Anyone who wants to lose weight is welcome to this thread. Initially, I started the thread trying to find others like me who were around my age group and needed to lose weight in stages. However, I later realized that I and others could gain so much more by not placing criteria to the this thread. It makes no difference if your male/female, or what your age/weight, or desired goal may be. The point is we all have something in common that we are working towards: to lose weight, and be healthy. The purpose of the thread is to share and support each other in the process. So WELCOME ALL, we are glad to have you here.
My weigh-in for this week showed down 1 lb. Yippee the scale is finally moving again.!!!!
Sorrow-How are things going? Hope your staying warm and enjoying your tea. Soups are nice too when its cold. Do you have an elliptical in your house to exercise on? Elliptical machines makes it a little more pleasant for exercising than battling the blustery winds and rain trying to do it. Of course you have to have space in your house for one. Also extra lights in the house help chase those dreary days and nights away.
Andi - Your doing great and staying focused. Your short term goal is only one pound away!!! Go, go, go. I tried green tea, but it didn't work for me.
Jollyjude - Oh my goodness. Soy sauce is very salty. I hope you feel better by now, but it looks like you are back on track. Great job with the 2.6 lb loss.
Renee- Good job!!! I knew you could do it. Keep the momentum going. I am sure the farm and the horses are keeping you busy. Plus all the fair preps. That will help cut back on the extra snacking hours.
Carol Sue- So glad to have you here. I need to cut back on my carbs too. Thanks for the reminder.
Julystar- Who cares? We care, your new found friends on this thread. We all know what it is like to slip and really fall down hard. However, next time you get ready to slip, remember we are there supporting you to do what is right, to not give in to temptation. You can do it, you can be a winner. We want you to be a winner. We want you get a hard grip on those yo-yo eating swings and eat only when your hungry, and not to lose to those emotional battles. Every time you get ready to give in, get up and walk away. Go get out and do something different to get your mind off the topic of food. Come post your frustrations out on this thread. You can do this, come on you can. We care.
Curvynotlumpy- Sounds like you have had a lot to battle with weight and life. Have you tried walking at a fast pace, or even walking with handweights? That works for me in helping to keep those extra pounds off. How about dancing? You can just turn up the music in the house and dance while your cleaning. If you like country music, line dancing can be fun and helps battle the extra pounds. Just a few ideas to help you breathe deeper, increase the heart rate, and getting that metabolism going again. How do you rediscover that initial spark? I think it is different for every person. A good place to start though is to do it for someone very special, someone who is very important, and who will benefit from you efforts more than anyone else. That person is you, and you deserve to treat that person with the best care that you can. Afterall, the results will be well worth it. We know you can do it. We want to see you become the best that you can be.
AAD-Great work! You are always an inspiration. Keep it going.
It is going to be a busy week for all of us, but we can and will do this. No more waiting for tomorrow. Tomorrow is really today. You have to make it happen today, which means NOW. Let's do this together.
My 5K went very well although it rained the entire time! No new blisters and it was still enjoyable.
Corinna, congrats on your weight loss! I think it's great that your DH is walking with you!
Carol Sue, sorry to hear about your weight gain but it sounds like you're really taking it off well. I agree, low carb works best for me, and I really believe that it's mostly due to less sugar. There is too much sugar in simple carbs like bread, rice, potatoes, peas, corn, and they cause most to want to eat more simple carbs. When I do a good job of avoiding these foods I have a good weight day.
Actually, on this site it stands for Dear Husband (or Darn husband!). They also use DD for daughter, SIL for sister-in-law, etc.
I've been doing well so far this week but not much show for it. Official weigh-in this evening so hope to see progress. I re-joined weight watchers for 2 months, mostly for a friend, but I really don't go by their rules as they want you to plan your meals with bread and I don't do bread.
It's much warmer today and humid for the first time this year. I'm seeing how long I can go before turning on the air conditioner. (I'm a cheap$skate!)
DBF (get it?) is coming down tonight and I have ribs in the crock pot, but will only eat a couple bites. It's harder to cook healthy when others are not dieting along with you!
Hello all - I have been so busy the last couple of days that I haven't had time to check in here.
So far the week has been going really well for me. Between Mother's day and birthday celebrations, I have managed to stay on track by planning ahead and being able to say "No, thank you" with enough diplomacy to avoid any hard feelings.
It always surprises me when people get offended when you turn down an offer of food - some people just don't seem to be able to take no for an answer. Luckily, this wasn't the case this weekend!!
Finally we have had a little warmer weather, and I am on days off and have been able to get out and start on my yard work. It has been such a late spring this year, and the temperature still drops way down to just above freezing at night!!!
Corinna - Congrats on the 1 lb. loss - I was hoping your scale would start moving again - did you make any changes? Or did your body just decide it was ready again?
How lovely that your husband is joining you in diet and exercise.
Andi - I have been avoiding carbs like the plague. I even limit most fruits as a lot of them are very high in sugar. I also try to avoid anything processed or packaged, so it makes a little extra work at home to make everything from scratch, but these steps seem to be working for me, and I am feeling a lot healthier for it.
I think my body finally stabilized and was ready to move on again. I haven't really changed anything that much. Just little bits here and there, but maybe that started things too.
7 Eating Mistakes That Sabotage Your Health,
By Elizabeth Rider, Board Certified Health Counselor (AADP)
1. Believing there is one best way of eating for everyone. Raw and vegan and Paleo, oh my! Healthy eating is a hot topic these days, and specific diet regimens are even hotter. But the truth is that that isn't one right way for everyone. Period. What's working for your best friend may or may not work for you. This philosophy is know as bio-individuality, and the good news is that bio-individuality can be easily navigated. With the right tools, you can learn how to eat best for your body.
2. Thinking fat makes you fat.
This one came from poorly-conducted and poorly-reviewed research in the 1980s. The saddest part about this is that when fat was removed from the diet, the incidence of obesity skyrocketed. Why? Because anything removed must be replaced, and fat was widely replaced with fillers in the form of hidden sugars. The truth is that our bodies need fat, along with good carbohydrates and healthy protein, to function at optimal levels and maintain a healthy weight. It's also true that in many cases, adding extra good fats into the diet actually help people lose weight. All hail the avocado!
3. Not knowing where sugar hides.
To their detriment, most people assume that food has to taste sweet to contain sugar. Not true! Ketchup, jarred pasta sauce, sandwich bread, low-fat dairy and low-fat crackers (most low-fat foods, actually) have just as much or more sugar as a piece of cake! Sugar is the food industry's #1 tool to hook you onto their food. Don't fall victim to their schemes and learn the facts about hidden sugar and sweet alternatives. Why? Because fat doesn't make people fat, but sugar does.
4. Believing all calories are created equal.
Have you ever known someone who counts every single calorie that they put in their mouth, but still can't lose weight? And they've been doing it for 10-plus years? Yea, me too. It's painful to watch, 1) because it doesn't work, and 2) because letting calories rule your life sounds sad and incredibly exhausting. Let's get something straight: 100 calories of low-fat crackers does something very different to your body then say 100 calories of guacamole. And guess what, the low-fat crackers are ruining your health, while the guacamole could improve things drastically. A calorie is no longer just a calorie. Sugar is highly addictive. You may start to see health experts comparing it to nicotine addition in the coming years. That's just how addictive it really is. Learning how different calories affect your body can hugely improve your health, get rid of cravings, balance your weight and improve your mood.
5. Becoming dogmatic about your eating patterns. Just like there isn't one way of eating for everyone, there's most likely not one way of eating that will serve you for your entire life. As you age, grow and change, so should your eating habits.
6. Eating gluten-free and other "healthy" junk food. I would never tell people to avoid packaged food altogether -- surprising, I know! I'm a realist, and it's just not feasible in most people's on-the-go lives and there actually are some healthy options out there. But, and this is a big BUT, just because something is labeled gluten-free, organic, raw or some other health industry buzzword doesn't make it healthy. Some of these packaged items are higher in sugar than a 20-ounce Coke. Learning to read ingredient labels is one of the best things you can do for your health.
7. Depriving yourself of your favorite foods.
The more you tell yourself not to eat something, the more you want it. Obsession can set in, and all of the sudden you've downed an entire pint of ice cream. Healthy eating isn't about deprivation or drastically changing every aspect of your lifestyle. It's about learning how to enjoy what you love in a healthy way. Ice cream is a good example. If you love it why not try banana "nice cream" or a whole-fruit frozen sorbet? Love chocolate? It's actually good for you, but the added sugar isn't. Most chocolate bars contain way too much sugar, so learning how to choose the right ones will allow you to enjoy the chocolate you love without detriment to your health. You don't have to give up what you love to be healthy. Also, once you've learned how to control your blood sugar, you'll be surprised at what falls off of your favorite foods list, too.
Hi Everyone~
I'm still in here but longer gaps in writing than I'd like. I finally got a chance to read some posts. Thank you for encouragement, especially Jude & Corinna--I will take your advice to heart! To have some of you cheering me on is no small thing. I realize what a foreign tender feeling that is. I'm so used to being the cheerleader for 'everyone' else, yet I realize I have a deep longing for someone to do the same for me.
I have been doing better the last few days. I'm in a frame of mind to say 'no' to excess food, and make reasonable healthy choices.
Let's all step away from our problem, and step higher into our potential.
Hi all,
I attended weight watchers and lost 6 pounds, according to them. I must have been water bloated at initial weigh-in, as I Know I didn't really lose 6. I'm not really a fan of their take on what's healthy food, but being a member does keep healthy eating on my mind, knowing I have to weigh in every week. Gives me accountability.
Corinna, thands for the inspiring attachments and posts.
Julystar, glad to hear you're doing better...it's just a matter of thinking about every bite that goes into our mouths.
Jude, I agree that Sugar is the Devil and I avoid it at all costs, including most fruits. Complex carbs are fine, and I make everything from scratch as well - my favorite is a homemade vegetable soup that I make every week. It's easy to control the salt that way.
Hello all,
Just checking in to see how everyone is doing.
Andi - - Wow - 6lbs - you will probably get a better idea next time you go.
I eat a lot of soup as well. Usually I end up just using whatever veg. I have and cooking it up with no salt added broth (either chicken or vegetable), then pureeing it and calling it soup!! I love it like this, and I can add chunks of stuff to it as I like. Usually I have reasonable sized portions of chicken breast, veal or some other lean meat that I have frozen individually for this purpose.
Julystar - Good to see you are still here. I am so glad that your days are getting better. Try to remember that the most important thing that you can do to take care of others is to take care of yourself first.
Corinna - Thanks for all the inspirational posts.
I have a feeling this is going to be a good week for all
Jude
All Are Welcome To This Thread
Also extra lights in the house help chase those dreary days and nights away. 
I tried green tea, but it didn't work for me.
So glad to have you here. I need to cut back on my carbs too. Thanks for the reminder.
Sounds like you have had a lot to battle with weight and life. Have you tried walking at a fast pace, or even walking with handweights? That works for me in helping to keep those extra pounds off. How about dancing? You can just turn up the music in the house and dance while your cleaning. If you like country music, line dancing can be fun and helps battle the extra pounds. Just a few ideas to help you breathe deeper, increase the heart rate, and getting that metabolism going again. How do you rediscover that initial spark? I think it is different for every person. A good place to start though is to do it for someone very special, someone who is very important, and who will benefit from you efforts more than anyone else. That person is you, and you deserve to treat that person with the best care that you can. Afterall, the results will be well worth it. We know you can do it. We want to see you become the best that you can be. 
- you will probably get a better idea next time you go.