300+ Club - 300+ And Ready to Try Again #1100

:welcome2:

We are a group of individuals who weigh or have weighed 300+, or near there. This group was formed to provide a place for others like us to find support and hope. We are aware of the distinct problems that come with weighing over 300 lbs.

We want to invite everyone (roosters as well as chicks!) to join us in our journey. We share laughter and tears, heartaches and fears ... joys and celebrations. We also share what works for us and what doesn't.

We know the thread can move very quickly, and that people often make "personal" remarks and keep a number of conversations going. Please feel free to contribute even if you can't make personal comments all the time.

Finally, we also have several extra threads going on simutaneously such as Monthly Challenges, Weekly Weigh-ins, Recipes, Bios, Photos, Exercise, Info for Getting Started and more. Many of these threads are stickied at the top of the page. Please feel free to check them all out.

We have found this thread to be more than just a support group... we have found it to become a home. We invite you to join us.



I know you'll all agree that we are really thankful for the free services here at 3FC. The sisters offer all of this support and information with no charges to us. There are a couple of ways though that we can help out.

If you are thinking about buying anything at Amazon, why not help out 3FC at the same time? You can do this by clicking on the button for the Amazon "store" in the upper right hand corner of the screen on the PURPLE tool bar. A portion of your purchase price will be given to 3FC by Amazon. It doesn't increase your price at all, but it does help out 3FC. You can use any of the Amazon.com links that you see on the site in order to help contribute to the site.

Also, BTW, in case you didn't know it, you can view the message boards "ad free" for a minimal charge. I think it's $15 for 6 months. A very small investment to be rid of the annoying ads and make your pages load quicker.

There have been some concerns expressed by the powers that be about copyright infringement. So please, if you are directly quoting someone else or printing an article in whole or in part, please give credit where credit is due!!!!

Carrie--welcome to the numbered threads :D

Andrea--That's the date I joined 3FC over on the left, not my birth date ;) My birthday is actually in July, so my birth stone is the ruby, but I never cared much for rubies. Purples and blues have always been my favorite colors, and in speaking with the jewelers at different stores, the general consensus was that sapphires are a harder stone than tanzanite or amethyst (the other 2 stones I was interested in), so they would be a better choice to reduce the risk of damage since I plan to wear the ring for a very long time :)

Lisa--good lord, woman, I don't know how you can handle being on just liquids while being out and about. I don't get popcorn or candy or anything at the movies, but if we have a day out shopping and such, I do like to stop for a sandwich or something. You are insanely strong--keep up the FABULOUS work!

Catherine--ha, I've actually been kind of disappointed that I have NOT had anyone to show my ring off to! Jeff and I keep mostly to ourselves, so the only real interaction I have is with people at work, and most of them are away on the "presidential retreat" (tropical vacation for the recruiters, BDs, and VPs that met/exceeded their 2006 goals), so my hand is just itchin' to be thrust under someone's nose :p

Brenda--not sure if you post in any other sections of the boards around here, but if you have any questions about belly dancing, I know one of our dear moderators, Aphil, is actually an instructor, I believe, and I think she also sews costumes for dancers and such. I know she moderates in the Calorie Counters section of the forum.

Xena--Avenue sometimes has some great deals. I buy all my clothes from Avenue, Fashiong Bug, and Lane Bryant, but without coupons, their regular-priced items don't quite fit my budget, so I make a beeline for the clearance racks in the back :p

As for me, I had a pretty good weekend. I can't say every bite that went into my mouth was perfectly nutritionally sound, but there was out-of-control eating or bingeing, and I bought lots of healthy stuff when I went grocery shopping yesterday. I had Chipotle for lunch one day last week and have decided to make up my own Chipotle wannabe food for lunches this week. I'll make what they call a "burrito bol"--all the burrito stuff in a bowl with no tortilla. I have some chopped romaine lettuce, some seasoned chicken breast (I actualy found a copycat recipe for their chicken seasoning and just adjusted it a bit with healthier ingredients), fat-free shredded cheddar cheese, fat-free sour cream, guacamole (made my own with fresh avocados), salsa, brown rice, and black beans. Should be yummy!

Jill-- I've been making my own "burrito bols" for a couple of weeks now I guess, without knowing it. Last night, grilled chicken, black beans, brown rice, some roasted red peppers, salsa and a bit of cheese. They are yummy!!!

If anyone has any March exercise minutes to post, head on over to the March exercise thread (no longer stickied). I'll close it out in a couple of days! We got really close to 20,000 minutes!!!!! :woohoo:

Just a quick one... Oh, and my formatting problems are back, so it won't be a very 'exciting' looking post.

Peggy - I just looked at your pics and I can DEFINITELY notice a difference. Your face/neck is showing more defined features. It is hard to tell with the jacket on, but I am sure that you look smaller all over as well. And I LOVE your hair style the way it is in the latest photos. It really suits you.

Jill - Your ring is BEAUTIFUL! Very special design, and I love the mix of stones.
I'm glad your weight is doing the right thing. It is lovely when we get pleasant surprises, instead of the shocks that we are expecting.

Andrea - Your ideas for Easter sound great. It is good to see things OTHER than chocolate being given. I haven't decided what I want for Easter yet, because I don't eat chocolate and hubby doesn't eat much now either. We'll have to think of something different. I have only just worked out what I want for my birthday (Thursday) so my mind is kinda drained for ideas.

Lisa - It sounds as though you had a busy Sunday morning. I love days like that. I am a morning person, so I don't mind getting all my things out of the way in the morning and then resting in the afternoon.
How often do you get to have an 'emergency' meal? I am glad you are able to do something like that for Easter. I am afraid that I would see EVERY occasion as a need for an emergency meal. I just love my food too much. I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by though. It is amazing that you are already into week 4 of your program.

Brenda - The new bed sounds lovely. I hope it is comfortable. There is nothing worse than having to break in a new bed. My back isn't that keen on new beds.
The bellydancing sounds like a wonderful idea! I wish I was more into 'group' types of things, as I think bellydancing would be fun. I may look into getting a DVD on it to try it out. It is supposed to be great exercise.

Xena - It is amazing how some good weather can make you feel so much better. We are looking forward to a lovely warmer week here and I already feel better than I did last week when it was cool and damp.
I am glad you were able to get the capris. I loved buying clothes when I was losing weight, even if I didn't get to wear them for long, because it always made me feel better to wear a smaller size and people commented more when I wore something that was more fitted, instead of being baggy.

Carolyn - Your efforts in the garden sound fantastic. I wish I had more room for a vegetable patch. We have quite a small back yard and it is mostly paved. I have been thinking for a while that I may try to grow some things in very large pots, but I'm not sure how that would work. I love going to my mum's and having freshly grown tomatoes and oranges. I eat SO many vegetables, that I would imagine it would have to be cheaper in the long run, but I would need a LOT of pots to keep me in enough veggies.
I hope you had a lovely time in Pendleton. I love going to places with an interesting history like that. Western Australia is so 'young' that we don't really have too many places with much of a history.

Katt - You must be getting SO excited about the opening of your shop. It sounds like you will have a lovely assortment of goodies. I will have to send you a PM so I can look at your stocks. I would imagine it would be hard work setting everything up, but I am SO envious of you for being able to work for yourself. I am not really game enough to do something like that. I have been thinking lately that I would LOVE to work in a bookstore, particularly in the children's section, but I don't think I would ever be game enough to actually own my own store.

Michelle - I am glad Alex came out of his ordeal fine. I am sorry that DH is still awaiting results, but I still think that it is better that it is caught early, as there is a MUCH greater chance that they get it all. I know that I was scared silly when I was told that I had cancer, but the fact that the doctor could cut it all out was such a relief. Yes, there is the chance that it could grow back again (mine was a 'rare' type that does this) but she still says that she will be able to cut it out if it does grow back, so I am not as worried as I was at first. I truly hope that your hubby's results are great and you have your minds eased.

Oops... I'm not sure what happened to my 'quick' post. I just tend to get a little carried away.
Things were a little better at school towards the end of last week (after I did a LOT of crying on Wednesday afternoon/evening) and I had a good weekend (birthday shopping), but today the whinging started again. Still... only 2 more days with the kids, then one day of Professional Development, then just over two weeks off. Mum wants me to go and visit, but I'm not sure what I'll do about that yet, because I think I want a TOTAL break, but I know that she is lonely at the moment. I'll have to decide some time I suppose.

Sorry that I missed a lot of people, and WELCOME to all of the new people. I hope those who have been a little quiet (like me) are just too busy to post at the moment. I also hope that you all have a wonderful week.

Take care,

Zelma

good morning everyone!

Nothing new here other than the fact that I LOVE bellydancing~! :belly: OMG it is so fun and what a workout!!! my midsection is screaming at me this morning. I slept pretty well on my new bed. In fact slept in and now I am behind on the stuff I was "supposed" to do this morning. Now I just have to wake up hubby and get him moving. We are going walking at the track today or swimming. I havent decided yet. My sore muscles are telling me that a swim would be marv.

We arent only missing ammi, but where did annie and val go???

k, i have to run for now. I'll try to get back in a bit.
Brenda :wave:

G2L200 - How exciting that you've found a new exercise that you love! And bellydancing! It sounds so exotic. Congrats.

My weight has played **** on my knees and I miss miss miss walking for exercise so much. I do enjoy swimming, but in the winter that means a pool and that's not always easy to schedule.

Does anybody have any happy weight loss related knee improvement stories to share and give me hope?

Hello! I am alive! I think...it was a LONG weekend! I'm almost glad to be back at work where I can get some rest - almost!

I've been so rushed lately! My friend is finally almost completely moved. She really just has some boxes that can be moved by car and cleaning to do at her old place. I'll probably try to help with that tonight. We helped her on Friday and then I made and hung her bedroom curtains on Saturday and made her a shower for the clawfoot tub in the apt she's renting out of PVC pipe and a portable shower hose. Turned out really cute if I do say so myself, but consisted of climbing a ladder and balancing on the edge of her tub (something I couldn't have done a couple of years ago) and working over my head for hours and my sholders are screaming! Then I did yard work when I got home, including digging up hostas to give to a friend, planting my new honeysuckle vines and mowing the horribly overgrown yard and hand-pulling weeds!

Definately got my work-out yesterday. Good thing, since I overslept an hour this morning and missed the elliptical, although I fully intended to get up and do it! I was so late I didn't even get to do the park and walk 1/2 mile I usually do when the weather is right.

I'm committed to getting back on track this month! I HAVE to start getting up and on the elliptical in the mornings again and getting on that darn Bowflex in the evenings! And journalling! Wednesday is WI for me and I will log it and start again and journal every bite instead of trying to keep it in my head. Not the best time to start, as we're going to St. Louis for our anniversary this weekend and will NOT be eating OP....but maybe if I'm more conscious of it I'll do better than I would otherwise.

I hope you and yours are all doing well...I'm sorry for no replies, but I missed so much on the last thread it isn't really feasible. :hug: to you all and :wave: Hello!

Oh and Jilly - LOVE the ring!

metechic i had to get me a good knee wrap and wear that for several days before my knee got better... i also had to cut back just a tad on my treadmill till my knee got better.

I was able to start a mild workout this morning, though I can't do anything like stomach crunches or the like yet, because I am not even two weeks out from banding surgery. I'll have to check on that when I go to my appointment on Thursday for my check-up. In the interim, I am walking when I can. Some chilly weather is supposed to set in here around Thursday--ugh! Then again, weather tends to get rather goofy around here in early April, and it never fails to drop in temperature right before the Pirates home opener anyway.

I find that glucosomine and chondroitin supplements are great for the knees; I've taken them for awhile now--I call them my "knee grease." They really do help me move better, and I always recommend them to anyone with knee trouble, especially with pain and stiffness. The best thing is that they can be found at almost any vitamin or drug store.

Good morning/afternoon/evening!

Not much going on here. I just got back from walking and did about twice my usual amount - I finally dug out my MP3 player and loaded it with music last night, and I found that really helped with my stamina and willingness to keep going. 2.45 miles was my total. I'm cramping really bad today, took some Pamprin and amazingly, the exercise seemed to help, too.

Finally, after weeks and weeks, we got some rain yesterday! We certainly needed it and it helped wash some of the pollen away.

Now I have to go clean up the house, get my hair cut and figure out what I'm going to cook for supper tonight ...

Hope everyone has a great day! :)

Just popped in real quick. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day with doctor appts and Spring cleaning. I don't know when I'll be able to get on tomorrow but will try. Went out for my walk this morning and can back sneezing my head off ( it rained here yesterday and when anyone mows right after a rain I get the sneezes, watery eyed, running nose ). Today started some seed for the up and coming garden and planning out what to put in the flower bed out front. I think for my evening walk tonight I'll take my dog Lucky with me ( that is if she'll behave herself ) she loves to chase anything that blows in the wind. LOL


Well I did really good on Friday ( my daughters 8th birthday ) stayed true to my portions and I did have just tad bit bigger piece of her b-day cake ( made it with Splenda this time).

Well I'm out of here got more errands to run and a house to get ready to clean tomorrow.

voodoo, annie, ammi we are missing you guys on here!and misti where are you kenya?

Hi, I'm ok, just been busy! I've been reading everyone's posts but not had time to 'say' anything!
Jilly LOVELY RING!!
I'm worried about Ammi too, not seen her on MSN or had any emails.
I've been mowing the lawn & other gardening stuff over the wekend as well as walking round a cmplex of waterways & old train tracks, feeding ducks & enjoying the scenery.
I hope you're all doing well & happy.xxxxxxx
xxxxsharon

Just thought I would pop in to say hello. Thank you everyone for your welcoming messages yesterday. This is a wonderful place to come and post and I am looking forward in getting to know everyone. This is a really warm and caring atmosphere..thank you.

This is my start of week 3 being OP. I gained 4 pounds that was sooo undeserved. I just started exercising and my water hasn't been like it should so maybe that is why..I am giving it my 100% this week. I am thinking about checking curves out..I joined curves about 3 years ago and really liked it. I had to quit because they moved upstairs (no elevator) and my knees did not like the stairs at all!!! I broke my knee about a year and a half ago and now have arthritis in it..so with my weight, bad knee it sure doesn't like the stairs..I am hoping when I get down close to 400, my knee will warm up to the idea of stairs. I know with curves there will be a few machines I cannot do but last time they just had me do other exercises in place of those machines so that might be an idea. Like Bob from the Biggest Loser always says: Eat less, move more, hehe.

Well sorry for being so long winded..just a quick hello to you all and have a wonderful OP day!

Carrie

Hello everyone, Just thought I would introduce myself. Love this forum! I have been here since Wednesday reading my heart out, and love all the support here! My name is LeeLee, I am 24 yrs old and have just begun this journey in Feb, losing 20lbs. Since switching from 6 week body makeover to straight calorie counting on Wednesday Ive lost an additional 7lbs so Im really happy!

Anyway I just wanted to say hello, I feel like I know you all already from reading your posts :D

:wave: LeeLee

Afternoon chickies...

I have been OP for 7 weeks now and as I start week 8 of my journey, I did a bit of a backslide last night. I had dinner at Outback steakhouse with two girlfriends. I had steak (YUM) with green beans and a sweet potato (course my sweet potato at home is not topped with butter...naughty little thing that I am <g>). I ate slowly and enjoyed the food and stopped when I was truly full. My friends ordered dessert and I sampled a spoonful of my friend's apple cobbler and then put my spoon down. I had weighed myself yesterday AM and knew I was down 2 lbs for the week. Thankfully (for me mentally), I was still down this AM, and I am right back on plan today. This is a big accomplishment for me. Typically a minor speedbump like this would be enough to rationalize a week long binge or longer with all the guilt I can heap on it.

**HOWEVER**

This is for LIFE....not just until I reach my weight loss goals. I will have foods that I normally don't have and will have to deal with that. It was a lightbulb moment! So I enjoyed myself...and am back on track.

Just wanted to share that with you all....:hug:

Lisa-Boredom is a killer for me. I hope you survived the weekend.

Dreasam-I’ve always been an emerald kind of person, but I can’t stand to wear any ring that sticks up. I am very active with my hands, and I would be afraid of banging it into something. Diamonds are hard at least, but emeralds are actually kind of fragile. I made our rings, and it sure was a lot cheaper.

Mother of 3-I calorie count. I weigh and measure everything and write it down. It is the only thing that has ever worked long term for me because I have such a distorted view of portion sizes otherwise.

Wyllenn-there is a Latin grocery store here, and they grind their own flours. One that I absolutely love is black bean. It is basically ground up black beans, and I just add water, and put them through my tortilla press. Lots of protein and fiber, and they look cool too. They had some red stuff last time that I didn’t get to get a look at because someone grabbed the last sack ahead of me. I can’t wait to find out what in the world that is made out of. It could be a red bean, except they are basically white inside, maybe some kind of roasted red pepper or even yam I guess. Can’t wait to find out.

Brenda-I can’t wait to try belly dancing. It is on my list of things I’m going to do as a reward for a certain goal. There’s an import place down the street that sells all the fabric, and I already have my pattern ready to go, so it is just a matter of time.

MetaChick-I have a seriously nasty knee. I blew it out at 16 doing something really stupid, had the torn cartilage removed at 19. Was diagnosed with arthritis in it at 30 (actually on my birthday), and had more surgery right after that. They basically sucked out the old torn ligaments, no point in reconstructing them at that point, and then scraped the ends of the bones. I was told I would have to have that done every two years or so, and that I would eventually need to have the knee replaced. That happened to a lot of people who had the old surgery where they just cut out the torn cartilage. That was 15 years ago, and I have had no surgery since. I spent 8 years in a wheel chair because of my weight and a back injury, and when I began to walk again in November 2004, I was very much afraid that I would be in pain again, but I wasn’t. My back hurt, but not my knee. The doctor said that cartilage can regenerate in some people. I may have been off it long enough to have some healing. I know after my original surgery they had me do the exercise bike, because that was found to help. I firmly believe that water aerobics is the key. I can’t wait until I can get back in the pool. It should be sometime next month. I glory in being able to walk now. We don’t own a car, and I walk everywhere. I use a large expedition sized back pack to go to the grocery store on the bus. If my knee can hold my weight, and over 50 pounds of groceries on my back, it’s doing better than I could ever have hoped.

Lilion-Don’t forget to leave yourself some time to breath. You made me tired just reading what you’ve been doing.

Litchick-I don’t think I could get through with any of my exercise if it wasn’t for my mp3 player.

As for me, Today is opening day for the Yankees, so all is right with the world.

Hiya ladies - well I lost another pound this week so am pleased with that! Have set another exercise goal for this month too and started it off with the gym today, my new routine is really hard work tho so will take some getting used to!!

Ammi, Annie hope u are ok?

Em xx

It has been a busy day so far, so no time for personals.

I had as good a weekend as could be expected attending both a wake and a funeral. There were some awkward moments for me since I was closely connected to the grieving family (my step-mother’s father) but personally I didn’t know him very well (we only met a few times). It was good to meet a lot of her relatives and be introduced to people. My family was always really small, and when my dad got remarried all of a sudden it got a whole lot bigger because my stepmother has 5 brothers and a sister. I didn’t eat well at the reception though. The desserts were fantastic and the table I was sitting at had a whole tray of them, and I just kept picking at things. Ugh. Visiting my family is seriously bad for my diet. The one good thing was that I wore makeup both days and it made me feel really pretty. I definitely need to wear makeup more often.

The new thing is that my stepmother really wants me to consider living with her crazy aunt. The aunt lives about 10 miles from where I work in a 3-bedroom house. A few years ago, she was discovered to be living in squalor because she was living alone and slowly losing her eyesight. Since then my stepmother and her brothers have done a lot of work on the house and helped the aunt the best they can from afar, but want to she if they can get local help. I could live with her rent-free for keeping a basic eye on her and making sure she is ok. I have very mixed feelings about this, but I am willing to consider it. Of course those who have been around know the kind of trouble I got in the last time I tried to live with someone working in exchange for rent. But, before I even start to think about it one way or the other I will want to meet the aunt and see the house, so my parents are coming up for the weekend and we will go over there on Saturday. We also need to see how the aunt feels about all this. She very well may not want someone moving in with her, even though she really needs some help. I don’t want to go where I am not wanted.

Other than that I am very determined to get myself back on track as of today, and so far so good. I am heading to the gym in just a few minutes to get in my cardio and then I will probably stop at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some food for the week.

Sorry everyone! Jill and I both started new weekly threads this morning and I didn't notice until I came in a few minutes ago (Thanks for the heads up, Jill!).

Zelma -- Your post seems to be formatted okay (not anything I did)!

No time for more -- I am too busy today!

motherof3angels: The best tip I can give you is to remember that you know your children better than anyone else. You have been teaching them since they were born, so have faith in your ability to continue to teach them. Each of your children is a different person. What works for one will likely not work for everyone, so be patient with the fact that your three children will end up going three different directions. As you teach your sweet girl, let her teach her brothers. This is an awesome way to learn. I'm going to PM you with some more info, so I don't make everyone read everything I have to say.

Zelma: Thanks, I like to come up with innovative ideas to keep my kids from eating too much candy. The other thing I did was "buy" the candy I did give them, twenty-five cents for every 3 pieces so I could make up for the mistake of buying the bags. This way, they received it, but don't eat it all. We can then give away some and portion out the rest, we like to have a small piece of chocolate after dinner. Happy Birthday! in advance in case I forget later in the week (which I tend to do).

Jill: Oops, don't know what made me think it was your birthday, I think I was very sleepy. :D Ooh, Chipotle! That's what I had for lunch on Saturday AND Sunday! I went for the first time on Saturday and my Goodness that food was yummy and oh so healthy. Just a little on the HUGE side for portion, but a silver bullet cut in half makes an excellent meal (or shared with a man, wink wink). I love your homemade Bol idea, I should try that, too! May I have your copycat recipe?!?! You can PM it to me!

Lilion: You definitely got your work-out! Definitely a feeling of accomplishment doing all that, huh?

Leelee: Welcome to the list and Congratulations on your weight loss!

Torister: On my plan, what you did last night would have been perfectly OP! That's what I love about my plan. But, I sympathize with backsliding. I've been struggling to stay OP. I'm rather addicted to sodas, candies, etc. These are all allowed for me, but in moderation and I've been having some trouble with moderation.

Catherine: That's actually part of the reason why my hub and I have never gotten "real" rings. I'm far too finicky about my rings because I smack my hands on everything. I decided to do bezel set jewels, but I just don't think I want to spend any money, really on jewelry. My hub and I paid $7 each for our rings. He lost a ton of weight after we got married (I wish I had!) and had to get a new ring, I think that one cost us $12. He's gained weight again, so he's back to wearing the original one. He has his "thin" ring and his "fat" ring.

Emily: Congrats!

As for me, I'm up half a pound this week, which could be due to TOM. I've been snapping like crazy at everyone the last couple of days and I had some ugly pains last night, so I should start today, but I have PCOS, so sometimes I have all the PMS symptoms with no M. I haven't been eating my best, but I haven't been eating my worst, so I suspect my gain is due to TOM. Had lamb chops with salad for dinner last night (Yum!) and then sausage, eggs, and toast for breakfast. My breakfast could have used some more food groups, but we've been eating out so much recently, we had some stuff go bad and didn't realize.

Have a great rest of your day everyone!

Andrea

The Gazelle is here!

It was already assembled because it is pre-owned, but I did have to muscle it up to my second floor apartment. I was worried about the weight capacity, but it seems to hold me up just fine.

So much fun! I love it. I did ten minutes today to get used to it. Besides, today is my strength training day, not a cardio one. The only thing I noticed is that the computer's distance and time are not accurate. Burning 20 calories and only going 0.2 miles? Please.

I'm glad to hear people are doing well, and working each day, every day towards health.

Emily-Congratulations on the loss. I want one too!

Nancy-Not being there and knowing the people involved, or how the housing market is there, I would offer this advice. If you decide to take on this task, make sure your understanding of your responsibilities gets written. That way if people expect you to be responsible for things not in the agreement, you can show them a copy to end the argument. I would also take the money that you would normally be paying for rent and utilities, minus any extra money this living arrangement might cost you, and then put it in a savings account not to be touched, to be used as a down payment on a place of your own. If you look at it that way, as a part time job, then you will be less likely to feel used or put upon if things get difficult.

Sharvanne-the computer on my exercise bike has a way to set your weight on it to give an accurate calorie burn rate. How skinny was the person you bought it from?

Sharvanne--glad to hear you Gazelle holds you! I think we have this fear that if something says it holds upto X pounds, then it will collapse immediately under the weight of someone who is X+1 pounds. However, most htings can hold quite a bit more than what they claim since manufacturers have to err on the side of caution to cover their own butts against lawsuits. If 99% of their machines held 300 pounds safely, but only 95% of them held 350 safely, they'll put 300 as the max on the box :dizzy: So I'm sure you'll be just fine if it hasn't crumpled like a piece of aluminum foil with the first step ;)

dreasam--MAN, my fake Chipotle was good...hands down the BEST lunch I have ever made for myself at work! I'm having it again for lunch today plus sending it to work with Jeff for him to have it for lunch! It does take me some weekend/evening prep time, but it's worth it. Here's what I do: I loosely followed this recipe for my chicken marinade: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=chicken_recipe
Although that recipe was a bit too much work for me, so I used "chile pepper infused" macadamia nut oil instead of the chiles and the vegetable oil, and I just used some frozen chopped white onion instead of red.

I made the marinade, smeared it on the chicken breasts (it says to use 4 breasts, but I only had 3), marinated in the fridge for at least an hour, then tossed them on my Foreman grill and chopped them up once cooked. Then I made my black bean mixture by smashing up half of the beans with a fork (the ones at Chipotle are not just plain whole beans). I found a copycat recipe for their red beans, but it called for 1/2 cup bacon fat, so I nixed that. I drianed and rinsed the beans (since I used canned) and just put them (both mashed and whole) into a shallow pot on the stove and heated with some added chicken broth (maybe 2/3 cup to 2 cans of beans), onion flakes, cumin, a little crushed red pepper, and fat-free butter and let it all mix together. I also prepared ahead of time some brown rice (I would have added some lime juice and cilantro if I'd had any, but I just cooked it with chicken broth instead of water for some flavor), some guacamole (they have a copycat recipe on the site I mentioned for the chicken marinade, but I just used 2 avocados and a packet of guacamole seasoning and added some fat free sour cream), and some chopped romaine lettuce.

Come lunch time, I put rice, beans, and chicken in a bowl and microwaved for a minute, then added the salsa and nuked for another 30 seconds (since Chipotle's salsa is never "straight-out-of-the-fridge" cold :p ). Then I added some fat free shredded cheddar cheese, some lettuce, and some guacamole and mixed it up--oh, DIVINE!

Nancy--I think you're being very smart about the "living with the crazy aunt" situation. I think a lot of people would have jumped at the opportunity for free rent, but it's good to see you're really thinking it through. Oh, and I agree--wearing makeup makes me feel pretty, too ;)But I just don't have the time/patience to do it every day :dizzy:

emilymay--congrats on the -1!!

Catherine--a Yankess fan, eh? I grew up in CT, so you could pretty much guarantee a public brawl if you went anywhere and stated that you were either a Red Sox or a Yankees fan. I pretty much avoided professional sports, for my own safety :p

torister--MAN, 7 weeks perfectly on plan--I don't think I've EVER gone that long! I enjoy eating out way too much. And you didn't slip one bit--look at what you ate and how much! I'm sure it's a drastic improvement over what you would have ordered there 2 months ago.

LeeLee--welcome! :D

Carrie--you can ask anyone here if the scale is always nice or fair, and we'll all just roll our eyes :p That scale is NOT a measure of our success--it's a measure of how much water we're retaining, how our bodies change practically minute-to-minute...it's great to see you're not too upset about the undeserved gain, because there will be plenty more! BUT, as long as you KNOW it is undeserved, then it will catch up with you in the end. We seem to be able to easily focus on the handful of weeks we undeservingly gain while forgetting about the few weeks mixed in where we had HUGE losses. It will all even out for a general downward slope as we continue :)

I, too, have bad knees. I played softball from about first grade through some of high school. When I was maybe 17, I was on a women's league, and I got up to bat, hit it down the left line (as always), and started running to first, only to have my knee basically just give out on me. I collapsed halfway to the base, and I haven't really played softball since. I went to doctors who told me there was nothing they could do but give me a super-sexy bright blue spandex brace, which didn't help much. I went to physical therapy for a while, but thay also didn't help much. I just have to be careful and choose low-impact exercises--no running and no stair climbers. Instead, I LOVE using the elliptical--if only I could afford one for home :dizzy:

Yesterday was a good day for me. I didn't eat perfectly, but also not like it was the last time I'd ever eat in my life :p I think I hit a happy balance, and I will strive for that again today.

MAN, 7 weeks perfectly on plan--I don't think I've EVER gone that long! I enjoy eating out way too much. And you didn't slip one bit--look at what you ate and how much! I'm sure it's a drastic improvement over what you would have ordered there 2 months ago.


Jilly - :dizzy: I can't believe it has been this long. Time is flying!! I have eaten out 5 or 6 times over the past 7 weeks. I like eating out too. I just typically make healthier choices. No worries though. I am back on track. Oh...meant to tell you that I love your ring! I just love sapphires.

Dreasam - Everything I ate is OP for me too...just not the quantity I had as I am counting calories. I allow myself to have what I want basically. I certainly could have eaten my sweet potato without that huge chunk o'butter (I do that at home and love them), but I didn't. :D Difference now is that I went back to my more healthy eating yesterday. Any efforts previously would have sent me spiraling down. A pretty neat change for me.

Sharvanne - I wouldn't worry too much about the Gazelle. I bought my stationary exercise bike when I was weighing in the 340's and it is supposed to only hold 300 lbs. I have been using it for weeks now and I am not 300 lbs yet....YET!! ;)

Emily - Congrats on the weight loss. You are doing great.

Gotta get on my bike now...or I will have to ride after work...which is nearly impossible! :cool: Have a great day chickies!! :hug:

Heather - I am able to do bolding and paragraphs if I enter it directly into the response box, but if I copy and paste from Word it doesn't seem to like it. So for the moment, no colours and no copying and pasting. Hubby thinks that I may need to totally throw, then reload everything on my computer. That may be a holiday task.

You know, it's the funniest thing. Before I was banded, my whole attitude was different. I'd throw on the first thing I'd see when I'd open the closet door every morning (unless I was going somewhere remotely important), not even bother with makeup (unless again, I was going somewhere important), maybe shave my legs twice a week if I was lucky, not even plan a meal, but grab whatever I saw when I was hungry or just order out, and when I shopped for food, dumped whatever was on sale or whatever looked good into the cart (though I was already starting on vitamins and had already cut out red meat--go figure).

Since getting banded, though, it's a whole different story. I'm finding myself coordinating and laying out clothes the night before even if I am not planning on being anywhere the next day, putting on a little makeup (except when I have to clean, obviously) and shave on a daily basis, just for the heck of it if nothing else, reading labels when I shop for food ("energy bars" have anywhere from 13 to 18 grams of sugar! Forget those! Now I know where the so called energy comes from *snort*) and actually planning a meal now that I've reached the soft stage, and yes, even finding more fun and creative ways to exercise. It's amazing how one little thing banded around the stomach can change one's whole mind, isn't it?

What was even better was being told yesterday by a total stranger was "My, how pretty you look today!" But the best is going to be my overall health and feeling good about myself as a whole--and living longer!

Hey Good Morning Everyone!
Well after my husband successfully putting our car’s drive shaft and axle back together we took off for Pendleton. We are pretty adventurous folks, so we just packed up and went. We got there late late late on Saturday night. So, Sunday morning we went to check everything out and found out that the entire town was closed on Sunday AND Monday! After being only slightly miffed we headed back west and decided to hang out in Portland for our trip.

On the way we got to stop at Multnomah Falls, it is the second tallest waterfall in the U.S. It was gorgeous, it looked like fairies could just fly out from anywhere at anytime! This is what my daughters decided anyway. When we got to Portland we rented a two king bed suite at a hotel downtown. We could have just stayed there and the girls would have been happy with the trip! As long as there is a pool they are happy. But no, it got better.

We went downtown to find some dinner and I recognized this Greek restaurant called Greek Cuisina, from a batchelorette party I had set up many years back so we went there. It ended up being Family Night upstairs at the place. So they had a belly dancer and then the owner, who spoke very little English, decided Mike and I were the perfect candidates for three different dances! I had soooo much fun. Before the night was over we got to break plates too! We could not have asked for a better time for us or the girls. It was great.

We spent the whole next day at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, otherwise known as OMSI. It was so fun, we attended a planetarium show about the night sky of the Pacific Northwest, and an IMAX, surround theater, show about Hurricane Katrina and its effect on the wetlands of Louisiana. It was really cool. The kids, Mike and I had a great time. Mike even got to spend a little money and buy himself a telescope, he has been waiting for years to make the purchase and they were having a sale on them. So I pushed him to get the good one, you calibrate it using three stars, you don’t even have to know the names of them, then it figures out where it is in comparison. After that you tell it what you want to see and the motorized motor turns it to the part of the night sky it should be at! It is manual too, but the computerized part is really cool for him and the kids.

Anyway, thanks for listening, I am all jazzed that we had a good time. I felt adventurous again.

I just have to say too, that I may have only lost 20 pounds so far, but I was so easily convinced to get up and dance in front of the whole restaurant! I feel so good about myself and I don’t think I really noticed it until this weekend. My eating was pretty good. I only ate until I was hungry and I made good choices. It certainly was not diet food but I felt really good about portions and the like. So I am happy.

It was really good to come home and read all the new posts. I missed you guys!:hug:

So here are my personals!!

Carrie- Welcome to 3FC I can’t wait to get to know you!:welcome3:

Jill-that burrito bowl sounds yummy. Good for you for not binging. It is not worth the taste bud time. You just feel bad about yourself as soon as you are done. So GOOD JOB!:congrat:

Wyllen-I cannot believe we got that far on the March Ex. Thread! We rock soo hard!!! Yeah for all of us.:broc:

Zelma-Your formatting looks fine to me. Happy upcoming B-Day to you!!!! As far as Pendleton, well tiny towns, completely closed on the weekends, but we had a great time.
As far as the vegis are concerned, you should just go for it in the pots! My dad is a pro gardener so it runs in the blood for me. But it is easy as pie! We rent a house right now with HUGE garden beds that were here when we got here, but I do it all different ways. I do things with plants that other gardeners say will never work. I just figure, they are wild somewhere on the earth so it can’t be that hard. I seem to be right most of the time.
Containers are a great idea. Buy some big inexpensive black plastic pots. They keep the roots of the plants warmer overnight. Then buy the BEST organic potting soil you can find, in bulk. Then just buy plant starts. Most things from seed take a long time and won’t give you the satisfaction of seeing the immediate results of getting big. Let the pros start them from seed for you. You will be glad you did. You could just start with tomatoes and some sort of squash, if you like it. I think you would be surprised at how successful you would be. Just water more than they tell you to and you will do great.
If you ever need any advice, just let me know. I love the plants! Gardening can really relieve lots of stress too. I hope you are feeling better. I know my two weeks off have made my life a lot easier. And thanks for the compliment on my hard work. The garden already looks great, and spring just sprung around here!:broc: :carrot:

Brenda- Great for you with loving the belly dancing! :belly: We were at a Greek place this weekend that had a totally hot belly dancer, so there you go! You are on your way!

Lilion-Whew! You are crazed! Good job on the garden though, I think yard work is really great exercise, so you go girl. You are a really great friend for helping your buddy out like you did.:angel: You need a vacation, so have fun on your anniversary, you deserve it.

Lesley- Good for you with the music. I have a much easier time walking with music too. It does help. Good job. :bravo:

Linda P.- Good for you with the portions, I think that learning what real portions are has become one of my biggest accomplishments. :yay: I love the Splenda too!

Carrie-I love that you think that post was longwinded! I hope your knee feels better. If you can manage the stairs you should totally join the gym again. I think any motion toward activity and better eating for life is all good! You are doing great, just ignore the weight gain if your eating is on track. Remember that our big bodies really do not want to give up the ghost, so sometimes they hold on longer than we think they will. I remember when I quit smoking and found out that when you quit cigarettes your metabolism drops significantly for TWO MONTHS, no amount of exercise was helping me lose the last three pounds before a new goal. Two days after my 2 months was up, I lost 9 lbs! So, just stick with it. It will happen.:hug:

MissLeeLee-:wel3fc: Welcome to 3FC, congrats on your weight loss! How exciting and posting on here too…. A great week for you!

Peggy-It is moments like that the really do keep you on track. When you realize you can go out, live life and still eat well, or keep good portions. Great job!:carrot:

Catherine-I never would have taken you for a Yankees girl!;)

Emilymay-Great job on your loss!:carrot:

Nancy- :yoga: Really meditate hard on this one. I do not want to discourage you if you find this is something you really want to do, but it could end up being A LOT more work than you are bargaining for. It sounds like there could end up being some caretaking as well. That could pose problems. The cost of rent could be a lot cheaper in the long run. Keep us all updated!

Andrea-:hug: I am sorry you feel yucky. Hey, what is PCOS?

Sharvanne-I am glad your gazelle arrived and it works for you! Happy exercising.:ebike:

Well, I have been on here long enough. To anyone I may have missed sorry, but hooray for the new week!

I will talk to ya’ll later.!!!!:grouphug:

Just a vent...

My Boss just brought chocolate easter eggs in and dropped them on my desk. I used to keep a candy jar on it. Apparently I must want a whole bag of chocolate sitting within an arm's reach. :?:

Give me strength.....:dizzy:

I have a hilariously large chocolate stash in my desk (as opposed to ON my desk - heh heh). It's like this huge bag of 20 dollars worth of this and that chocolate. Kisses, mini caramel or peanut butter cups, icy squares etc. etc. Each day, I have as many as I want. Turns out that's just one, unless I pick chocolate covered almonds that day, and then it may be 3 or 4 for a snack or dessert.

The novelty feels like it's wearing off a little some days. Can you imagine chocolate (or whatever) having no special power ever again? I am beginning to be able to imagine it. And I love it.

The novelty feels like it's wearing off a little some days. Can you imagine chocolate (or whatever) having no special power ever again? I am beginning to be able to imagine it. And I love it.

That is great. I am however a chocoholic. I can stop at a taste of a cake or brownie, etc., but with the choco candy, there is no stopping at 1. It is a trigger food for me. Someday perhaps it will be better, but not yet.

Just did another 35 lengths swimming, my exercise goal this month is 1000 minutes so I'd better crack on!! I am doing more of my lengths as front crawl which I find really aerobic gets my heart pounding! I can feel the different the exercise has made to me body wise, its great :)

yay i heard from Ammi. she has had root canal work done so has been in pain and sleeping alot! plus limited online time so i thought i would pass the word on to the other 3fcs wondereing where she was.

dreasam: I know how you feel, I have PCOS aswell. :hug: Sharvanne: Congrats on the gazelle!!! How exciting! DJCJRun, what a great weekend, I'm sure what I am imagining those falls to look like is nothing to be compared with the real thing! Peggy, my goodness, someone is trying to test you today aren’t they! Metachick, I hope someday I can be in that place where I don’t ‘feel’ like eating chocolate!!! Like peggy I am also a chocoholic ;). EmilyMay, wow you are off to a great start with this months exercise goal!

Just a quick hello before I set off on my 2 miles on the treadmill, thanks a bunch for the warm welcome :)

Jill: Thank you, thank you, thank you! We're supposed to leave on vacation in a couple of days, so I probably won't make it until I come back, but thank you! I can't wait to make it and try it!

Peggy: I see, that makes sense. I don't calorie count or anything, just eat according to how hungry I am and how full I'm feeling as I eat. It sounded to me like you did a good job, stopped eating when you were full and had only one bite of dessert. That's what I do when I accidentally overeat before I get to dessert. I just have one wonderfully delicious bite and then have the rest for later. I love eating out sometimes because those huge portions they serve at restaurants will serve me at least 3 meals. Trouble is, by the time I get to the third meal, it's not necessarily tasty anymore. :(

MetaChick: What you're doing is similar to what I'm doing, it sounds like. Trying hard to listen to my body and break myself of bad habits.

DJCJRun: You had never been to Multnomah Falls?! They are beautiful, aren't they? I went for the first time when I was 14, was in Oregon visiting my father. I got to see them loads more times after I went to live with him a month later. I never get tired of Multnomah Falls. Sigh, just one of the items on the pretty short list of things in Oregon I miss. I never made it to the Greek Cuisina the entire time I lived in Portland. I was told I should go several times, but never had anyone to go with. :( I only went to OMSI the once, but it's fantastic, isn't it? It really sounds like you guys had a good time! Some days I miss Oregon and Portland, but it'll probably be a cold day in you know where before I ever go back.

PCOS is Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. It's characterized mainly by having cysts on the ovaries (which, to my knowledge, I haven't developed yet), but then also by a host of other symptoms. These include, insulin resistance, hirsutism, darkened skin under the arms and breasts, and most importantly, a lack of regular menses. I sometimes go amennorheic for months at a time, once for six months, and twice I've had to go through a course of progesterone to force menstruation. This is what causes my fun of going through PMS but then no M. I'm feeling rather normal today, not so cranky, no cramps, so I'm guessing I've had a ghost again. I can't remember the last time I had one, but I've never been very good at keeping track. It's probably been a couple months or so. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I think it was February. What's sad about PCOS is that it causes a woman to be overweight and have a difficult time losing weight. In addition to that, the hormone imbalance that is caused by carrying extra fat also exacerbates PCOS. It's a never-ending cycle! Anyway, I'm done with my rant.

As for me, I've still been doing pretty well. I'm still drinking sodas and doing some light binging on candy, which I know isn't good. We're supposed to leave on vacation on Friday, but we're waiting to hear on my husband's license. Some idiot had reported him to the Medical Advisory Board, said he couldn't drive because he was depressed, so they suspended his license until he had a complete psychological evaluation. Well, we've done that, gotten the bill of clear mental health and submitted the paperwork to the MAB. We're just waiting to hear back on his license so we can head out. We're hoping they've finished by Friday, we've got our vehicle reserved and everything, but I'm trying not to get my hopes too far up. We're very anxious to go.

When I go, I don't know how much time I'll be able to spend on this list, but every internet chance I get (which probably won't be much), I'll be updating my family blog. You can see it here: Dharma Family (http://www.dharmafamily.blogspot.com)

Andrea

Thanks for all the kind words. I apparently over-did it a little on the gazelle, or didn't stretch properly, because my calves have been really tight today. Almost cramping, but not quite. Please tell me it gets better.

I just got back from the Dr's office where I weigh int. I'm down a half a pound. Which I should be happy about, but considering I lost 8 last week? Oh well, I know from my Weight Watcher's days that this is par for the course.

I am awefully proud of myself. I went to the grocery store for salad fixings for lunches, and all I could think about was my biggest binge food: BBQ chips and onion dip. BUT I didn't even want it when I got there. I just picked up some toilet paper, veggies, english muffins, yogurt and crystal light and got out of there. This is big for me. I used to eat that crap at least twice, if not three times a week. And I mean a whole huge bag of chips and two containers of dip.

No wonder I felt so sick all the time! Anyway, I'm off to do some light weight training. See you all soon!

Jill-My father grew up in NYC, and he was a rabid Yankees fan from the time that they were called the Highlanders. When he was 13, he was going after a Babe Ruth foul ball, and he fell into the Yankee dugout. He was apparently on the roof of it. We used to listen to games together out in the garage on the radio when I was a kid. I still prefer listening to the games on the radio, and MLB.com has this program where I can listen to the Yankee radio broadcasters over the internet home or away games. It is the one thing I insisted on having up here in the frozen north to remind me of home. For my birthday I got a Yankee St. Patrick’s Day hat. When I lived in St. Pete, that was the one game I would allow myself to go to every year. Spring training games are lots cheaper. The one thing I remember most is how big the players are. On TV, because they are all the same size, you don’t realize how big they are. Spring training games are so much up close and personal, you get closer, and the buses let the visiting teams out right at the door, and they walk right by you. They are just huge, and I’m not exactly small, but felt like a dwarf. When I was reading your post I said something outloud about Red Sox’s, and my husband didn’t get it until I said it would be like someone from Edmonton marrying someone from Calgary. Then he got it. He said, “so if I had been a Red Sox fan, would you have married me?” I couldn’t answer.

DJCJ-don’t take 20 pounds too lightly, that’s 70,000 calories burned. Plus, it is just the first 20. I love Greek food. When we were in Banff, there’s a Greek restaurant there where one night a week they have the whole 9 yards, including breaking plates. They definitely have a zest for life.

Peggy-Visualize melting all those eggs in the microwave and then dumping it over your boss’s head. Just visualize, don’t do unless you have another job lined up. I was always the family dump. Stuff that people didn’t want anymore, but didn’t want to throw away, not just food, got dumped in my room. I guess normal people just assume that we are walking garbage disposals.

Ammi-Ouch! I remember having that, and I didn’t want to be online either. Get well soon.

Emily-My exercise goal took a major hit. It started snowing here again, and it set off some bursitis in my left shoulder, so situps ended up being excruciating. I’m counting the days until I can hit the pool.

Hi girls
had a mini meltdown today. I am in the ... habit of buying small bags of no sugar added chocolates. Unfortunately for me, it shows that I am still not ready for treats. I ate the whole bag today. Not all at once but still the whole bag (about 12).

On the bright side, I worked out again today. My friend came over and we did the biggest loser 2 workout. Its pretty intense at parts and I am sure that I burned most of the calories I overindulged in but it is hard to show a loss when u do stuff like that. I should know better. I was having a good week. I have to be a diet angel tomorrow because I need to weigh in on thursday this week instead of friday because the centre is closed due to good friday here.

Anyway, just got home from work and wanted to confess my sins before I head to bed. Have a great night...

Brenda :wave:

Whoa, jumping into this thread reminds me of trying to hitch a ride on a speeding train! Not that I actually know what that feels like, of course. :dizzy:

Anyway, I’m finally taking a few minutes to do some personals, as there are quite a few things I wanted to comment on before I forget or get even further behind!

Brenda, wow, I’m so impressed (and a little envious) that you went bellydancing. I wish I had the nerve to do that! I think bellydancing is so … sensual and exotic. Was it a class specifically for ‘plus-size’ women or was it a regular beginners class? Does the SF candy not give you an upset stomach? I’ve overindulged in that myself at times, but then I always pay for it afterwards. But at least you got in a good workout! I hope tomorrow is a better OP day for you.

Lilion, goodness, it sounds as though you’ve been a busy little chick lately! I find that I sometimes get more of a workout from doing things around the house than plain exercising, too. At least my aching bones and muscles think so!

LAnne, it sounds like you are healing nicely from your surgery! How wonderful that it’s given you some newfound pride in yourself – like the commercial says, you’re worth it!

Linda, sounds like you might be allergic to grass – have you ever been tested? I’ve never baked anything with Splenda before – does it have an aftertaste at all? Did the kiddies even suspect anything? I imagine not, especially if icing was involved!

Carrie, the scales can be so temperamental! It’s definitely frustrating, but try not to let it bother you too much. I know some women find it better to chart their progress by taking their measurements or just by how their clothes fit. Exercise will definitely help – I hope you can find something that is conducive to your knee situation.

LeeLee, welcome! I’m fairly new to this board as well, and am loving all the camaraderie and support I’ve found here. Truly a wonderful bunch! And congrats on the weight loss – I bet it feels good!

Peggy, that doesn’t sound like too much of a backslide to me. In fact, I’d say you stayed in control of the situation! Being aware of our choices and making conscious decisions is half the battle. And you’re right, this is for life – quite literally! I’m glad to hear you didn’t let your choices derail you into a true backslide. But oh, bad, bad, boss! Chocolate is my weakness, so it would be torture for me as well – perhaps someday I’ll be able to resist it, too, but for now, it must stay far, far away. Perhaps you can play early Easter Bunny and put some chocolates on everyone’s desk til it’s all gone? :bunny2:

Catherine, that red flour sounds so interesting! Be sure to let us know what it’s made of when you see it again (and what you make from it!). The MP3 player is definitely helping with my motivation – I feel like that woman in the water commercial who imagines all the Hollywood hotties staring after her, hahaha.

Nancy, it sounds as though you had quite an emotional weekend (isn’t it always when family is involved? Hah) and I’m glad to hear you’re back OP. As for the possibility of living with your stepmother’s aunt, well, that sounds like something you could quickly get in over your head with, or get more than you bargained for. But you seem like a smart gal and since you apparently have some prior experience in this area, I’m sure you’ll make the right decision for YOU.

Andrea, your Easter ideas sound marvy! I bet the kids got a real kick out of it – much more fun that just plain old candy. And I sympathize with your possible TOM weight gain – the same thing has happened to me! Not letting It bother me though and just keeping in mind that it’s temporary. Sometimes I think I may have PCOS but my periods are as regular as clockwork – still, I have my OB/GYN appointment next week so perhaps I’ll mention it just in case. PCOS sounds like a PITA! I’m sorry to hear you have it – is there any permanent treatment or will you always have it? I may have missed it, but where are you going on vacation?

Sharvanne, folks seem to love their Gazelles! Glad to hear you’re enjoying it so much. I sometimes think about getting some kind of workout equipment for our house just so I could do some exercising whenever I felt like it – especially when it’s cold or rainy outside! And good for you for resisting one of your temptations! It can be so hard to pass up that stuff in the store, but it’s easier to do it there than when it’s in our cupboards.

Jill, that recipe you posted sounds delicious! I may have to give it a try. And by the way, your ring is beautiful! My ‘right-hand ring’ has sapphires – don’t you just love the way they capture the light? Congratulations once again.

DJCJ, it sounds like you had a grand time! And the Greek restaurant – what fun! It is so good to let that adventurous side of ourselves come out, isn’t it? My only complaint is I don’t do it often enough! I’m glad to hear you made conscious choices about your food and feel good about your decisions – that’s so important.

MetaChick – wow, such willpower! I am in awe – if that bag was in my desk I would eat and eat until it was gone. Much better (for now at least) that I don’t put that temptation in my way. But kudos to you!

Emily, it sounds like you’re working hard! Swimming is such a great workout – it’s my favorite physical activity (well, second favorite :devil: ) but unfortunately I don’t have access to a pool nearby. I’m sure you’ll have no problem meeting your April exercise goal!

Toofat, thanks for the heads up about Ammi. Even as a new member of this board, I was missing her presence, so I’m glad to hear she’s (relatively) OK – root canals, ugh!

Myself, I’m having a pretty good week, considering I’ve been dealing with wicked cramps. Still managing to stay OP although I’ve been craving chocolate something bad! I do have an emergency bar of Ghirardelli dark chocolate in my freezer so I had a small square of that and that, along with SF pudding cups, has seemed to satisfy my cravings. I’m pretty proud of myself when it comes to that bar of chocolate, actually. It’s been in my freezer for at least two weeks and only has two squares (about ¼ of the bar) gone. Of course, it could be because it’s dark chocolate and not gooey sweet stuff that is my typical weakness. If it was chocolate cake in there, it’d be a different story entirely!

I also had a job interview today for a position at a local library. I worked at a library where we used to live and absolutely loved it, so I’m really hoping I get this, even though it’s only part-time. I bragged about this in the NSV thread, but I wore my standard interview suit (really the one decent outfit I have for that sort of thing) and the pants were too big - a nice little perk telling me I’m doing something right!

Well, I’m off to bed. Tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy day and since my niece is on spring break, we’re thinking about going to see that new Disney movie – has anyone seen it yet?

I just wanted to say a quick "hi" before off to bed, but to also thank you for the encouragement I have gotten already just from reading a few of your posts. I just signed up for this over the week end and can't wait to become actively involved. It's nice to know that I don't have to walk (eventually run lol) this journey alone. Thanks for providing a safe place to share with others that understand. Have a wonderful today everyone, I'll talk to you soon.

Hi everyone, I heard from Ammi too, it was such a relief, I was worried she had some delayed reaction to her mum's death & the surrounding events. Annie is also ok, she has family staying AND has been ill, Ammi sent me an email letting me know they are both ok, if being ill & having root canal work is ok, lol!!! At least they are getting better & being busy with their families.
I have been really struggling, but yesterday I turned a corner & got back TOTALLY OP, whew!!!!
I can't remember what else I wanted to say BUT Brenda, I'm just the same, it's better for me to just keep chocolates out of the house or buy stuff for my boys which doesn't tempt me!xxxxxx
Lisa, how's your liquid diet going? I hope you're doing better than me!xxxxxxx
LaAnne, how are you feeling now? I have thought about the surgery a few times, but in the UK it's very expensive and rarely done free on the NHS (the UK has a free health service, Drs, hospitals, consultants for everyone & anyone who wants/needs it) unless you are so overweight it seriously endangers your life. Did you have to drink special formulas at first? I bet you are excited abot your 'baby food' purees you get to eat now!! How long before you get to eat 'normal' foods & will you need to take vitamins for ever? Good luck with the healing & WTG on the make-up! Post some piccies!!!!xxxxx
Nancy, good luck with moving, whether it be with your Aunt or elsewhere, I hope you find a nice sunny spot where you can be happy and comfortable.xxxxx
Xena, how are your studies going?xxxxx
Mechelle, sorry about your hubby, though I bet there won't be any lasting damage. I'm glad your kitty is ok, animals & children being ill is so upsetting as they can't tell you how they feel & rely TOTALLY on us to makle sure they're well & happy. Give hubby lots of hugs & kisses, being careful with his wound!xxxxxxx
Well I have to go to the shops, to get a few bits and it gets me some walking in too, have a good day everyone & AVOID THOSE CHOCOLATE EGGS AT ALL COSTS!!!!lol A thought might be to donate any you have to local hospitals, care homes or schools to prevent any temptation!
Sandy, Valerie, Nightkatt.... WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?????xxxxxxx
xxxsharon

Morning gals

Just stopping in while I munch down breakfast. I have to work both jobs today and thinking about working out in between.

lesley~ yeah they bother my tummy.. sometimes that isnt a good enough reason not to eat them :lol: What bothers me the most is that I could have taken those 600 cal and used them somewhere else! Or better yet, not at all! The belly dancing class is just a beginner one. I have gotten in the mind frame that fat chicks have just as much right to do what they want as much as skinnies. I was hesitant for sure but once I got there... that was gone. There were other overweight gals as well as some ladies that were over 65. The main thing was that it was fun. Personally i think that is the BEST kind of exercise.

ok, I have to run for now. Will try to stop in b4 I head to work tonight.
Brenda :wave:

Hey all! Just a quick pop-in. I shouldn't be here at all - I'm SO late getting started at work! Helped my friend move - more - last night. Tonight is the last time I will ever have to go to her old house! I swear! I'm so tired of moving this woman, no matter how much I love her! Ran to the mall after to buy DS b-day gift - it's Thurs. and he'll be 12 and we aren't even getting him a cake! :( I feel like such a bad mom! We've just been so busy! But we did get him a cell phone, which he's been begging for for YEARS now and we've always turned him down flat. We'll be doing Olive Garden for dinner - his favorite place to eat, so I'll have them put a candle in his cheesecake.... still feel like such a bad mom!

Ate VERY badly last night. Pizza from Sbarro. That's what you get when you eat at the mall and it's the only place open at 9 p.m. and you haven't eaten since noon! Overslept and skipped work out again.... :stress: But Friday we kennel our pups and head to St. Louis for our anniversary. Relief and stress-free weekend! Can't wait.

And since we've completely managed to forget it was going to be Easter, no candy around the house!

Must run... :grouphug:

[B]Lillion[/B- At least you got some good exercise in. I moved to the area I'm in now in 2000 for University. I met my spouse and we like it so much here, we decided to stay. In that time, I've moved 7 times.

No more until we buy a house!

Hi all,

I already weight trained this morning. I am feeling pretty good about jumping back on the horse after my weekend. I did input all of my food from the weekend though. I am proud to say that I never went over my maintenance calorie level, for my goal weight that is! I am so proud of my good choices. I think I am starting to really get it.

MissLeeLee- The falls sure are spectacular, they are right there on the side of the road, you really don’t have to do much walking to see them, although we did hike up. Truly incredible.

Andrea- I know, I know. I have probably driven by those falls literally one hundred times! It took having kids before I was really interested in sight seeing. They are impressive. I am sending you my Greek Cuisina vibes so that you have some. I am sorry that you missed it, it was crazy fun! You know how those Greeks are, now I only say that because I am Italian, and I certainly know how those Italians are. So no offense to you Greek folks out there!
Thanks for telling me about PCOS. I knew someone that had it years ago but never heard the acronym. :hug: My heart goes out to you and all who have it. Like we need our mensus to be any harder or more daunting than it already is. And if I had ANOTHER hurdle to jump with losing weight, I don’t know if I could do it.
On a lighter note, I hope your vacation gets off the ground and you have a great time. Oh, and I certainly hope you make it up our way again someday, The Greek Cuisina will be waiting!

Sharvanne- You rocked it out at the store, here’s the carrot jig for ya’:carrot:

Catherine- Yeah, I guess you are right about the 20 pounds, I should be proud and it is just the start. Thanks.
Oh yeah, a comment about the ‘give it to the fat chick, she’ll eat it’ thing. Lord! I thought I was the only one. People just bring stuff over constantly. Just this morning, my workout buddy of all people offered my kids a whole box of crappy corn dogs. I said no thank you of course, but this is someone I am sharing my workout strategies with. My kids are in no position to be eating corn dogs either and she knows it! When will wonders ever cease?

Brenda- At least you have switched to no sugar choco’s. Just get up and dust off and you’ll do better next time.

Lesley- Thanks, we did have a great time. Yeah, everyday life hits me sometimes and I realize I am not some crazy mountain climber or something. Not that that was ever on the table. :lol: But with my upbringing I certainly thought I would have the opportunity to have more fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life and everyone in it. It just makes you feel good to get out of it sometimes.

It sounds like you are making some great choices too! Pants that are too big are better than a scale loss any day as far as I am concerned. Great Job!!!!! :carrot: With the chocolate too- you are rockin’ it out!!! You deserve a little chocolate when you are cramping, that is actually my only treat, and only when I am in mensus or right before. Gotta love those happy hormones!

NewGrammie- :welcome: Welcome to 3fc, you could not have picked a nicer group.

Lillion-Once again, Whew! I hope you get to sleep this weekend! You are a great mom. No worries.

Okay, personals done. I am trying and succeeding pretty well on keeping up. I really enjoy being a part of this group, so thanks to everyone just for being here. I have lots to do today and won’t be on until late tomorrow, I have to get the kids ready to go back to school on Monday. So I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Love ya’

Carolyn

I see the doctor tomorrow for my first post-op appointment; it will be exactly two weeks since my surgery. I'm advanced to soft food already!

I even tried on some jeans I hadn't worn in months because I couldn't get them past my thighs, and today, I not only got them on, they fit perfectly!

Still, I feel like I ate a full Easter dinner on half a Lean Cuisine! LOL. Who thought that would ever happen?:dizzy:

EDIT: HOLY COW! I just got the statement from the hospital today for the total cost of my surgery, including hospital and medical costs, and all I can say is, thank goodness for insurance! The surgery itself was reasonable--$9,362.00--but the whole tab came for the 24 hour stay came to $26, 084.10!

Just a quick hello right now, I had my weekly weigh in today, and I'm down 6 pounds! Very encouraging!! I hope everyone else is having a great day :)

Brenda-I sometimes wonder if I will ever be ready to have treats. Everytime I do, I not only go nuts, it throws me off for days afterward. My body chemistry just seems to be forever altered.

Lesley-I tried to keep things frozen in the freezer, but I just ended up almost breaking a tooth on something I had to have right then.

NewGrammie-Welcome, and dive right in.

Sharon-Thanks for letting us know about Annie and Ammi. I was really worried about them. I have actually put off necessary grocery shopping just to avoid looking at all the chocolate.

Lillion-You are not a bad mom. At his age, making a big deal out of his birthday might have actually been a bummer for him. It sounds like you had a grown-up night with him, and a cell phone, well that is worth some serious mileage. Have fun on your anniversary. Himself took me to the Fairmount in Banff for ours, but he had finagled the trip by giving a speech, so trade-offs.

DJCJ-I’ve had workout partners do that too. I think it is a subconscious sabotage because there is always some inherent competitiveness involved in having a buddy. OMG corn dogs. The only decent corn dogs are the ones you get at the state fair that have been in the fryer long enough to crackle. If you’re going to blow it on something, might as well make it worth while.

LEELEE-That’s 6 pounds you never have to see again. Congrats.

NewGrammie: Welcome to the list! We look forward to hearing more from you.

Leelee: Congratulations on that loss!

Carolyn: Thanks for those vibes. We'll probably go back someday, my husband's mother's family is in Oregon and we can't completely ignore them (though we'd like to try). Honestly though, his mother is getting a little better in her tumored brain, so if she passes before she comes down here (which she says she'll do in about 2 years), we'll probably go up for her funeral. Also, the kids' bio-maternal grandparents are up there, they're coming down to see the kids this year, but we may have to go up in a couple years, just to be fair. My hub will be going up solo to drive a friend down next year, one of his friends will be migrating to Austin, for now, the kids and I are avoiding the concept.

Lesley: Which new Disney movie? Yes, PCOA is a PITA!! I would definitely ask your OB/Gyn about it. It can be difficult to diagnose and there isn't really a catch-all treatment, but it can help you feel more sane to know that it's not just your willpower or lack thereof. I didn't start gaining any excess weight whatsoever until I hit puberty at around 11. I struggled for many years, in denial about my weight. The biggest problem that I had was that while I knew I didn't make the best food choices, I never had and didn't understand why there was a difference in my weight.

In fact, when I was a kid, the only thing my doctors ever really worried about was how little I weighed. When I was 10, I weighed 52 pounds, then by the time I was at my 11th birthday, I weighed 84 and I jumped 30 pounds per year like that for several years. Also, I was a highly active child and when they started diagnosing kids with ADHD, I was accused of having it. My mother told them no way, she'd seen me sit and read for hours at a shot, something an ADHD kid wouldn't do. Her theory was that I sat still so long reading that I just had burts of energy to burn off to make up for it.

With all the weight gain and surrounding emotional struggle, I did start overeating. Even then, I didn't realize I was overeating. I had "normal" portions, you know, Big Mac, super-size fries, super-size drink. Then, one day I realized that those weren't "normal" portions and that was my problem. Of course now, I've been so used to eating that way that the struggle is retraining myself. I'm definitely much better, I only once every few months get so crazy that I eat that much food and I always feel like I need to vomit after. I still eat too much, however and that's my problem.

Ah yes, vacation. I'm not sure I did mention it. Well, most of my family lives in PA, so first, we're going to drive there and spend a few days there with them. Then, most of my husband's family is in NH, so we're going to head over there next and see them for a few days to a week. Then, we'll drop south and see NYC, none of us have ever been to the city itself, only been through upstate. Then we'll drop into see DC and an aunt I have in MD, near DC. After that, we'll take as leisurely a drive as possible through the states in between there and TX to come home. We'll be gone at least 3 weeks, though we'd like to take longer.

As for eating, I'm doing much better. I ate every single meal at home yesterday, in fact, I didn't even leave the house all day, it felt good. We hard-boiled some eggs for Easter (never did get around to decorating them) and then my girls said they were going to make egg salad. They asked us to get mayonnaise (we don't keep any in the house) and they went on about how they had made it several times before. I (stupidly) assumed they knew what they were doing, so I bought mayonnaise with the groceries on Monday. Then, they set to make the egg salad and turns out what they thought was egg salad was hard-boiled eggs mashed up with mayonnaised mixed in. Turns out that's what their mother made. The woman has an unnatural attraction to mayonnaise, puts it in everything. Yuck!! I had to go in and rescue their "egg salad." I pulled up a recipe cause I wasn't sure we had everything to go in. Turns out I was right, but we managed to flavor it well enough with our well stocked spice cupboard.

So, I had an "egg salad" sandwich for breakfast and lunch yesterday, nice and well proportioned. Then, my husband made dinner and we had baked ziti, garlic bread, and fruit for dessert. Our veggies had wilted because we had been eating out and I didn't think to get more when we went shopping on Monday. I finished off the last of my portion of easter candy yesterday, so I don't have that around to tempt me anymore. I had a scrambled egg and half a bagel for breakfast this am, so far so good.

We're getting our house cleaning done today in case we do leave on Friday, we want our house to be in order so we don't come home to a stinking mess. I got a head start on it last night by giving my tub a good hard scrubbing. I noticed that noone in my house knows what a clean tub should look like, sadly not even my husband of 9 years. There was months of accumulated grime and in the end, I couldn't even get it all off. Today, my legs and butt muscles hurt from all the physical work of being balanced on my knees to scrub the tub. While I was at it, I scrubbed everything else in the bathroom and then I showed my family what a clean tub looks like. I also toured them into our main bathroom to look at that tub as well so they could see the difference. They all said, "Yuck!" I told them I was going to sit on my butt today and watch them clean, but that will never work, if I sit down all day, so will my husband, then nothing will ever get done (except for the kids' work). So, buh-bye, I gots to go do housework.

Andrea

Just a quick post. It is my 45th birthday today, and unless I put on a LOT of weight in the next 12 or so hours, I will have reached my original goal, which was...

"To have maintained a 'healthy' weight for 12 months by my 45th birthday."

I started my journey at the beginning of 2001, when I was 41, so that wasn't a bad goal to be making way back then. I had NO idea of how quickly the weight would go, but I suppose it was realistic for me in the long run. I have put on a few pounds since losing the first amount, but I am most definitely still a 'healthy' weight, and I am lighter, fitter and healthier than I have been for most of my adult life, so I am happy.

Now, off to work for a day of (supposedly hard and boring) Professional Development. I will try to post more later.

Take care,

Zelma

Hi ladies
Its been a few days since i posted, i have been extremely busy. just wanted to pop in and say hi:)
I am proud to say that my wt loss competition is over at work, and my team came in 3rd:) out of 50 teams, i am happy. we won some prizes and a gift card. anyway, my journey is far from over, but this was a good jump start. i havent weighed this week yet, but i will before the end of the week. Welcome to all the posters i havent said hi too, congratulations to all the losers:) Happy Birthday Zelma, you look fantastic!!
well i need to go excersise, i will definetly be back more this week:)
Take Care:)

Zelma -- Boy, that's the best 45th birthday gift!!! CONGRATS!!! :D

I will hopefully have a great 50th gift 8+ years from now. Before I started this journey, at 39 1/2, I thought "I want to be fitter when I'm 50 than I am when I turn 40." I lost a bunch of weight between 39.5 and 40, but I think I CAN meet that goal! I think I weighed in the 230s, and had only just started light weight training when I turned 40.

Zelma, Happy Birthday.... I hope you had a WONDERFUL day !!
Bren aka "NewGrammie"

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZELMA*** I hope you have a fantastic day & hubby spoils you rotten with presents!xxxxxxxx
Nothing much to report here, my tummy is in a lot of pain, I've taken some fibre stuff AND laxatives but nothing much is happening, sorry if that's TMI, lol. I get weighed tomorrow & according to my scales I've lost nothing!!!! I feel really upset, I've made the effort to keep active, doing heavy, hard jobs in the garden Steve usually does and I've been busy doing stuff round the house whilst everyone eats lunch & diner. Sorry to be so down, I'm sure the scales have to move, after all I'm only consuming just over 500 cals per day!!!(it is a VLCD under doctor's supervision and contains everything I need to stay healthy)
I hope you're all doing well, staying active & being happy.
xxxxxsharon
ps Lisa, how are youi doing?

Sharon - sorry that the scales aren't budging, u are doing so well with not eating normal food and being active, I'm not sure I could do it. Maybe u will be suprised at the official weigh in? hope so.

Lee lee - well done on your weight loss thats amazing

Kymberely - you have done amazingly well - good for you you deserve first place in my book!!

Zelma - Happy birthday well done on all you have acheived and I hope you are feeling alittle better now.

I have just done another gym session, this one took 70 mins, its so hard it really is but the feel good factor afterwards is worth the effort!!

I found out today that I have passed another assignment, I only have 16 weeks left to complete for my registered adult nurse qualification, I can't beleive I have nearly done it and all being heavy too just goes to show you that things can still be done even with the burden of extra weight, so don't let it hold you back!!

Sandy, Ammi, Annie, lots of love to you girls xx

Good Morning Ladies!:coffee:

I'M BACK!!!:D

I can't believe how speedy this thread is...I feel like I have missed about a month's worth instead of a week! We had an awesome time with my parents...Florida is so beautiful and relaxing.:beach: I can't wait until my hubby's retirement comes through (LONG story) and we can move down there. As a matter of fact, it is frigging snowing here right now!! Just enough to taunt me that I was in 82 degree's yesterday, while it is 40 degrees here now. And of course there is no chance of keeping up my tan for when school starts again next Wedsday!!:p
Despite all the off point eating (Krispy Kreme...yummmmmmmm...all the ones here have been shut down, thank goodness) I was doing 30 mins of pool walking a day, sometimes 2x a day...and according to my scale this AM, I am down a pound!!! I am not really going to count it other than in my head because my next official WI is not until next Thursday. But it still makes me happy though!:cb:
I don't really have time for personals today, but I want to send a big
:welcome3:
to all the new members...I hope you love it here as much as I do and get the support, laughter, and sometimes tears that you need!

Have a great OP day!:cheer2:
Donna

PS-Zelma:bday2you:!!!!

Happy Birthday Zelma!!!!!!!

:celebrate: Happy Birthday Zelma!!! :celebrate:


It has been a really busy week for me, plus I have been really exhausted in the evening. I don't know if I am fighting something off (a cold or something), but I have really been wiped out. Hopefully tonight I will get a bit of a break and be able to catch up with some things including personals.

I totally overate last night after two solid days of being on plan. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory, and while I feel I made good choices (Thai lettuce wrap appetizer and jerk shrimp dish), I really overate. I don't know if it goes with the exhausted feeling, but I was SO HUNGRY. It is just so frustrating because I feel like I take one step forward and then one step back. Needless to say I was actually up another pound this morning for my weigh in, but I think it is from all the salt last night so I am allowing myself a do-over for Saturday morning. It will be a tough weekend for eating out as my parents are coming up Saturday afternoon and we will have dinner somewhere and then also go out for breakfast on Sunday morning.

I have been having trouble with my knees this week (since last Thursday) and the elliptical has been trickier than usual. I have been trying to up my cardio back to an hour on days I don’t do weights, but the knees haven’t been cooperating. I had switched shoes from wearing sneakers all the time to an actual Oxford shoe, and maybe that is the problem. I have switched back to the sneakers for now to see if that helps at all.

Hi guys
Just got back from my weigh in. I maintained this week. I had expected a gain considering for the past 2 days all I have really ingested was sodium. I am feeling... unwell I guess is the word. No appetite, no flu bug but man I am awful. I left work early last night and took tonight off as well. Hopefully after a long weekend I will feel more like a normal human being. I know my weight is down but because of the lovely boxed chicken noodle soup that I have been eating, the scale didnt budge. So I am having some blueberries and some yogurt and bran buds cereal. Then I am off to bed till hubby comes home. Maybe by then I will feel more like eating.

Have a great day!
Brenda :wave:

Happy Birthday Zelma Hope You Have A Great Day!

Zelma- Happy Birthday (a day late!). I checked out your site, and just wanted to say how inspirational your pictures are. It's a truly unbelievable transformation. Congratulations.

For everybody else who commented on my chocolate stash - I hope I can convey just how much it's NOT willpower at work there. I am trying this new tack precisely because I've ultimately failed at every diet I've tried over the past 27 years. I've had great periods of success over exhilerating months of weight loss only to do a slow fade back into my old ways. I've had plans that were working implode forever in one unexpected moment with a flat out binge that was at once a profound dissapointment and a sweet relief. I've lost hundreds and hundreds of pounds on diets. In the end, I dieted myself up to 400 pounds - a number that still stuns and humbles me even though it's 70 pounds or so in the rear view mirror.

I quit a 10 year pack a day smoking habit cold turkey 16 years ago on my second try. I have been strong in many difficult situations in my life, and accomplished things that require focus and commitment. I have demonstrated poise and restraint in situations that have brought others in a similar place to their knees. In short, like all of us, I have all kinds of dependable discipline and grit outside of my relationship with food. Despite this evidence, for 27 years, I thought every diet failure resulted from some fatal flaw inside me, some gross deficit of character and 'will power'.

The ideas of a woman named Sheryl Canter who runs a website and support group espousing the principles of 'normal' eating invited me to think a little differently about this. She says "People don't eat compulsively because they're insane or masochistic or lack self-control. People eat compulsively because it fills important needs that they don't know how else to fill. It's not reasonable to expect to be able to give up something that's filling key needs for you. That's why diets don't work - you can't just decide to live without having your needs met. The pressure from internal distress eventually causes you to fill the needs in the only way you know how - eating."

I will be 40 this year, and I think it's been 35 or so years since I've used food mostly for fuel. I've used it for many other things, and that has left food and the act of eating shot through with emotion and guilt and loss and failure. In reality food is just food. It's just fuel. Outside of it's nutritional value, it's not bad or good. It's just food.

Almost without exception, we are born with the inate ability to know when we are hungry and to stop when we don't need any more food - like babies and animals. Because I started using food for reasons other than fuel when I was just 5 years old (and perhaps earlier) I completely lost this as any kind of a compass for guiding what went into my body. Normal or intuitive eating is designed to get people back in touch with their inherent 'body wisdom'. It guides you through a process that strips food of all it's meaning and associations and power outside of it's value as fuel for your body.

So my chocolate stash is working for me. When chocolate is just chocolate, and I have a heck of a lot of it, I can serenely assure myself that I can have as much as I want of it without judgement now or in 10 minutes or in two hours or tomorrow, and I will listen hard and learn to hear the happy whispers of the physical mechanisms designed to regulate my food intake again. My body never ever wanted an entire bag of Hershey's kisses, or two huge bags of chips and 4 containers of dip, or an entire box of 24 Turtles, or enough McDonalds food to feed three men. Some other need was making those requests.

A funny thing happened when I took the time to mindfully and slowly savour a single Hershey's Kiss without a drop of guilt or self judgement. I realized that as delicious as it was I neither needed or desperately wanted another one right then. There was no need to wolf down a whole bag because there was lots and I could have another one again later or tommorrow when a touch of sweet would go nicely with a meal or a snack.

I'm just taking baby steps right now, experimenting with different hunger and satiation levels over time and really, really trying to listen to my body. I don't log calories, I log hunger and try to observe how my body feels when I chose one food over another or one amount over another. I don't deprive myself of anything and there are no foods that are off limit. Portion control flows naturally. I don't eat when I'm not phsycially hungry, and I ensure that I have a lot of food choices around so I never feel deprived and I can positively respond to various cravings. I feel zero guilt when I almost always choose a snack of crackers and cream cheese over fruit and veggies for example. It makes sense that I am gravitating to calorie dense foods because a very large body has a much higher demand for energy than a smaller one.

It is a grand experiment, and I'm only about 7 weeks into it. I lost almost 50 pounds on a diet in the late fall and early winter, and blew it and binged 10 pounds back in the early weeks of 2007. I've lost about 30 since mid February as I begin to try to learn how to eat normally. The whole approach needs to be proven over time. Will it continue to show results on the scale? Will it continue to keep compulsive eating out of my life? Will it lead over time to solid nutritional choices almost all the time as my physiological needs evolve as my body evolves? Time will tell, but I've very excited about this for me.

I am a passionate cheerleader with deep admiration for those who diet successfully on he great feelings that come with accomplishment and solid nutrition alone, but in learning to develop compassion for myself I've acknowledged that the history of my relationship with food means I need to take another path. It's a great leap of faith to trust the body that looks like it's betrayed me so deeply, but it's exciting and empowering as well.

I just got back from my first post-op appointment...all good news! I am on the soft food phase for only two weeks then it is automatically onto the solid food phase. NO MUSHY STUFF FOR ME...imagine that; I actually get to skip a phase! I am also scheduled for my first lap band adjustment on May 7. As of today I have passed the 30 pound mark, 32 to be exact. I thought some of my clothes I hadn't worn in awhile were fitting differently! I certainly feel a lot better; that I know for sure.

Happy Birthday Zelma.

Sharon-I think you’ve lost weight, you just haven’t “lost” it yet.

Emily-you are so close to finishing, that I’ll bet you just can’t wait, but can’t believe it at the same time.

Donna-I used to live 2 blocks from the beach in St. Pete. I’ll bet it is really lovely there now. We have about half a foot of snow on the ground, and I need to go shovel. Of course, we don’t have hurricanes here.

Nancy-The feeling of hunger and fatigue are so close together, that was probably the reason for the overeating.

Brenda-Sodium is just a killer isn’t it.

DJCJRun said: “I just have to say too, that I may have only lost 20 pounds so far, but I was so easily convinced to get up and dance in front of the whole restaurant! I feel so good about myself…”
***FANTABULOSO! Isn’t it GREAT???! I vaguely remember that feeling. When I read something like that, it encourages me so much to continue on this mission myself. Thank you for sharing your joy and enthusiasm!

ZELMA, I hope the last of your schooldays before the holiday are going smoothly. You give so much to so many, to us, to your students, your family, and others you encourage and inspire. I’m sure I’m just one of many, many people who wish they could help, but at the least, we’re glad to listen and send you cyber-hugs! You’re a brilliant teacher. Even in my riding lesson plans, I think of things you’ve said or ideas you’ve shared, and that’s the kind of teacher I want to be. I know you’ll be back on top of your game in time, and I’m glad you’re taking steps in that direction, with Neil there as well.

PEGGY – I feel your chocolate pain – I have the central desk in my department, and guess where everyone thinks the chocolate supply should be? I’ve fought back by buying the candy and filling the jar myself – with rootbeer barrels or lemon drops or something else that I can actually pass up. Chocolate is a killer! – Hey, GREAT job on loosing that 40 pounds! Awesome!

Thanks much to Annie, Sharon and other who’ve missed me. It means a lot! I’ve been riding a lot, and even when I’m not on a horse, I’m coaching, cleaning or something around the barn. It’s, like 25 degrees out today tho – the SNOW hasn’t melted yet – UGH! So I may skip it tonight. I’m having a laundry, kiss-the-dogs, hunt for a job on-line kind of day.

There’ve been at least 4 gold finches (or something like that) out at the feeder all day. Spring must be coming!

I’ll keep trying to get back here. I find that the more promises I make, the more I fail at. So I”ll just say that I’ll TRY HARDER! Weight has been holding steady, but it really is time to start making progress again!!!

Hugs, everybody!

Hi Everyone! I've been so busy at work this week, that I just haven't had a chance to post. Today was weigh in day and this week, I lost 3.4 pounds for a total 4 week weight loss of 18.3 pounds. I am excited that I am continuing to make progress, but I am a little concerned because my amount of weight lost per week is continually going down - 6 to 5 to 4 to 3. The doctors say that women on this liquid diet lose an average of 2-3 pounds per week. I hope I don't go any lower than that.

So far, I've stayed on the program pretty consistently, although I snagged a few potato chips today. I'm really going to be challenged this next week because I have to go out of town on business. It will be very difficult to stay on the liquids, particularly since everyone will be eating out and will want me to go. I talked with my support group today and they gave me some tips. I know I can do it if I just set my mind to it, but I am going to be bombarded with food, and I just don't want to have to face that. It will be hard.

Anyway, I'm preparing and thinking of ways that I can stay on the liquids during the trip.

Sharon - 500 calories per day????? OMG!!!! That seems really low. I am on 800. I wonder if your body is fighting back because you are on such a low calorie intake. I'm sorry you have been feeling bad, and I'm even sorrier that you are not losing weight this week. I know that must be so frustrating. It is hard enough to be on liquids, but to do that and not lose weight is hard to take. I'm sure it is a temporary thing. I don't know how much you have lost so far, but maybe you are at a mini plateau. From what I understand, that is common. DON'T GIVE UP!!!!! You'll do fine. Just stick with it.

Well - Hope everyone is doing well. I've gotten totally behind on reading the posts this week, so forgive me for not sending personal notes. I may be out of touch a lot of next week too, but I'll try to pop in when time permits.

Take care, everyone!

Lisa

Hi everyone! I finally lost another pound. :carrot: My body seems to do things in spurts and jerks instead of consistently, so I am going to say goodbye to that pound forever. As Catherine would say, another pound I will never have to see again!

Really this thread is on fire, but I guess they all are. Everything here is great.

I am swamped, in a good way, helping my daughter’s 7th grade class get ready for their Wizard of Oz play. It has been really fun. We got permission to rummage through a local high school costume room, me and the teacher had way too good of a time with that!

I just wanted to download some mushy feelings I have been having lately about weight loss and my kids. This time around I feel I have a whole new attitude toward weight loss. Really, truly, healthy. I have changed not only my eating habits and all of the food in our home, but my kids habits too. The change around here is incredible. My girls are all slimming down sooooo fast!

They are kids, so it is a much more natural transition for them, and with those kid metabolisms, whew, they are rockin’ it. Their food choices have improved and they seem almost relieved not to have to eat high fat foods all of the time. We have always eaten from all of the food groups. In fact our downfall was that I was raised in a family with two chefs, both of whom believed everything was better with cream and butter. Needless to say they are both VERY overweight. Anyway, my point is that I have simplified the food we do eat. Our fridge looks very different and so do my kids. I am soooo happy.

Well, thanks for listening to my rant. I just feel so positive today and a lot of the credit goes to ya’ll. Thanks for being here everyday.:grouphug:

Now for some personals!

LAnne- Wow that is a lot of money, but well worth it if you feel great about it! Congratulations are in order! More weight loss, good for you!:carrot: :carrot:

MissLeeLee- Six carrots dancing a jig for your six pound lighter self! Congrats.:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Catherine- Hear, hear! Those corn dogs at the state fair do rock pretty hard. You are so right about making the cheats worth it though. I have been trying to do that as of late. It works pretty good. But honestly, I have kept it down to a minimum, I really don’t think my willpower is up for a true test yet.

As far as the competition thing, wow I thought I was the only one who noticed that. I am inherently NOT that way. Growing up, my brother, my only sibling, was so competitive it really put me off from that stuff. Now, as an adult woman I realize that it is second nature to a lot of people. Really sort of frustrating for me. I am a natural supporter of others so it really surprised me when I finally came to the conclusion that most folks were out for themselves. Anyway, enough with my silly rant! At least we have this group, all support no BS!

Andrea- Your post had me laughing, there are definitely parts of my family I would ignore if I could!:D I can understand your lack of desire to make a drive from Oregon down to Austin. Most of that drive just isn’t very pretty. I have heard wonderful things about Austin though. I heard the greenway on the river is incredible.

Your vacation plans sound amazing. I thought Iwas the only one who had kids that could handle a car ride like that. Good for you. Your tub story had me laughing out loud!:rofl: I like the idea of touring the family through the bathroom after, and the comparison bathroom, you are a super genius!

Zelma-:bday2you: :hb: Wow, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You deserve the best day, with or without your goals. Even better with them though.

Kymberly- Congrats. 3rd place out of 50! That is great.:woo:

Sharon- I hope your belly starts feeling better and your scale starts treating you better. You are doing great, just stick with it and it WILL pay off.:hug:

Emilymay- Congrats on your professional goals being met. You are doing incredible. Your exercise routine is outstanding too. You should be very proud of yourself. You go girl!:carrot:

Donna- Wow Florida, it sounds so nice to have a little tan! I am glad you had a good time. A little time off can make everyday life seem a lot easier. Welcome back.:beach:

Nancy- I am sending you some strength and love for everything you are dealing with. Just do your best and give yourself a break. Make the best choices you can and love who you are. Except for that bum knee, I hope it feels better soon. I can relate, if I wear some odd, but always attractive, pair of shoes, my feet completely rebel for a whole day! Hang in there, this too shall pass.:dust:

Branda- Sorry to hear you are feeling bad. Sleep, sleep and more sleep if you can manage it. Get well soon.:getwell:

MetaChick- It sounds like you have the zeal and zest to give intuitive eating a great healthy try. Good luck to you and keep us all informed of how you are doing with that.

Valerie- Thanks! It is moments like that, when you don’t care what you look like because you feel soo darned good that keep me going too. I need every one of those moments that I can get!;)

Lisa- Great to hear from you! Congrats on your 3.4, it sounds like the liquids are working their magic. You just hang tough this weekend. You can do it!:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Well, I am off to the school for some more Oz fittings. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful day, no matter what the scale says!
:sunny: :flow2: :grouphug:
Carolyn

DJCJ-We only had one chef in the family, but I often describe it as the all bacon grease Okie diet. I’ve actually had a lot of fun learning to make the same things in a much “cleaner” manner. I thought I had gone too far with the baked hush puppies, but they ended up tasting better than the fried ones. I watched a lot of Kathleen Dalhman’s show, and something she said really stuck with me. It was to put your fat right on top where you can really taste it, and make it a quality fat. A few slivers of a really good parmesan cheese tastes better than half a can of the pre-grinded mystery cheese, or one really good truffle tastes better and is more filling than a pound of M&M’s. I have eaten stuff before where I couldn’t hardly taste what I was eating. I just kept eating. If I eat something that has intense flavors, I “taste” it, and it is so much more filling.

Lisa-just do your best while you are gone. These are the kinds of things that make sticking to a certain kind of diet so hard. We want to be able to eat like normal people.

Valerie-I have some snow up here just in case you run out too soon.

Hi guys
Feeling better today although we managed to get a computer virus. Myaybe I was having sympathy pains :lol: I have been cleaning like crazy today. My inlaws are coming on Sunday for the day and staying for dinner. I'm cooking although I have no idea what but I do know that it will be diet friendly. His dad is diabetic so they are used to healthy cooking. Other than that, no much is new. Going to finish cleaning and completing the last scan on my pc. Everytime I think it is gone, it comes back... If I disappear for a few days, you'll know why!

Brenda :wave:

Have been to the beach today for a glorious day out with kids and hubby, took a picnic and instead of focusing on food as I would have, focused on how much walking we could get done, did 2 hours of beach walking which was hard work! We are all sunkissed and shattered now! Tomorrow off to see my grandparents, so I have just baked a cake, victoria sandwich a piece of which I shall enjoy, guilt free, tomorrow! The sun is shining and to be so out in nature and see the sea and sky etc was just wonderful :) Hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend xx

First full day on actual F-O-O-D! OK, it is the softer stuff, but it beats Jell-O and strained creamed soup any day:lol: This morning, it was scrambled Egg Beaters and a small bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, two ounces of tuna and egg salad and a banana for lunch, and some fat free Fig Newtons for a light snack. I'll probably have more of the tuna for dinner or maybe do a cottage cheese salad. Phew...thank goodness this is only for two weeks. LOL.

CATHERINE – Gee thanks for the ‘more snow’ offer, um, but, no thanks! I can’t believe this stuff is still coming outa the sky!!!

LANNE – I’m a little behind since I’ve been gone, but I take it that you’ve been doing a 2 week liquid diet, by choice not because of illness? I’m sure it’s a great jump start to boosting your weight loss. Are you following a specific plan/menu and could you tell me where you got it? I’d be interested in looking at something like that. I’m one who doesn’t do too well with little changes. Something drastic, all-or-nothing, to get me started, then modifying from there, works better for me. Also, I LOVE my juicer and would like to put it back to work again. ***EDIT: Oh, I just checked out your link - I get it now!!!

Doing good today – Work was absolute heck, but other than that, I haven’t blown my eating for the day (but it’s only 3pm); the girl I work with is talking like she may take a job where she used to work, which would leave a full-time position open for me <BG>; I just got my internet bill reduced from $40/mo to $15 a month; and DH just said something about splitting the tax refund – which is great, cuz the silly accountant filed us joint this year, so I wasn’t expecting to see any of it. Now, if TOM would just get this ax out of my lower back (and the temperature would go up 35-40 degrees) everything would be splendid! (Some people are never happy ;) )

not a good day today food wise... i will be back on track sat! hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Easter

:egg: Greetings my favorite:angel: chickies!!! Happy Easter:easter2: Had a nice long post....and you know the drill...POOF! It is out in space somewhere.:easter:


:bday2you: Zelma dearest!:celebrate: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!:gift: I HOPE YOU MADE A FEW NICE MEMORY :balloons: , SO YOU CAN CALL ON THEM IN HARDER TIMES.:woo: YOU DESERVE GREAT RAYS OF SUNSHINE MY DEAR. :bday2: HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY.:hb:




Jilly: :yay: I love your ring,:congrat: Congrats hun. :wizard: Funny thing, my ring is custom and I have a round center diamond and a saphire on each side. saphire is my birthstone but I also wanted them because it is set in white gold and I wanted a touch of color. :lucky: I hope your marrige is a happy and full as mine has been.:dancer: Mine truely is so blessed that it is a safe wish to send you..lol..:hug: much love and happiness to both of you.



Well ladies,:sunny: I made a new years rule for myself to weigh only 3 or more days after TOM leaves every month with no peeking in between. so far its been great for me. I weighed in today and.:woohoo: .....I'm down 12 more pounds..:broc: .YEAHHH.:cheers:



:celebrate: Congrats:cheer: to everyone losers,:kickbutt: strugglers, maintainers and just plain lovely ladies every one. :goodluck: Hope you all have a nice and happy weekend.:dust:

ive been busy reading thru all these threads they are great =] i had a plateau in feb/march...and this week i happily had my 3rd out of 4 losses in a row...and a nice healthy 4.8 pounds i lost which was really pleasing. i basically follow the weight watchers points plan, have bought new cooking books lately some low fat ones and been busy doing lots of healthy cooking. My aim this week is to exercise everyday. When i get home from work today (yes working easter saturday - it should be outlawed) i am going to do the 1 mile walk on the walk away the pounds dvd. I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend ;)

congratulations everyone on the lossess!

Catherine- I know what you mean. Not only have I been learning to make food that used to be full of fat, well, not so fat, but I have also had to learn to enjoy simple foods. I love to eat, and well, I love to cook. Now if I was a terrible cook I might not be in the predicament I am today!!!! Ha Ha Ha! It has really taken a lot to like just plain ol' food. I am getting there. Funny enough apples have become one of my favorite foods. I suppose it used to be pie, oh how I did love to make, bake and eat pie. I guess things have changed in the right direction.


Happy Easter Everyone!!!!!
:easter3: :bunny2: :easter: :easter2: :egg: :bunny: :easter2: :easter2: :easter3: :bunny2: :bunny: :easter: :egg:
I hope you all have a great weekend, don't eat too many chocolate eggs! I will be decorating boiled eggs like crazy tonight. The girls love to do it. They all still pretty much believe in the Easter Bunny. I am lucky, my girls want to believe in that stuff, so we have fun keeping all the goodies out of sight! Then it's a huge surprise for them on Easter. We always have fun. Even in the rain, which is what we get here this year. I guess it is better than egg hunting in the snow! Off to walk with a buddy. Have a great weekend everyone!
:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Good Afternoon Ladies!:flow1:

Just want to stop in and say :wave: and to :welcome3: all the new people!
This is a great place to come to be inspired or just to vent if you need to!

I am back from vacation and back OP. It is weird that when you are not in your own environement, it is SOOOOOO hard to stay on track. I am really trying to keep my head together, but we are still home until Wedsnesday, and my kids just wont stay out of the kitchen!!!:dizzy: Which of course means everytime they are eating something I want something too. Power of suggestion,I guess. Or maybe even Pavlov's dog??:rofl: I must get to the supermarket to get some healthy stuff.

I do have a challenge tomorrow...my SIL decided that we should go to a fancy Easter Buffet at one of the catering halls here...besides being expensive as heck, it is going to be 2 hrs of pure eating.:yikes: I am on WW, so I am saving all my extra points for it. I just hope I can be strong not to go nuts, but at this point even if I do, Monday is another day.

Well laundry calls...
Have a great OP day!:cheer2:
Donna

VALERIE!!!! YAY!! I'm so pleased that you are ok. I'm SO jealous of you riding a lot, how's Gabriel doing? Have you got a canter out of your other horse yet? lolxxxxxx
I've FINALLY got into some jeans I wore 6 years ago, or so & they were skin-tight & only fit for a couple of weeks before they were too tight! They fit fine now!!!! Also I'm the lightest I've been for ***TEN YEARS!!!!***Another 10lbs or so & I'll be lighter than when I met Steve!!!
It's really made me realise how good this plan is & to stick to it PROPERLY!!
Have a great EASTER week-endxxx
xxxsharon

Sharon - :congrat: on being your lightest weight in 10 years. As for the scale not moving the way you thought it would, you also mentioned you were constipated. That can make a big difference. Sorry if that is TMI. I bet if you are patient you will find you have lost weight after your body rights itself. Thanks for asking about my studies. My calculus class is going really well. It helps I have a crush on my teacher. :love: It makes attending class a treat! Anyway, I have been doing really well on my tests and have another one coming up this Tuesday.

MetaChick - I don't think I have "met" you since I've been posting so sporadically but I wanted to thank you for your last post. I agree with much of what you said in it about intuitive eating and having compassion for yourself. I recommitted to weightloss on 12/26/06 and I just knew I was going to be perfect from then on. Guess what? I wasn't! But what I am finding is that I am immensley more patient and kind to myself when I stray. Occasionally I will feel those old mean self-deprecating thoughts come to my mind but I quickly banish them telling myself, "It's OK not to be perfect." Weight is coming off more slowly that it has in the past when I've been able to force myself to be a perfect WW'er but that is OK because I am learning to be nice to myself this time. :)

Catherine - I used to love to watch Kathleen Dahlman on Food Network! Have they taken her show off the air? I haven't noticed it being on in quite some time.

Zelma - Happy Birthday and congratulations on meeting your 45th birthday goal! :congrat: You continue to be a major inspiration on this board. Losing it is one thing and it's hard enough, but maintaining your loss is an whole other echelon of success! Good for you.

Well, I haven't updated myself in a while because our term started 2 weeks ago, and I've been pedal to the metal the whole time.

I've been holding steady with weight and might even have a loss for Monday (well, we'll see how the weekend works out), but I'm having some knee problems! :(

Back at my high weight, my right knee used to hurt all the time when I went up and down stairs. It seemed to be better for a while, but starting twinging a couple of months ago. Then, I had to change up my routine at the gym, as it hurt to do leg presses and the full motion of squats. My trainer started talking about orthopedics... Now it's started to just ache more and more, and still twinge when I do something it doesn't like. So, I've decided it's time to toddle off and get xrays and see what's up.

I'm not liking this aging process much, but I just keep thinking how much worse it might be if I hadn't lost a lot of weight...

hi ladies
Just wanted to wish everyone a great weekend and a Happy Easter! Congratulations to all the losers:) I am doing fine, just working alot this week, but next week i will have some time off. i need to weigh myself for the week. some of us who did the "biggest loser" contest at work have decided to continue on with a contest(of sorts) on our own. i think knowing that every week i HAVE to weigh in really made me xtra committed. i am very close to being under 200lbs, i hope it happens soon:)
Have a great night and Happy Easter!

Hi Everyone!

I had a mixed day today. I woke up with a crushing headache this morning and was down for the count for most of the day. I had made plans to go out with a friend tonight, so I made myself go do it. I felt better once I got out. We went to dinner at a Cajun restaurant. She got regular food and I had my packaged soup and a plate of lettuce with vinegar on it. It was the best lettuce I think I have ever tasted. Anyway, I was really good and wasn't particularly bothered by what my friend was eating, so I guess that's progress.

Tomorrow, I'm going to my aunt's for Easter dinner. I am going to get a chicken and lettuce salad (which I am allowed to have once a week, but haven't done so yet) and I'll eat that while everyone else pigs out on fattening food. My brother and his little girls will be in town too (today is his 39th birthday) so we'll be celebrating Easter and his birthday. I made the girls big Easter baskets with tons of candy and chocolate in them. If anyone had seen me shopping and seen what was in my basket (all candy!!!) they would have certainly thought I fell off the wagon. Nevertheless, I didn't have one bite, so I was a good girl.

Hope everyone is doing well. Talk to you later and Happy Easter!

Lisa

Having a lovely easter time, and very proud that I have just been to the gym!! Felt that I deserved a gold star for doing that on Easter Sunday. Its our anniversary next week! Very exciting, and the first time where I will have not gained weight in a year for a long time. LAst night hubby and I ate half an egg each which was so yummy, but I am not going to eat any today not because of any rules other than I just would rather eat proper food! Am doing a turkey dinner for 7 of us should be yum!!

Congrats to Sharon and Lisa for keeping on track without food, I have always thought that is a sensible way to do things in a way, instead of trying to be measured jus take food out of the equation for a while, I might give it a go in the future as it comes off me at a snails pace, regardless of exercise etc....

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter

x

Hey girls ---

Sorry that I've not checked in yet this month, I've had a few issues.


I had one day that my knee kinda blew out. I just about could not walk. the day before it my muscels under my left arm were killing me. (My knee was on the same side too!)

Then the day after the knee pain, I woke up and couldn't more in the bed. I had a pinched nerve in my back. I had to wait three days to see if it was just some real tightness in my back and finally went on to the dr.

I'm a little behind on my minutes. At 30/350 because of all that crap, but I am going to have to work my butt of even more!

I jumped on the bandwagon with blogspot too, www.greennym.blogspot.com. so check me out if you want to.

I've missed you girls! Where is Ammi?

Good Morning Ladies!:coffee:

:easter2: :egg: :bunny2: :easter3: :easter: :easter2:

:bunny: Sharon: WOW! You are doing amazing:encore: ...I have about 100 lbs before I can say I was thinner than when I had my first child almost 18 years ago!(May10) Add another 20lbs and then I was thinner than when I met Doug. You have given me something to think about.:chin:

:bunny: Kymberly: I am also doing my program at work, and I feel that there is a little extra pressure to "do well", but I also think that fear is a great motivator!:rofl: I know it makes me work harder...must be a competitive thing.

:bunny: Heather: Sorry to hear about your knee. I think a Dr.'s visit is the smart thing to do!:hug:

:bunny: Emily: You are an exercising machine!!:lifter:

:bunny: Lisa: I am so proud of you and your willpower! You are doing awesome!:cp:

I have a big fancy shmancy buffet to go to this afternoon, thanks to my SIL. :queen::rolleyes:
I hope I can keep my focus, but at $51.00 a person, :faint: I feel I am wasting the money if I don't eat!

I hope everyone has a great OP day!:cheer2:

Donna, lol, I've about 60lbs to get to the weight I ws before having my eldest child, he's 20!!!!The other two are from my second marriage, lol. I wasn't SLIM or NORMAL sized then either, so don't worry, it will be a good while before I'm in 12/14s, if ever.xxxx
Emilymay, WOWEEE on going to the gym, I've been gardening instead of doing formal exercise but once the boys are back in school/nursery I will get my dvds out & try some new exercises.xxxxx
Erica, sorry you've been in pain, I hope it gets right soonxxxxx
Heather sorry you've been in pain too, though just think how bad it would be if you hadn't LOST 100lbs!!!! I hope it's nothing serious & get better soon.xxxxx
Ohhh Xena, tell me more, lol. What does he look like? If it helps you get god/fab marks it has to be good!xxxxxx
Lisa, VINEGAR???!!!!! on lettuce??? ick! Though I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!! I had a small steak burger today when we had a bbq, it was prime steak, onion & sundried tomatoes, mmmm.... NO BREAD THOUGH, lol! I felt pretty good, running after everyone, getting everything sorted I didn't have time to think I was missing out. I hope the trip goes well, food & enjoyment-wise.xxxx
Well, I'm off to put the last bits away & fetch my washing in from the line, I hope you ALL have a FAB EASTER & don't eat too many eggs!
xxxxsharon
ps ANOTHER NSV, my sister came to the bbq & noticed I'd lost weight, she saids 'I can REALLY tell you're losing weight!' Wooohooo!! makes it all worthwhile!! Even foregoing booze!

:easter2:


Good morning everyone. I hope you are all having a lovely Easter morning. I don't really have any plans today as most of my family lives far away. That's OK, I need to study for the calculus test I have on Tuesday. Not much exciting for me to report....wish there was. :lol:


Heather - Hope there's nothing too serious wrong with your knee. Keep us posted what you find out. I've got tricky knees myself. It all actually started back when I was skinny (160ish) and was doing step aerobics on a daily basis. But now with all this weight I can hear them make crunchy noises when I walk up stairs. Lunges and squats are out of the question. Anyway, I hope the doc has an easy fix for your sore knees.

futurediva - I don't think I'd ever noticed your ticker before and that you have lost over 100 pounds. That is such an accomplishment!!! Way to go. I am always so encouraged when I see folks with large losses. Makes me think that it is possible!

Lisa - Now that is what I all willpower being able to go out to a restaurant and not be tempted. I know I would have caved in for sure! Way to go! :broc: (just had to use the dancing broccoli...never noticed that one before!)

LookingforHope - Ouchie, a pinched nerve doesn't sound like much fun. How did it happen? Hope you feel better soon.

MamaB - Good luck at that buffet. I don't envy you the temptation!

Sharon - That must have been a great boost that your sister noticed you are getting thinner. Yay! :carrot: As for my teacher, he's a bit off the wall and at first really annoyed me. But after a few classes he started growing on me. He's just so funny and I think that is what has caused the attraction. He's OK-looking. He's got dark hair and eyes which I love. He's Middle Eastern (I think he's Iranian based on things he says but am not totally sure). Anyway, he actually has a small pot belly and a bald spot on the back of his head so I don't think it's his looks that are doing it for me. It's his humor. He really makes us all laugh in class and that just does it for me I guess. Love is blind and all that. ;)


Well, I am off to study. Everyone stay out of the chocolate eggs! ;)

Heather i feel for you i know about the knee problems thats for sure. mine will be great for awhile then go back to hurting.

Happy Easter Chickies.

I have been MIA for the last few days. Just trying to get ready for going out of town for the next week. I leave early tommorrow AM.

I did WI this AM and I am down 3 lbs. I took hubby out to lunch today since I am "abandoning" him ;) for my annual girls trip. We went to Applebee's and I had a delicious meal from their weight watchers menu and was quite full. Good practice for this week too!!

Stay well everyone. I will check in when I get home next Sunday.

Hi there
I'm having a crappy day with eating today. I only had sf chocolate but lots of it. I had decent meals but I just cant seem to get away from the chocolate. I want to toss it but the cheapo in my wont. :lol:

I am starting back on my cleanse tomorrow. Only the stuff I am allowed. I need to detox again. Anyhow, it stormed like a bugger all night last night and today. Will update more tomorrow. Right now all I want to do is put on my jammies and relax. I have the whole house cleaned and cooked turkey dinner for steve's mom and dad. Anyhow, talk to you tomorrow.

Brenda :wave:

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope everyone had a good day with family and friends. I unfortunately had kind of a rough day. I had to arrange to get my grandmother to and from Easter dinner. I love my grandmother more than anything, but she is 87 and in a wheel chair and it is very strenuous (both mentally and physically) to have to deal with her. Anyway, all my family knows how hard I have been working on this diet, and that I have lost 18 pounds in four weeks. My Dad and my grandmother said I looked like I had lost weight but no one else in the family said anything. The most that they said was "I hear you are on a diet!" What really hurt was that my brother (who has been following my weight loss progress religiously) didn't say one word. It hurt my feelings so bad. I guess that I am so overweight that 18 pounds doesn't really show too much yet, but I was really hoping that people would notice, especially Joe!. Anyway, it was also really hard with everyone eating chips and dips and ham and cake while I couldn't have any of it. I ate my emergency meal (chicken and lettuce) which was very good considering that I have only had powdered soup for the last month. But the more I watched everyone eat, the more ticked off I got. At the end of the night, I just wanted to leave, but I still had to take my grandmother home and I wasn't in the mood for that. Anyway, after I dropped her off, I cried all the way home. This is so hard!!!!! This is the first big gathering with a lot of food that I have gone to. Maybe things will get easier. I'll just have to get used to it, because I'll be on liquids for at least another 6 months. I think I just hit my breaking point today.

Sorry to be such a downer! Just needed to vent! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday.

Sharon - WTG on being at your lowest weight and fitting into those jeans! I know that makes you feel so good and it is fabulous that your sister noticed your weight loss. Keep up the good work!!!!

I'm leaving town tomorrow night and will be gone until Thursday, so I won't have access to 3FC. I'll check in when I get back.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Lisa

Lisa -- I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad day, but We know your progress and you are doing great!

STOP!!! It's a new week and it's time for a new thread.

Please join us at 300+ and Ready to Try Again Weekly Thread #1101