[CatherineM]

I still haven’t fixed my husband’s computer, but I now know what is wrong. At least I know that I didn’t screw stuff up. The computer I got him for an anniversary present didn’t have built in wireless, but I had a wireless card, so I didn’t worry. The security on the wireless router in the newer WPA which my computer has already, but the old wireless card only had the older WEP security. Tomorrow I will get a new wireless card, and all will work. In the meantime, he’s bootlegging off a neighbor’s wireless that is unsecured. When we get his up and running, I’m going to help our neighbor get her wireless security enabled. I had both laptops on the desk with the pullout keyboard for the big computer. It was serious geekness for someone whose last computer training was in Cobol and Fortran.

As for staying OP, I’ve found in the past that when I have a slip, I just quit writing down calories for the day. Recently, I’ve started writing down the bad stuff, and trying to finish out the day. It has really helped. It hasn’t meant any real progress on the scale, but it has made me feel better. I’ve found that I always assume that I have ingested a million calories, but when I actually haven’t done that bad. Even on my worst day, I don’t go over 3,000. Knowing I’ve only blown it a little has helped me get back on track easier.

I’ve found a long article on taking baby steps to change different behaviors, and I will start posting them tomorrow. The first one will be on dealing with stress.

Wyllenn-I never used online bill pay, but my husband did, so I have learned to use it, and I also love it. Postage here is 52 cents, so that really adds up fast. Happy Birthday, if you are still celebrating them. I think I’m going to skip mine this year.

Toofat-I had some corns pop up several months ago, so walking hurt so much it was driving me crazy. When I finally got these little toe pads, and some Crocs, and was out of pain for the first time in months, I just hop and skipped around, so I understand how great you must feel to not be in pain.

Jersey-I went through that once for 18 months, once for 3 months, and now for about 6 weeks. It didn’t matter what I did, the scale would not move. I survived the 18 months because at the time I hated myself so much that I actually believed I deserved to be tortured like that. It feels like torture at times. I have broken plateaus by increasing calories more than by decreasing calories. I have also broken them by totally eating new types of food. I ate Moroccan for a month once, and basically confused my body. I’ve picked up 6 or 7 new cooking styles that way. I don’t know your age, so this analogy may make no sense, but I once had someone describe liquid diets as moving a phonograph needle to the other side of the record away from a scratch. Making small changes is like trying to move the needle over just one groove and it tends to slip back in again. Moving the needle works because it is so far from the problem area, but once you have to go back into that old area, it is easy to slip back into that old rut. In other words, liquid diets work because we don’t have to make choices or do cooking like normal, but the minute that you have to go back to eating like normal, if you haven’t dealt with the original problems it is easy to fall back in the ditch. I think they work if you are using it as a jump start and use the time to clean out your pantry, learn how to make your favorite dishes lower in calorie and set up support systems to lean on.

Shadie-I fell about a month ago, so I know what trying to defy gravity at our size can be like. If your neck doesn’t start feeling better immediately, you might want an X-ray.

Lillion-It’s nice to know that someone considers me an expert on something. I wish it was for something other than plateaus. They are so infuriating. If you’re diabetic, you can check your blood sugar level. If you’ve got high blood pressure, you can check it. I wish someone would develop some way to measure exactly how many calories you are currently burning at any time so that you could adjust your eating to match. Wow, think how much that patent would be worth.

Middlesister-We’ve all been where you are. It’s like an alcoholic hitting rock bottom. Reaching out for help is a big first step. Just take it one baby step at a time, try not to be too hard on yourself, and remember that the only way to fail is to give up. As long as you keep trying, you are a winner.

Annie-There are some people out there who are good enough businessmen to understand that your hips don’t do the work, your brain and eyes and fingers are the important part. I’ll get my fingers crossed for you. Having a job will help with everything else, self-esteem, having a routine schedule, and getting out of the house.

Sandy-If it wasn’t for snow shoveling, I’d not have much exercise at all. You got 6 WHOLE inches of snow. Wow. Don’t pay any attention to me, I’m thinking about my little apartment 2 blocks from the beach in St. Pete where it got up to 65 degrees today, and we’re going to be 25 below tonight.

[going to lose 200]

Just checking in to say hello. Been busy with work and geting ready for my super fun filled weekend coming up. We are going to a retreat for 2 days and I can't wait. My sis and I are going. We will scrapbook our lil butts off.

Its been devilish cold here too. today it was -30. The sad thing is that it isnt going to warm any time soon either... oh well, its killing the bugs. I hate bugs. We camp a lot *L*

Other than that, well, tomorrow we are having a wellness expo at work. About 30-40 people come in and set up booths. Some are gyms, dietitions, disease awareness, blood pressure checks, etc. Its great cause we get lots of handouts and get to use an hour of our day to go around and get info. We usually are handed free gym passes, fitness classes, recipe books etc. I cant wait!!

ok. so other than that, I am going to go and buy YOU on a DIET tomorrow. Annie, was it you who bought that book? Did you enjoy it? It looks good and maybe it will help get motivated again.

Speaking of which, things are going ok. I am most OP and I still think I am taking in more calories than I should be. I have to get back to counting... Exercise was slack on the weekend but things are back to normal. I just havent updated...

well off to bed as I am yawning now *L* Have a great day tomorrow n' I will be in touch tomorrow after work. I have some pics to share...

Brenda

[Xena2005]

Sharon - Hope you are feeling better soon.

Heather - Happy Birthday!!!!

No time for posting to night. I am supposed to be studying for my calculus test. Tomorrow is weighin. I am drinking lots of water tonight in the hopes of flushing out that last bit of fat before weighin. I really want to make it to 10 pounds tomorrow but if I don't, that is OK too.

[Shiffysmom]

Emily, on the loss.

MiddleSIster, welcome!

Annie, 3 job interviews, you go girl! I hope you get the one you want.

Brenda, looking forward to seeing the pics.

I wanted so bad to stop after church tonight and get a burrito but I talked myself out of it.

[toofatforu]

Catherine you are so right i am so happy to be pain free tonight i just hope it keeps on !

[Vilandra485]

Xena - Good luck on your weigh-in!

So my weigh-in was this morning...holding steady at 318lbs - so in the last 7 days I lost 2.5lbs! I'm happy with that. I only got a 5 minute walk with my puppy in, eek! But I will just try to do better tomorrow. Hope everyone is well.

Melissa

[Nightkatt]

Just a quick note before I go to bed, just wanted to let you know Im still alive lol. Weight is still seesawing between 270-275 ... still at the moment Im ok with that.

I had a bad day yesterday .. actually this last week has been a hard one. Sooty my little girl lamb died yesterday. She got some sort of disease and we just couldnt save her .. I was sooooooo upset yesterday and even today has been hard for me, we buried her in the garden and each time I see the marker I get upset, still at least she isnt in pain anymore. Sweep misses her terribly and keeps looking around for her, I feel so bad for him.

On a positive note (you know me .. have to end every day thinking of at least one positive thing), Ash had a good interview for a job yesterday so she may have an after school job at last (Would be nice so she can pay her enormous phone bill!), and I have an interview in the morning as a case manager, I have been short listed so that is a positive thing for sure

Anyway .. I better get to bed . have an early start if I want to look good for my interview

Have a lovely day all .. will catch up on the reading later .. but WOOOHOOO for those that have had NSVs or Losses ... commiserations for those that have had a creeping dial on the scale (or no movement for a while) .. and a BIG WELCOME on in to those newbies .. and WELCOME BACK to those that have returned to the board

Love, Light & Laughter all!

Katt

PS - Just wanted to add .. my hunny took me out on the town for the first time in 5 years on Saturday lol .. he took me to Wellington for dinner at a lovely restaurant and then surprised me with tickets to see Dionne Warwick who was performing just around the corner from the restaurant! Was a wonderful evening .. he said its my Valentine present for the last 5 years that I havent got one lol .. it definitely helps having that to think about at the moment

[voodoo1]

Katt, I'm SO SORRY about your lamb, but you must console yourself that she was happy, loved & cared for, could she have had a better, more loving home? I hope Sweep doesn't pine too much, will he be ok on his own or might you have to get another lamb or goat for a companion for him? Great on the Valentine's treat, I'm glad to see you posting again. Wish Ash good luck from me, & hope your interviews go well.xxxxxx
Annie, wow you are in demand!!!lol I hope you get a good job where you're appreciated AND happy.xxxxx
Charlene, great on saying NO to BAD food, even if it dOS taste delish, lol. Wish I had some of that willpower!!!xxxxx
Xena, hope the weigh-in AND test goes well! You deserve some success.xxxxx
Catherine, hope the pc stuff goes well, you certainly are versatile! Shovelling snow MUST be better than doing 30 mins of aerobics!xxxxx
Ammi, you poor thing! I hope your arm stops hurting soon & that next time it is easier. Try & catch you tonight on MSNxxxxx
Welcome to the new ladies, you have taken the first step, you're here, everything now will get easier with support.xxxxx
Emilymay, WOW, you loook gorgeous in your wedding pics & WTG on being lighter than you thought!xxxxxx
xxxxxxsharon

[futurediva]

Good morning ladies
Just a quick post to say hi, since i had no time last night. hope everyone is well.
Im off today and plan on spending the day shopping and some other things i never get to do. I have arranged to do my weekly weigh in tommorrow. i have been 100% on plan, so i hope i see a loss. i get so anxious whens it is time to weigh, even when i know i have done well
I hope everyone has a wonderful day, ANNIE: good luck with the job search im sure you will get a great job with your skills. HEATHER: Happy belated birthday, i hope it was a great one!
See you all later!

[AmmiUK]

Hi All,

My arm is still really tender today, it's to be expected though, so I won't grumble too much lol.

Sandy - I look forward to hearing from you soon. Loved your last post it was really pretty

Catherine - glad you figured out the problem with the networking. I think it's great you will help your neighbour set up her wireless security, it's amazing how many people don't realise that others can use their network if it's not secure!

Brenda - I don't know what sounds better, the lovely weekend retreat you have coming up, or the wellness expo in work. I think as the latter has a lot of freebies it will have to be the winner I hope you really enjoy both.

Xena - for your WI today, can't wait to hear if you hit that 10 lbs lost goal

Charlene - on not stopping and giving in to that craving to get a burrito

Patti - I am sure when you start thinking of going to the doctor your endorphins kick in or something and you get some pain free days lol. I am glad it's eased up, but I'm sorry, I am still going to NAG you to go see your doctor

Missy - 2.5 in 7 days is great It's great to see you back on the losing trail.

Loving your avatar, your puppy is so adorable

Katt - I am so very sorry that you lost little Sooty I hope you and Sweep will be ok

I am glad hubby gave you such a beautiful Valentine's surprise, he definitely is making up for all the years when he couldn't get you anything. PLUS it hopefully helped to take your mind off Sooty.

Sharon - will definitely look for you this afternoon on MSN. I hope you are feeling better and that TOM has shown up!

Em - LOVED your wedding photos, you are certainly a gorgeous bride

Kymberly - good luck with your WI. I am always nervous on WI day as well, it just is part and parcel of the thing. that you get a great result!

Ok got to make a move now, so take care all and bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

[toofatforu]

Ammi i hope your pain eases soon... pain is no fun and i dont mind your n.well i am off to exercise again while i can.. be back to post on that thread later!agging....Katt i am so very very sorry about your lamb.

[JerseyGirl69]

Originally Posted by Lilion

[B]I just peeked at your blog and your menu you had down for January 29th. If that is your usual manner of eating, I think you may not be getting in nearly enough calories! In the 230's I get 28 WW points a day AND 35 flex points per week. PLUS I earn activity points. I ran your daily food thru WW and came up with only 21 points. (A point is roughly 50 calories. I should probably eat 1400 to 1700 cals a day!) I ran you, although I had to guess at some things like how active you are at work and so guessed low on some stuff, and it said you should eat about 35 points a day! That's 1750 calories on the LOW side and 2000 on the high. What I'm getting at is at your weight you should definately be eating MORE if that's how you normally eat, especially working out. It is certainly a possibility that you've been low-cal for so long that your metabolism has decided you are starving and refuses to let go of the fat. I saw where you said more than once that you were hungry on your blog. You shouldn't be hungry. Eating MORE is a scary prospect. But with the amount you are working out it may be exactly what you need. I hope Catherine gets on line and sees this and responds. I know she went thru a several-month plateau and had to eat more to lose. If, as I suspect, I've either had a slight gain or maintained this week, I'm going to be working at eating more next week myself...I have been under on my points this week and I think that may be to blame. Anyway, it's something for you to consider.

Eating more has worked in the past, but I just can't seem to do it consistently and always fall back and eating what I want to naturally (which can be anywhere from 900-1500 calories). It takes a lot of forethought and pushing over that I'm not hungry mountain to eat more. And it seems to require "just the right" foods and I'm not sure what they are but it seems to be only when I'm very, very low carb....

[Heather]

Hi everyone! thanks for the lovely b'day wishes yesterday!

Hubby and I didn't go out to eat because... wait for it... we scheduled weight training appt's with the trainer instead! After we lift, we end up eating a bunch of protein and then who wants to go out to eat.

It was just as well anyway, because it took me 1/2 hour to get home from the gym which is just 4 miles away because of the snow. After my protein smoothie I spent another 35 minutes shovelling. Had we planned to go out to eat, we might not have had time! I think we are going out tonight instead.

I was in a really good mood shovelling. Why? Because I realized I can shovel. It's no longer that hard. It was hard my whole life. And then I wondered how much harder than ever it would have been had I not started this journey a year and a half ago. I figure conservatively I would have gained another 20-25 pounds in that time, and would have weighed around 320. I would have been doing no exercise really and shovelling that snow last night would have been a much bigger deal.

So really, what a great birthday gift I got -- a wonderful realization!

And still dinner tonight!

[CatherineM]

Good Morning Ladies. I am going to start a long series on baby steps to keep those resolutions. These are from our “Your Health” magazine put out by the province’s health insurance and authored by David DiCenzo. The first one is on dealing with stress.

#1 – Sleep it off. Sleep is the easiest refresher available. Get six to eight hours consistently. See a doctor if you have trouble getting or staying asleep or if you sleep too much.

#2 – Take a break. Find your happy place. Make time for those activities you enjoy, such as walking, yoga or throwing the ball for Rex.

#3 – Be the duck’s back. Learn how to control your anger, the uglier brother of stress. Don’t harbour ill-will or grudges.

#4 – Keep a Journal. Writing down your experiences and feelings during the day – even in point form - is a great way to sort through your stress and discard the negative aspects of it. It also helps you prioritize, set reasonable goals and mark success.

#5 – Access allies. Pursue activities that put you in positive contact with others. Avoid the bars, and join a club or other social network.

Tomorrow we will deal with exercise. As for me, I’ve got errands to run, then housework, and then my class tonight. I broke down and got on the scale this morning, and still got the error sign. It is only supposed to go up to 380, but sometimes will go as high as 389, but I never know. If I could get below 380, I’d never see the E again, but nothing is moving right now. It is irritating on so many levels. I could have lost 5 pounds or gained 20, and have no way of knowing. I don’t think I’ve lost anything, and I’ve been doing this so long that I get weary sometimes of dealing with it. I would like to get excited again, but it gets harder to stay at that “evangelical” level. I know that with AA they tell people that if you don’t “feel it” yet, to just act like you do, and eventually you will get it. So for right now I’m just going to keep going through the same motions, eating the same food, writing everything down, and eventually the scale will have to move again, or I’m going to throw it under a city bus. I hope it can hear me, and will get afraid, get very afraid, because it’s time on Earth is numbered unless it starts acting right.

[jillybean720]

[quote=sandybar;1564018]Jilly~So, I can have pbj for only 200 calories! Do you use diet bread, sugar free jelly and regular peanut butter?? Sometimes I just gotta have pbj. Now, I might have a pbj and my chili for dinner.
Have you tried those 100 calorie packs? Someone here told me about them.
They make them in cheetos! I love cheetos. Oh, and they have Sun Chips too. I'm not disciplined enough to have the 100 calorie amount if I have to divvie it up. But if it's done for me, I'm ok. Weird, huh?
How's the baby?? And the 7 yeqr old?[/quote]
I make my pbj on Nature's Own whole grain bread--it's not marketed as a "diet" bread, but rather as a natural bread, and it only has 50 calories per slice. Then I use an organic reduced-sugar strawberry fruit spread that I get at Trader Joe's and some all-natural peanut butter (the ONLY ingredient is peanuts--no sugar, no salt, no hydrogenated oils, no garbage!).

I don't buy the 100 calorie packs. I used to, but I'm trying to eat more natural/whole foods now, and regardless of number of calories, they're just too processed and lacking in nutrition/substance for me personally. I also find that they aren't very filling and that even though they come in individual packages, my brain percieves them as "junk," and I have a hard time eating just 1 pack, so I can't keep them in the house anyway. Also, I find it much easier to resist junk-like snacks if I don't eat them at all--the cravings pretty much completely go away--so eating them regularly would promote more cravings for me. I know they work for some people, but for me, they're a square peg to my well-rounded personal plan

Izzy (the baby) is back up to her birth weight and seems to have rid herself of most of the biliruben that was causing her jaundice. Jackie (the almost-7-year old) wasn't there over the weekend--she was with her mother. I think she's having difficulty adjusting to not being the center of attention all the time and prefers to stay at her mother's where she is still the only child. It makes me sad because I don't get to see her when she is with her mother, but I also know it might just take some time for her to adjust.