn

Banded April 4th, 2006

Montreal

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