An okay day, not the best...too much salt. B~english muffin, ff cream cheese L~chicken fajitas (only chicken, green pepper, onion, guacamole) D~salad (build your own), cottage cheese and fruit, low-calorie onion soup (Ruby Tuesday) S~cottage cheese I tried to make a healthy salad. I stayed away from the prepared salads and used very little dressing. I chose the soup without cheese or croutons. With all that chicken at lunch, surely protein was at a good level. I did not exercise...it was time for a day off! I have a job interview for Middle School Language Arts on the 18th. I still don't know if I passed the test for it, but I have an interview anyway. I should have gotten my scores already, but I'm not that lucky. So now I'm nervous about that, and hopefully it will all work out just fine. But I've gotta get that test first! Pamela

My usual... 1 hr water aerobics... Have a great day, Mary!

Drink More Water Staying well hydrated may reduce your risk for diseases, including cancers of the colon, breast and bladder. In one study, women *****ported drinking more than five glasses of water a day had a 45 percent lower risk for colon cancer than those who drank two or fewer. How to Drink More Water Everyday There are a variety of reasons to drink plenty of water each day. Adequate water intake prevents dehydration, cleans out the body, and promotes healing processes. Substituting water for beverages high in calories can also help control weight. Follow the steps below to make sure you're getting enough of this most basic necessity. Determine how much water you need. You've probably heard the "8 X 8" rule--drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day--but the amount of water a person needs varies depending on his or her weight and activity level. A better way to determine your recommended water intake is to divide your weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need each day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., strive to drink 75 ounces of water daily. Metric people should divide their weight in kilos by 30 - so somebody weighing 70kg is going to need 2.3 litres per day. Measure your daily intake of water. Do this for a few days. If you find that you're drinking less than the recommended quantity, try some of the following tips. Make it a habit to drink a sip of water between every bite while you're eating, but make sure this doesn't upset your stomach. If it does, reduce your fluid intake during meals to a level that you're physically comfortable with. Carry water with you everywhere you go in a bottle or other container. Before long, you'll find yourself reaching for it without a second thought. Keep a glass or cup of water next to you whenever you'll be sitting down for a long time, such as when you're at your desk at work. Drink from it regularly as you're working. Try wearing a digital watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour. Use that as a reminder to pour yourself a glass of water. Vow to drink tha****er before the next beep. If you drink only one small (6 ounce) cup per hour, you'll have consumed 48 ounces by the end of an 8-hour workday. Get a water purification system. Purified water tastes very good and may help make drinking water more appealing to you. Be aware, though, that as you grow accustomed to purified water, you may find that tap water leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Fitness Personality No. 4: Cardio You're heart smart. by Tiffany Owens for MSN Health & Fitness The inner key to your fitness personality is activities that get your pulse racing. When you exercise, you enjoy seeing your body respond to your rigorous demands. Going to the gym makes you feel like you've done something good for yourself. You prefer to use classes, machines and free weights to work specific areas of your body, burn calories and build stamina. The challenge of fitness classes or personal trainers--where you are "forced" to keep up--is something you crave. Your personality most likely has a gym membership, participates in sports, and exercises with friends to keep up each other's pace (and pulse). Using various methods to work alternate muscle groups is another key to helping you stay motivated and stick with an exercise program. Mixing up your regular routine with 30 minutes of fusion fitness or circuit training (using four different pieces of equipment consecutively for five to 10 minutes each) will interchange muscle groups used and provide a better overall workout. If you can only get to the gym at prime-time--when finding a machine can be difficult--try performing an interval training session on a new piece of equipment or taking your workout outside. Hike a difficult trail or run some stairs. Join a fitness "boot camp" or try "urban fitness," where the whole outdoors can become your gym--from heart-pumping step-ups on park benches to calf stretches on curbs. Adding variations to your workout routine will not only diversify your workout, but as a result, you will avoid the dreaded fitness plateau that prevents gains. Other activities to try: Bicycling Boot Camps Circuit Training Fusion Fitness Hiking Jogging Jump Rope Mountain Biking Pilates Racquetball Rock Climbing Roller Skating Running Skiing Skin/Scuba Diving Spinning Stairclimbing Surfing Swimming Tae-Bo Tai-Chi Tennis Urban Fitness Yoga So what have you done today? Mary 415/163/147 16 lbs to Personal Goal 17 lbs below Doctors Goal In the words of Bill Phillips': "Exercise is the spark. Nutrition is the fuel. Without both, there can be no flame -- no results."

I used to use fitday, but once I started working, I found that I really didn't have the time to keep track of everything throughout the day, and it was really a pain in the neck to log it all later on. I DO keep a food journal. I'm SOO divided over this carb issue! Some of it is mental...I want to eat foods like any normal healthy adult. You know, sticking the basic food groups, eating a healthy calorie range without obsessing over it. I never counted carbs before, and lost 132 lbs. Calories in, calories out...it's SUPPOSED to work. At this point in my journey, my biggest issues are portion control, making the wrong choices (junk foods as opposed to healthy foods), binge eating, and grazing. Those are the things that I hope to get back under control with this contest. Yes, I know that there is some research out there stating that carbs can affect your weight loss. And I know that I should probably cut back on them further, but it's hard to explain to my family why they are being served foods they won't eat, and I'm not making separate meals...I don't have the time or energy for that! Plus, I can eat a can of tuna fish and be hungry an hour later, but an english muffin lasts me four hours. Figure THAT one out! So anyway...it's all probably just a lot of excuses, and I appreciate your suggestions. I was wrong about the granola bars...there were a few left that I shared with the kids (and of course ate half of one)...but THOSE are out of my life, at any rate! Pamela