Zoe, I've looked at elliptical machines, too--at least on-line. It looks like it's hard to find a cheap one that's good. Not impossible, probably. How much are you looking at spending? I want to get one for our basement, but they are running more than I'd like to spend. I
could bite the bullet and work an extra each week for the summer, I guess...But then I'd be too tired to exercise

.
Tweety, are you a night owl? I gain on nights, but I know I eat more junk than I do during day shifts. I'm definitely a lark (that sounds pleasant, yes

?) and my body wasn't designed to eat at night. Unfortunately, on the noc shift, I do

.
Brown rice and beans sound good. My kids much prefer the brown to white rice. They won't even eat the white kind--although they have nothing against white
sugar...sigh.