Referral Program to The Biggest Loser at Fitness Ridge

If any of you that read this blog like it and should decide to go to The Biggest Loser at Fitness Ridge either in Ivins, UT or in Malibu, CA ... I would GREATLY appreciate you giving my name as a referral! There is a referral program at Fitness Ridge! So, tell them that Dee Dee Palmer sent ya! If you like my blog and have other questions ... you can ask them here with comments or you can message me on facebook at Dee Dee Charleston Palmer (the later will get me quicker). I'm more than glad to help you with ANY and ALL questions you might have!!!

:) Dee Dee Charleston Palmer

Torturous Thursday!

All I can say about today's hike is .... OMG!!! What a killer hike! I wish my Polar Watch and Heart Monitor would have worked as I know that I was feeling the pain and the burn today! We hiked up Saddle ... beautiful hike and tretcherous climbs! I never thought I could do something like this ... EVER!!! I can't wait for my girl Sandy (my old January roomie) to do this hike if it's offered in Jan! Shew!

I was so tuckered out that I skipped my class after this hike! I chilled out on my laptop out by the pool. Beautiful day here in Ivins, UT!

We also had to do our departing guests lectures today. And, it was Treading Thursday! I'll have to do this one at home! A killer workout in the gym! You do 5 minutes at your hardest pace followed by 5 minutes at a slower rate ... Then 4 minutes ... Then 3 minutes ... Then 2 minutes ... Then 1 minute. Depending on your trainer for the class, it is then followed by either a 1 minute or more sprint or another round of the 1 minute. A killer calorie burn!

Breakfast
8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Open Gym (I skipped)
Lunch
1:00-2:30 Departing Guests Lecture
2:30-3:15 Ball Works
3:30-4:15 Treading
4:30-5:15 Treading (but I went to lay down ... back pain)
Dinner

Target Wednesday

Pix from Bottom to Top: Menu for Today; Kat, John, and D2; Our hiking group; Kat, John, and D2 were the only adventurous ones to climb up here!; Our hiking group on top of Turtle Rock.

Yup, it's Wednesday ... which means those that signed up get to go to Target! Woot Woot! When you get some fun people together it can be a fun thing to just goof off there! Well, Kat, Caitlin, and myself did just that! We got one of those motorized carts that the little old people use and rode it around the store. You had to be there and see it to know funny it all was! :)

During that day though we hiked with a new group since John from Arizona begged us to switch to his group. We went to Chuckwalla again! I had already done that hike, but went again due to John's begging and Kat not feeling so great to do a harder hike. Her fall from Monday caused her to be bruised and battered!

Breakfast
8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Stretch
Lunch
1:45-2:30 Open Gym (Robin taught us a Step Aerobics Class)
2:30-3:15 Mountain
3:30-4:15 Kickboxing
4:30-5:15 Kickboxing (instead of Pool)
Dinner

Tuesday

Not too much to report for this day ... we did Stop Sign Hike and I was a little burned out from yesterday. I only made it to Mini Stop Sign which was 3 miles up and then turned around and walked down 3 miles back to the parking lot. Hey, 6 miles isn't too bad!

During Open Gym today, we got 9 people together and rode the bikes to the local field where we all played Kickball! We had a blast! We were so psyched to go that we left at 1:00 so that we could have a little longer to goof off at the park! A definite must do if you should come to FR! Fun to get off campus and actually be a kid again!

Here's today's schedule:

Breakfast
8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Stretch
Lunch
1:45-2:30 Open Gym
2:30-3:15 Cardio Intervals (instead of pool)
3:30-4:15 Cardio intervals
4:30-5:15 Total Toning
Dinner

Helluva Monday!

Pix from bottom to top: Today's Menu; Bud on top of Overlook; The view from Overlook; Paula, Dee Dee, and Jamie on top of Overlook; Our hiking group

Our hike took us to Red Mountain Trail which led to the Snow Canyon Overlook. A tedious walk up with jagged lava rock and loose rocks to go up ... a fairly high elevation ... a little dangerous to go up due to the rocks. We made it up and had a really GREAT time on the Overlook. The pics will show that! It was on the way down that we had an "incident". One of our girls in our group, my new buddy Kat from Florida, went down hard and hit her mouth on a rock and broke her 2 front teeth! Awful! A lot of blood from that one! We had to go to the Emergency Dental for a temporary fix. She leaves this Sunday so hopefully she'll be okay until then. The remarkable thing was that she got back to FR from the dentist and went right back into classes ... all 3 hours worth! She's a Machine! Full of energy and still working out! I would have got on the first plane back home and cried all day! Not Kat!

I topped my evening off with a wonderful massage from my buddy, Brenda! I feel sooo much better! Hot Stone and Deep Tissue along with Foot Reflexology! You can't beat that!

Breakfast
8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-1:00 We went to the Emergency Dental Clinic
Lunch
2:30-3:15 Circuit Training
3:30-4:15 Core Training
4:30-5:15 Circuit Training (not my scheduled pool)
Dinner

Sundays are for Relaxation!

Well ... I started my day saying I was going to do my laundry and just hang out with Kat out by the pool and/or hot tub, but that changed! :) I ended up going to a local Sports Bar with 2 other people so that we could watch our football games that weren't being shown on our tv's in our rooms! I had a great time with John and Caitlin and got to know them. Fun new friends from Arizona and NYC!

It feels sooooo good to get away from the "campus" and do something on your own. I'm really glad that my Tampa Bay Bucs won today! Woot Woot!

Went back and had dinner and Orientation of the "newbies" ... otherwise, that's it!

Saturday's Stop Sign and Graduation

Pix from bottom to top: Menu for the day; Stop Sign buddies that made it; Stop Sign friends Ilana, David, me, and Kat; Graduation Night with Kat and Violet

Well, on this Saturday, Oct. 9th we hiked Stop Sign. I was excited to see what my time would be this time around (even though they don't time you). I luckily had my phone with me with a stop watch on it and so ... I timed myself! I did it this time in 1 hr and 23 minutes. Not as good as my last week there before in January when I did it in 1 hr and 12 minutes, but hey, I did it!!! I made it to the top and rejoiced that I had made it! To top it all off ... I walked from Mini Stop Sign all the way back to the ridge with my new Florida buddy, Kat Wright! So, together, we walked 11.5 miles! Shew! Tired feet and swollen, but we did it!

That afternoon, we took a van to Coyote Gulch Art Center and we couldn't wait to get a cup of coffee there. For those reading this that don't know ... no caffeine at Fitness Ridge! So, yes, we cheated, but again ... just coffee!

That evening we had a Graduation Ceremony after dinner with a Kareoke Night. I've never sang at one of those things, but had another Fitness Ridge first! I actually sang! I sucked, but hey, that didn't matter ... we had a lot of fun. One of the guys that did sing, Bud, was good (but he also sings in a band back home). My buddy, Kat sang as well and was really good too!

Thank goodness for a day of rest tomorrow! A tiring week!

Funtime Friday

Pictures from bottom to top: Today's Menu ... Group on top of Barrel Roll ... Sue from California ... Dee Dee ... Jamie Lee (from Calif that was here in Jan when I was here) and Dee Dee.

Yup, Friday is here! Yayy! I might say that I feel so much better since my massage last night! What a difference a massage can make! I decided to get off my lazy butt and go to the 6:00 am Kickboxing Class with Anne Marie ... I'm so glad that I did! I burned 375 cals in 45 mins of that class! Thank you, Anne Marie for such a wonderful class! For you that will be coming to FR ... this is a don't miss class for Fridays when you're here!

The rest of the day went good too ... the hike was boring, but a calorie burner. We went to Barrel Roll which was more of a bike/hike path that was winding up to a mountain top and then we walked back down it. The only bad thing is that one of the ladies in our group fell on a loose rock and went down hard! Ouch!

During our discussion group today for next week's plans, they told us they were going to try something new ... during breakfast and lunch they will be offering additional snacks besides the fruits and salad bar buffet. The snacks to be offered will be either 10 almonds or a boiled egg. The almonds can be taken on the hike, but not the egg (due to the smell). I don't know why they want to change something that has been working so well before. Oh, well, I would like to have the almonds for late night when I get the munchies. :)

Breakfast
8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Cardio Intervals
Lunch
1:15-2:15 Discussion regarding next weeks plans
2:30-3:15 Zumba
3:30-4:15 Zumba (supposed to be pool)
4:30-5:15 Circuit
Dinner
7:00-? Movie out by pool

I had an awesome calorie burn day today ... over 3200 cals! Woohoo! Zumba took the place of John's old Cardio Disco Jam classes. It's on a trial basis for 4 weeks to see how it works. I liked it, but the instructor needs to get better on being more personal with her students and maybe explain her moves before the class for those that are clueless.

Foods were good today too:

Breakfast: Bacon and Egg Sandwich
Hike Snack: Banana
Lunch: Tomato Soup and Sloppy Joe
Dinner: Salmon Burger and Fruit Skewer

Totally Thursday

From bottom to top: Today's Menu ... Dee Dee, Laura, and Kat posing (2 peaks in back is where we will be climbing later in next few pix) ... Some of us climbing up one of the two peaks ... Some of posing by a pond on the top caused by all of the rain while behind us is straight down!!!

Thursday was a tiring day, but I made it through somehow. I didn't burn as many calories today which was a bummer, but hopefully I'll do better tomorrow. We hiked Camel Back which was unbelievably beautiful! A must see for a hike if anyone ever comes here! I almost cried today when I got to the top of it!

Breakfast
8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Stretch
Lunch
1:15-1:45 Cooking Demo
1:45-2:30 Open Gym
2:30-3:15 Treading
3:30-4:15 Treading (instead of pool)
4:30-5:15 Ball Works
Dinner

My day ended with a wonderful massage from one of my old friends from Utah, Brenda! She came and picked me up and took me to her place and I totally enjoyed my hour and a half massage! She took me back to FR and it didn't take me long to fall asleep!

Foods for the day:

Breakfast: Hot Muslix
Snack after hike: Banana
Lunch: Mushroom Soup and Turkey Sandwich
Dinner: Stuffed Bell Peppers with Salad and Vanilla Pie

Sorry for the boring blog today, but I am really tired ... until tomorrow! :)

Day 3 ... More Pix

Day 3 ... Feeling better!

Okay ... it's day 3 here at Fitness Ridge and I'm feeling much better! I had a great hike through White Rock Reversed into Piano Rock and ended up going through Hidden Pinyon. I burned 800 cals on that hike, but did 3200 for the day. On the hike we saw a Tarantula Spider! A bit scarey, but interesting! I didn't realize they could jump 20 feet! But, silly me, took a pic of it up close as well as sitting behind it for a photo op! :)

My day was packed full of working out!

8:30-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Circuit Training
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:45-2:30 Open Gym (I worked on the treadmill)
2:30-3:15 Kickboxing (I skipped pool)
3:30-4:15 Kickboxing
4:30-5:15 Mountain
5:30-6:00 Dinner

We had an awesome breakfast: French Toast with Raspberry Sauce, Sausage, and Scrambled Eggs. For Lunch: Beet Soup (I hate beets, but this soup rocked) with BBQ Pizza. Dinner: Cafe Salad in a Tortilla Shell. I had a banana after the hike for a snack. I also downed all of my water ... again!

I've met another Florida girl here. Her name is Kat. She's from St. Augustine. A funny and sweet girl who is a power house when hiking and in the gym! A true hard worker here! Glad we met!

I had a wonderful day today meeting a lady from Maryland. Her name is Ilana. She is here with her hubby and she's such an inspiration!!! She has battled 2 raps with cancer. Her first being 16 years ago having had Ovarian Cancer. And her 2nd was just last year fighting Breast Cancer. She's had a double mascectomy and has suffered through chemo. She's here at Fitness Ridge going strong. She makes me feel weak seeing her work through all of her issues and doing so with such grace and vigor! She's battled and won ... and now she's battling again to get her weight where she wants it. My idol is now Ilana! (Hopefully I will get a pic of her this week before she leaves on Sunday)

We also went on a Target run tonight ... I only needed clothes detergent, but I wanted to go to escape the ranch for a little while! :)

Okay ... more tomorrow!!!

Fitness Ridge ... Round 2!

Okay ... I'm back! :) This will be my 2nd trip back to Fitness Ridge and I'm already exhausted on my 2nd day out on the hikes and the gym! I arrived on Sunday, Oct. 3rd to be put into my same exact room that I was in while I was here in January (Room 103)! The only difference is I don't have my bestest roomie ever ... Sandy! I'm sad about that! But, life goes on and I'm doing my thing and working out hard! P.S., I haven't missed one class yet! And, I don't plan on missing any!!!

On Monday, I burned 3200 calories for the 12 hours I wore my heart monitor. 1100 of those were burned just during the 2.5 hour hike! The hike was up on Chuckwalla trail and a total of 5 miles hiked! For breakfast, we had a Fritatta. For Lunch, Vegetarian Chili. And, for Dinner, Salad, Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus and a pineapple skewer for dessert. I had a banana for my after hike snack (as I always do). I did good!

Monday's workout schedule was:
Breakfast
8:00-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Stretch class
Lunch
1:45-2:30 Open Gym
2:30-3:15 Core Training
3:30-4:15 Circuit Training (supposed to be in Pool)
4:30-5:15 Circuit Training (again!)
Dinner

On Tuesday, I burned 3000 calories for the 12 hours I wore my heart monitor. 980 of those were burned during the hike. Today due to the rain, we went up paved bike trails instead of the norm. It was still hard though as the inclines were killer! For breakfast, we had Smoothies, but I opted for a bowl of their cereal with almond milk and 1/2 of a banana. For lunch, Squash Soup and a Turkey Pita (which was unbelievably wonderful)! And, for dindin ... Baked Penne Pasta with Steamed Broccoli and 2 Chocolate Covered Strawberries for dessert ... yup, Chocolate Strawberry Tuesdays are still in effect at FR! :)

Tuesday's workout schedule was:
Breakfast
8:00-10:30 Hike
11:15-12:00 Stretch class
Lunch
1:30-2:15 Cooking Class
2:30-3:15 Cardio Intervals
3:30-4:15 Total Toning
4:30-5:15 Cardio Intervals (again!)
Dinner

A lot of changes have taken place since I was here in Jan ... they no longer give out awards for attending every class during the week! Instead, you only get a t-shirt at the end of your stay whether you're here 1 week or several weeks! I asked why that had changed and they said too many people were getting injured and doing the classes anyway while injured just to earn the jacket or the backpacks. So, that's a change!

Another change, NO STOP SIGN HIKE ... Ahhhh! I liked being timed! According to one of the hiking guides, they said there were too many complaints from the locals that there were too many people clogging up the trails. So, Snow Canyon made it where they can only have 2 vans on Saturdays out on that trail. And, when you go out on Stop Sign, there is no longer a timed event! So, if you plan on doing Stop Sign on a Saturday hike, take your own timing device.

Okay ... til next time!

Biggest Loser Meal Plan

Okay ... I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went online and ordered a 7 day meal plan for hubby & myself. I knew I only had 9 days before leaving to go to BL@FR so I wanted to lose weight beforehand & begin a heavier workout schedule. Love it! I've lost 5 lbs in 7 days and I've worked out 1.5 hrs M/W/F HEAVY! My trainer made me take my Street Stryder to his gym where we use it too! Killervworkouts, water, & my BL foods = weight loss! I can't wait for my 2 wks at Fitness Ridge!

More to come! Off to pack!

Dee Dee

Disappointment

I get on the right track with eating "good for me stuff" and working out just to get on the scales and have either stayed the same weight or gained weight!!! Ahhhhh! I need to get back to Fitness Ridge so bad! I have a little less than 5 weeks and I'm there! I can't wait! I seem to have lost that incentive, that drive to get into the gym every day ... I need those cardio classes that are there for me, but just don't have the will power to go drive there to take them! HELP ....

Anyone else feeling this disappointing pain?

Sorry that I lost touch!

Okay ... it's been awhile now since I've blogged! (March to be exact) I lost track of it and I feel bad. I had surgery (gall bladder) and wasn't allowed to work out for 6 weeks and I fell back into my old ways and habits! I had got down to 170 lbs before my surgery! Since then, I've gained back 18 lbs! I figured out that I could't be back up that much when I return to Biggest Loser at Fitness Ridge! So, I got back into the gym and I've been eating good again. I'm now 15 lbs from being back down to the 170 I was at! However, I'm only 5 lbs from being where I was when I left BL@FR in January!

My exciting news: I'm going back to BL@FR to Utah on Oct 3-17!!! I can hardly wait! I was reserved to go to their newest facility in Malibu, California, but I was on the Waiting List at Utah and received my phone call today that I was found a spot to go into! Ahhhh! I can barely contain myself! I jumped up and down so much that my water broke ... and I'm not even pregnant! ba da dum dum! My attempt at humor!

So, UTAH BE PREPARED ... DEE DEE'S COMING BACK!

I'll report more weekly from now until the time I leave for Utah again! Hit me up on my facebook page: Dee Dee Charleston-Palmer or email me if you want to know particulars that this blog didn't help you with! d2dancer@aol.com

March Update

Okay ... I've been home from FR for 2 months now and I must admit that it's been hard to keep up with the foods and exercise as we learned it there. However, I've still lost weight. That's much better than gaining or not losing at all. Here's my updated measurements and weights:

Weight Today vs Weight on Departure from Fr

173 (down 7 lbs) vs 180
Bust 42" (no loss) vs 42"
Waist 35" (2" loss) vs 37"
Hips 38.5" (up .5") vs 38"
Thigh 21.5" (up .5") vs 21"
Calf 15 (same) vs 15"
Rt. Arm 12 (.5" loss) vs 12.5"

So, I'm down a total of 7 pounds and down 1.5" since leaving FR! I'm on the right road, but I need to follow the directions to get there a little easier. :)

It's been rough! I came home with a bum knee and messed up toe (the toe still bothers me). I ended up canceling my trainer since I felt I learned enough at FR to do it myself (I had my trainer for a year prior to going to FR). My problem has always been the getting there to the gym ... the desire to want to work out. That's not my problem at this point! My problem is health issues ... listen to this!

My husband and I went riding the motorcycles last weekend and had a great time. We got home and hubby cooked a rotisserie chicken for me and we had a great dinner and while watching tv that evening, I started having intense abdominal and rib pains which began hurting in the back as well. It only intensified to make me go to the ER that evening. I was admitted into the hospital on Monday morning and they informed me that they advised a emergency gall bladder removal. My gall bladder was so distended (inflated) that they thought it best to do it right then. I'VE NEVER HAD A GALL BLADDER PROBLEM IN MY LIFE! Well, I did it as I remember my hubby's problems with his for 10 years and didn't want to go through that like he did. So, now, I sit here with 4 holes in my tummy and told that I can't work out for a few weeks! This sucks!!! I was doing so good. Why me? I was so enjoying going to the gym every day and taking my Zumba classes at the RDV Sportsplex! I even had my Techogym key reinstalled and updated with my new weight lifting capabilities so I could do my own weights without a trainer with me. I was doing treading and getting on the bike. DAMN! Always something! I did hear that with a weight loss change in your body, that the gall bladder issues show up quicker. Don't know if that's true, but hey, it showed up quick for me after losing 20 pounds! :)

Anyway, I'm still on the weight loss track and enjoying seeing the numbers falling on my scale! I know I can reach my goal of 155 ... it's just a matter of when will I reach it! :) Stay tuned for the end of April results ... I'll be back in that gym as soon as I feel better!

One Month Home ... Still Losing Weight!

I've been home for a month now and I weighed in this morning at a loss of 6 additional pounds since leaving FR! That's exciting! That makes my weight loss a total of 20 pounds now! WooHoo! I'm still working hard at it! I go to a lot of classes during the week: Zumba, Boot Camp, Kickboxing (not like Sharon's), and one on one training with my trainer.

I can't wait to return to FR in Jan 2011! For those going soon ... I hope my journal helps you. :) Work hard and you'll see results!

1st Week at Home

First Pic: My 15 yr old girl, Winter. A 5 pound Maltese
Second Pic: My 9.5 yr old boy, Derringer. A 55 pound Boxer
My babies that I came home to. It was sad that my little Mittens wasn't here to greet me, but I still have these two that make my day! :)

Well, my first week wasn't what I planned for it to be! I got home and was told that I needed to relax the knee. I had to come home early from Fitness Ridge due to a Staph Infection in my Left foot's little toe and a knee sprain on my Right leg. So, rested I am! I did clean my house somewhat and decided to call my fitness trainer and get back on his schedule. I ended up going to him and working out this past Friday. It felt so good to work out again. Even though it was for only an hour and only on upper body and abs. Next week baby!

I did cook all of my foods from the cookbook from Chef Cameron. It was really hard to find some of those ingredients!!! But, I found them and cooked away! I ate like I was supposed to, but found that I didn't drink as much water as I did while at FR! I did face some temptations when I went to the Orlando Magic Basketball games (NBA). Foods there aren't made for diets. But, I did find The Carvery that had fresh roasted carved turkey sandwiches. I asked for the carved turkey minus the bread roll! Good, huh?

Okay, I weighed in today ... I've lost 2.5 pounds this week without even trying (except for my food intake). I now weigh 177.5! Woohoo! I'm happy about that. I was at 180 when I left Fitness Ridge on January 29th.

I plan on putting together my Street Strider today and hopefully begin riding it either tomorrow (knee pending) or Monday. I can't wait! I do plan on taking some classes this week at my gym. I stopped by there and picked up their new Spring Schedule. I'll let you know how that goes this week!

More to come ... I'm still on my Weight Loss Journey! ... Dee Dee
email: d2dancer@aol.com
facebook: dee dee charleston palmer

On My Way Home!

Well, I'm sitting in the airport in Las Vegas and getting excited to be home. I'm a little upset that I had to leave early, but excited to see my hubby and doggies. I did do my test out today and got my numbers ... here they are:

Weight on Jan 2nd: 194 Weight on Jan 29th: 180 For a loss of 14 #
Chest on arrival: 46" Chest on Departure: 42" For a loss of 4"
Waist on Arrival: 42" Waist on Departure: 37" For a loss of 5"
Hips on Arrival: 44" Hips on Departure: 38" For a loss of 6"
Thigh on Arrival: 23.75 Thigh on Departure: 21" For a loss of 2.75"
Calf on Arrival: 17" Calf on Departure: 15" For a loss of 2"
Arm on Arrival: 13" Arm on Departure: 12.5" For a loss of .5"
Body Fat Arrival: 36.8 Body Fat Departure: 34.3 For a loss of 2.5
BMI Arrival: 30.4 BMI Departure: 28.2 For a loss of 2.2

So, I lost 14 lbs and a whopping 20.25 inches!!! Inches mean a lot more than the pounds to me as I know I gained a lot of muscle while at FR! I'm really proud of myself for what I accomplished while at FR! I hope all of you coming in will remember what I've said ... don't worry about the pounds lost, but the inches lost at the end! I brought a pair of jeans here, but didn't try them on this week. BUT, I'm excited to say that I did buy a new pair of jeans in the airport ... I was wearing a size 14 when I left home ... I bought a pair of size 10's!!! Yahoo! I was ecstatic! So, enjoy your stay at FR ... get the most of it ... don't wimp out ... don't make excuses as to not doing your workouts, but just work out hard!

More to come in a week! I'm getting ready to board my flight!

Top pic: Me on departure day with Sara Howe from Virginia
2nd pic: Me on departure day with Katie from Texas (NOT CALIF AS I STATED YESTERDAY!) She looks like she should be my daughter, doesn't she! She's been at FR now for 7 or 8 weeks and has lost over 25 pounds!!! Awesome feat!

Going Home!

Top Pic: My new roomie this week, Lisa from Oregon and me
2nd Pic: Sharon teaching Pool class
3rd Pic: Nicole ... such a cutie!
4th Pic: My gang at lunch ... Me, Mike from NY, Jim from Colorado, Brad from Canada, Dirk from Colorado, and Sara from Virginia

Well, I had to bite the bullet after limping around here for several days and make the horrible decision to go home early. At least it was only 2.5 days early! I'm in dire pain with my knee and need to just relax and put my feet up for a few days. My hubby asked me to come on home so he could pamper me and get me a doctor appointment on Monday. So, home I go in the morning! I leave FR at 8:20 am and catch my flight out of Vegas at 1:30 pm to get into Orlando at 11:00 pm ... in other words, a very long day of flying (and having to eat airport food). I'm testing out with Sharon in the morning, so I'll give further updates on my weight loss and inches lost sometime or another tomorrow.

I want everyone to know that I totally loved it here at FR! I learned so much and came to the realization that I can do a lot more than I ever thought I could ... I am woman ... hear me roar! :) I have my reservation for me and my husband to return next year on January 2nd for one week. I want him to see what I did but for 4 weeks! My blister problems and knee problems were no fault of FR but my own. So, protect your feet (even though I did with Body Glide and Wigwam Hiking socks and duct tape) and if you do get a bad blister ... DON'T GO IN THE POOL OR HOT TUB!!! Supposedly, that was my cause of the infection in my little toe. Open sore (blister) + hot tub/pool = infections. However, I didn't get a blister until I decided to go get some Wright's anti-friction socks and use them. So, who knows what happened, but it did and I've learned! I hope you readers will do the same if coming here to FR.

I met so many friends that I will never forget! Too many to mention, but I know I have a great new friend in my old roomie, Sandy from Tampa! I miss you terribly and I hope to see you soon! And, to Jim and Dirk from Colorado and Brad and Sat from Canada! Muah! Denise from Utah, Sara from Virginia, Kassie Kay from Texas, and Katie from Texas ... you all rock! Again ... I met many others, but these guys were always with me at breakfast, lunch, dinner, hikes, & classes. Oh, and Mike from New York ... I will say my prayers for your wife and hope she gets into remission real soon! Thanks for walking that last 11.7 miles with me! Seth and Eric ... you were so real and sweet and I hope you lose your weight again and get back to that person you want to be on the outside, but please know that you are sweethearts on the inside!

The trainers here at FR are awesome!!! Sharon is my all time hero for getting in my face and being "my Jillian" ... Tiffany and Robin were so sweet and easy to talk to ... Marjorie's smile lights up the room and it never disappears plus I get a kick out of watching her jog up and down the aisle as you do cardio intervals ... John is hysterical especially in Cardio Disco Jam ... Nicole is such a sweetheart and plays great music ... Anne Marie is a delight and I'll never forget the "Titanic with the frozen people in the water" during our pool class as well as "tiny bubbles" ... Paige is so petite and helpful on the Quizno's and Albertson's runs. At the front office, you can always count on great help from Cody! He's just the best! Heather is a sweetheart! And, Travis ... you're so darn cute! Loved those Target trips! Trevor is nice and hunky! :) Hope I didn't embarrass you, Trevor! Glen who went through the program while I was in it is incredibly sweet! Like father, like son. Cameron is like his Dad, Glen. He is both adorably cute and sweet! Renee is always bubbly! And in reservations, I WILL NEVER FORGET my girl, Nancy! She got me here for my 3rd and 4th week after being on the Waiting List like forever! You Rock! The kitchen staff was awesome and always accommodating! Thank you Chef Cameron and Jennifer ... and to my girl, Gretchen! The food at FR is unbelievable! And, last, but definitely not least ... Brenda Cunningham is the best darn massage therapist ever! You made me feel like melted butter. When you go to FR ... please, tell her Dee Dee recommended her! Get her deep tissue or hot rock or whatever massage as she does them all well! Thank you for working out my kinks and frustrations!

So, I'll keep updating the blog but not daily ... I'll let you know how I'm doing on my weight loss. Don't worry ... I will continue working out and eating healthy as I don't want to be this overweight person any more! I know I came here to FR with knowing I had to lose 40 pounds ... this definitely got me on my way. So, Tom (my trainer at home) I'm ready to bust my butt and get in shape again!

Talk to you all again soon! (D2Dancer@aol.com or Dee Dee Palmer on Facebook)

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

This pic is from our Kickboxing Class ... I was partnered up with Ephraim and this is me trying to hold his boxing bag still so he can have his one minute of punch time! Too funny! Our trainer, Sharon, was wanting a camera, so she grabbed mine. We had a great time!

Well, another day of this messy rainy weather. Needless to say, I didn't do the hike as it was pouring this morning. So many people didn't hike, that they put a trainer, Marjorie, in the gym with us and she killed us! She did one hour of "Mountain" with us followed by 30 minutes of Cardio Intervals followed by 30 minutes of Weight Machine Intervals and ended our time with 30 minutes of Core and Stretch. Yup, we definitely burned some calories!

My knee is still out of whack and my little toe is still swollen and blue in color. I've been taking the antibiotics, but it doesn't seem to be helping me much! I soaked it in Epsom Salt tonight with a little bit of Betadine in it and then put straight Betadine on it afterwards too. I'm trying anything and everything for this swelling to go away.

I'm at my halfway mark for my final week! I only have 2.5 days left here and then I leave on Sunday! I can't wait to see my honey bunny! And, my little pooches of course! I'm excited. 4 weeks away is a long time! I think if I do this again, it would only be for 2 or 3 weeks, but not 4! I'm falling apart it seems.

Today's Schedule:

6:00 am Yogalates or Open Gym (I chose Open Gym)
7:00 am BREAKFAST (Italian Frittata and Fruit)
8:00 am Leave for Hike (I stayed in gym as described above)
11:15 am Pool or Core Workshop or Circuit (I did Circuit)
12:30 pm LUNCH (Beet Soup and BBQ Pizza)
1:15 pm Trip to Albertson's (by invitation ... for 3rd or 4th weekers)
2:30 pm Kickboxing
3:30 pm Mountain
4:30 pm Weight Circuit (in lieu of pool due to weather)
5:30 pm DINNER (Cafe Salad and Coconut Sorbet)

I came back to my room ... took a shower ... and went next door with my neighbors and watched a movie, "August Rush". Such a sweet movie, but we're so tired from this day that we almost didn't make it through it! :)

Okay ... hopefully things will be better tomorrow!