Weight Watchers - New to WW and lovin' it

Hi everyone....
Last Thurs. night I attended my first WW meeting and have successfully been on the Points system for three whole days now, and I'm lovin it. I can't get over how full I feel. It's almost like I can eat all day long, and not feel guilty about it. I've been able to bank atleast 2 points every day....and love the challenge of finding low point snacks to eat. I'm looking for some fun-loving people to post here frequently....I work at home, so I'm online alot, and would love others to share my journey with....the more the merrier.
I weighed in Thurs at 220lbs....and so my 10% goal is 22 lbs which I'm hoping to get by my bday on May 1st....
My ultimate goal is 160 lbs....but one thing at a time.
So as a beginner to all of this I'm open for any little tidbits of info you have to throw my way....let's trade some secret tips and be "losers" together.
Looking forward to hearing from anyone and everyone...
Michelle

I love your name:D
You will find that Weight Watchers is the best!! It will teach you lifelong lessons on nutrition. Surf this site and some of the others, talked about here. They will be an invaluable source of information. Other than this one I check out:
www.dwlz.com they have a great resturant quide and
www.bootcampbuddies.com a tough love support group

Good luck on your journey.
quilting lady

Congratulations on joining Weight Watchers. I joined on January 7th 2002 and I weighed 247.5. At my weigh in tonight - I am 226.2. I will meet my 10% hopefully next Monday night.

I am blown away by how great this program is working for me. I just love it. I also love all the support I have found on the internet.

I would like to be buddies. Please add me to your buddy list if you like.

Good luck and hope to hear from you.

Amy

Quilting Lady and Amy,
Thanks for the reply....well it's day four, and I haven't cheated yet...a new record for me. But I feel like I'm eating all day long, and I'm really satisfied. My scale has gone into hiding, I vowed only to weigh in at WW and not to sneak a peek...I want to be surprised. Finding more and more ways to get inventive with my snacking and low point items....let's trade snack ideas some time.
Amy, I added you to the buddy list, and you go girl!!! I can't believe your results, that's great!!!
Quilting Lady....what can I say, I'm a fellow quilter. Addicted from the start.
Well I'd better go, but I look forward to hearing from you again, or anyone else who needs a good diet buddy.
Love,
Michelle
mritzert@hotmail.com

Hello all
We'll I'm a 3rd time WW joiner & this time it's going to work.
Amy you are doing great, or you just following points, or getting in lots of exercise?

Welcome Patty....my diet buddy is a third time WW joiner also...and like you, she says that this is the time. She always had to go alone before, and now we have each other, so far so good.
I'll leave a messege later when I have more time.
Michelle

Yes, I am doing great. Thanks for the compliment. I got my second compliment from a co-worker who wasn't aware that I am attending WW. it is nice to hear those comments!

I am attending meetings and following the program to a T. It is really clicking this time around. I guess there is a time for everything and now must be my time for weight loss.

I have more to lose than ever before and I can use all of the help I can get.

Are you attending meetings? What are your challenges. I am opposed to exercise so I am struggling with that.

Welcome aboard.

Amy:^:

Hey everyone,
I'm really curious as to what everyone's day as far as menus are like....how are you filling your points....I usually start my day with a bowl of Cherrios and skim milk or Light Toast with Light rasp jam...and a yogurt.
And dinner is usually a tuna or turkey sand with lett and tomato, some vegetable like asparagus, broccoli, or spinich, and a cup of some fruit...been eating alot of honeydew and cantalaupe lately....and then supper is more flexible....just depends...one night all I had for supper was baked chips and fat free refried beans....I doubled the servings and figured the points.....it was filling and worth it though.
And I have yet to get through a day without eating a skinny cow...yummy. I have to have snacks....just can't live without them....So as I said, I'm curious...what is everyone else eating?
Let me know
Michelle:dizzy:

hi Michelle,
I saw your post and thought I would let you know what all I have been eating on WW. I started about 5 weks ago at 212 and am now 199, and I will say I have not been always TOTALLY on points, I guess I am trying to say i have a tendency to cheat. But I exercise a lot!
Anyway, I like to have more points in the evening so I don't get hungry, so usually i have a peice of fruit and water for bfast, then i do about 45 minuted of cardio.
Then for lunch sometimes I have a turkey sandwich, or Healthy Choice soup, or Lipton cup o soup. Those are always low points and they fill me up!!!! The WW 0 points veggie soup is also a staple. Another good filling lunch is a baked potato, with pasta sauce and a little mozzarella cheese. It is about 4 points if you use a nedium baked potato, and really sticks to the ribs!!
For dinner I usually have grilled burgers with veggies, or broiled fish or chicken, a salad, some potato or rice or pasta w/ lite margarine and steamed veggies. We usually have a big dinner.
Then I have SKINNY COW for dessert most times, though I am trying to stoip eating at all after dinner. I fel better if I don't.
For snacks I like frozen grapes, yogurt, cheese, hardboiled eggs, lite bread toasted with honey, pretzels, and right now, Thin Mints girl scout cookies. 4 of them is 3 points!
Well, i hope this gave you some ideas, good luck on the WW program, I am convinced it is the best!!!!!!

Anjie

We'll no wonder you all are doing great... You are eating great. That is my problem. Like I said this is my 3rd attempt at weight watchers.
for breakfast I've been trying to eat Oatmeal or Kashi GO-Lean ceral (it has 8 grams of protein) & some skim milk.
Lunch -we'll I haven't been prepareing my meals so I've been going out for salads, chef, taco etc.
Dinner - some type of frozen food.
snacks - at work I try and keep canned fruit, or some type of chip,(counted out) or fresh fruit..
Exercise - I just can't get myself motivated. In the morning, it's either to cold, or i'm too tired & in the evening i'm always tired.
When I started WW in jan, I had lost like 1 lb each week & in my 3rd week my brother inlaw passed awaysuddenly & I went on a emotional eating binge. I was aware of what I was eating, but I use food as a comfort. But now i'm trying to get back on point & it's so hard.
My biggest problem is candy and ice cream. For a while I was eating a 1/2 gal of light ice cream a week. I would eat it instead of dinner. But luckily I gave it up for Lent and haven't eaten any yet.
My other problem is I haven't been journaling. I have got to start doing that.

This is my 2nd try at WW. I joined in \dec.2000. so far I'm down 65 lbs. in 14 months. My advice is to not give up,even if you have weeks where you maintain or go up, this is a life change,not a diet. The meetings are the KEY to this program and I have a super leader,I love my meetings. My dh joined me in the fight in Jan, and my dd is joining again on Monday. So 4 out of the 6 in our family are WW members!!It's great.

Sue

Well ladies....tonight's the night...at 5:30, I get to see if my hard work is paying off....I'm so anxious, and I can't wait.... I almost cheated and weighed yesterday, but restrained....hopefully it will be worth the "weight" , pun intented...lol. I wanted to start my day off with my big meal....so for breakfast I had two pieces of my light toast with light red rasp. jelly-1pt....3 egg whites-1 pt.....a cup of obrien potatoes-1 pt, and a cup of skim milk- 2 pts...so a total of 5 pts...that's a huge breakfast for me....I'm going to have my super no point salad for dinner.....and drink all of my water before 2:00....so that's out of my way too, and I don't have that extra water weight....and then I'll have 24 pts. left for supper after the weigh in .....yeah...the possibilities for supper are endless...he he... and tonight I'm losing all of my banked points too and starting the week over...14.5 of them....poof....gone...oh, well. So tomorrows message will be about the weigh in, I'm sure...I'll let you know how things turn out....I'm just glad I can say that I made it through my first week....and still lovin the program...and I haven't cheated once...and that alone just gives me such a feeling of accomplishment...any weight loss will just be icing on the cake.
Keep your fingers crossed, and I'll update you tomorrow,
Michelle

Mitchell - You will do great. Just a reminder, sometimes the scale doesn't move as fast as we want it to. So be prepared. But remember any loss is a loss. You have stayed OP & know that you may be losing inches vs weight.
I'll be waiting for your results.... No need to cross my fingers cause I know you have done well.

Hey everyone,
Well it's the end of week one and I went last night and weighted in....and yahoooooo!!!!....I lost five pounds in my first week....my friend lost 5.4, so on with the second week. I'm lovin' WW still, it's sooooo easy to stick with the program, and now I want to start adding exercising more to my regimine...can't wait to weigh in next week now too...hope everyone else is doing good, talk at ya later,
Michelle

WAY TO GO GIRL ! That is great. Just think if you add the exercise, it would be that more better. It's the weekend, I hope everyone has a great weekend & a OP day.
I won't log on til sunday nite.

Just checking in to see how everyone did this weekend. I stayed OP.
Need to run, i'm at work right now...

Hi there, I'm still on task, just thought I'd let everyone know... Went grocery shopping this weekend and today, something I used to dread, and I love it now. There are so many foods and options that I never noticed before. Found some italian light hamburger buns that are only one point, and a tyson fat free chicken pattie that's only two points....and I load it up with lettuce and tomato and a smidge of fat free miracle whip...and it's a heck of a sandwich. My new favorite snack is fresh or frozen berries(thawed), and french vanilla yogurt....one cup of fruit and the whole light yogurt....3 pts....and it's filling, and sooooo yummy.
And my new breakfast kick is 3 eggwhites....scrambled (only 1pt), with mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, with fat free cheese on top 1/4 C is 1 pt.....and two slices of my light italian bread(1 pt)....all of that is only two points, and it's sooooo filling and I don't get hungry at all until dinner time. I'm so hooked on cooking with vegetables and adding them to things, I feel like I'm eating the healthiest I ever have. I've almost totally eliminated butter and margerine....and when I do want it I use FatFree I can't believe it's not butter(no pts)....and I've been watching my daytime points so that I have a little more freedom at night with my family, but it's funny now I find myself planning healthier suppers for all of us....that way I'm not cooking for them and then cooking something else for myself, and if they want something less healthy, I just make sure that I ration my points in the daytime so I can join in. I can't say enough about weight watchers, I'm lovin every minute of it, and it's really turned my eating habits around. I'm sticking with my vow not to weigh at home, and I'm looking forward to Thurs night....we'll see how the 2nd week turns out....this is the longest I've gone on a diet without cheating, but I really have to say I don't feel like I"m on a "diet", I'm eating things that taste great, and I'm not feeling deprived....so I guess it really is a lifestyle change!
Hope to hear from y'all soon,
Michelle

Just checkin' in really quickly. I weighed in tonight following my four nights at a five star hotel. Guess what, I lost abother 3#! I met my 10% goal tonight!

Thanks for all of your support! See you girls later!

Amy:o

Way to go Amy, I can't wait to be able to say the same thing!!!!

Michelle

WAY TO GO AMY That is great... 3 lbs... WooHoo....
Michelle - There are so many foods out there to eat that are healthy, it's just taking the time to prepare them. I always find my self in a hurry or I don't plan & I get in a bind... and there I am, in the fast food lane. The key is planning for me... What type of exercise are you all doing?

Hello .... to answer Patty's exercise question, i am not much of an exercising type person. So, I am quite proud that I am managing to - ride my stationary bike and do Ta-Bo a couple of times a week. I am doing about 15-20 on the bike two to three times a week and doing 27 minutes of Tae-Bo once or twice a week. So far, so good!:^:

Well tonight's the night ladies....my 2nd week weigh in and I get the stuff for my third week...still going good, haven't cheated at all...and that's the thing that I'm most proud of.....I'll let y'all know tomorrow what the scale says....my fingers are crossed. I don't care what it goes down, and long as it goes down. Talk to y'all tomorrow, and if it's really good, I might have to come back on tonight....we'll see.
Michelle

So, how did your weigh in go? I know you did good!:dizzy:

Hello All
My weigh in was today and I lost 1.4 lbs:D I'm so excited..I think the key for me is planning & of course EXERCISE.. I know I still have 29 lbs to go but it's a start..
CONGRATULATIONS AMY ON MEETING YOUR 10% GOAL How many weeks have you been on WW? What is your next goal?
Michelle - I'm sure you will do well... you are doing great on this program, your so focused...
We'll I need to run, time to hit the sack...
talk to you all tomorrow..

Hey y'all...ok it's Friday morning and I'm really full of mixed emotions....here I was all ready to weigh in and telling myself that any loss is a good loss, and well now I'm feeling all depressed... When I weighed in last night I was down .8 lbs....not even a whole pound, but .8 and my friend that i go with was down 2.6. And inside I just flipped out!!! Granted i know I'm competitive, but come on, she doesn't eat fruits and veggies...and she doesn't exercise and she's lost a full 8 lbs in two weeks, mean while I'm not cheating at all...eating tons of fruits and veggies....exercising every other day and what do I get? .8 lbs!!! .8!!!!
On the flip side , and I have to give my hubby credit for pointing this out.... I still have lost almost 6 lbs in two weeks...and when I look at it that way it's not so bad...it was just a shock yesterday. So today's another day, I'm still at it and hopefully next week it'll either go better,or I'll just get used to fractions of points, I guess it could have been worse, I could have went up. So this weekend I'm heading to the YMCA (haven't been there in three weeks), and going to do some walking. And then next Thurs. at weigh in I'm buying the pedometer and joining the WW walking club. As far as my friend and my competition. She's won the battle, but not the war....I know I'm doing it the right way, and it will win out. She's so happy with the way things are going, she thinks that she doesn't even need to exercise.....well we'll see in a year where things are at....she usually pretty quick to give up on things, of course so am I....but not this time....this time it'll work!!!! Ok...now that I'm out of my funk and have vented....think I'll go do some crafting. Any feedback y'all have to give me is welcome....talk to you soon,
Michelle:dizzy:

Hi Michelle,

I have been following your posts since you started WW and am impressed by your vibrancy and motivation. I started on the WW plan last July and am now down to the last 10 pounds to lose. This journey for me has been the greatest and the people on these lists have been so supportive and encourage me during the really down times.

I do want to comment on the competition that you are having with your friend. I think you have the solution to your own problem, but may not realize it. You are not only staying OP all the time, but have added exercise to your routine. Don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat. Soooo, the skinny here is that, although your friend is losing weight according to the scales, you are probably losing more inches and the weight loss will start to show on you and in how your clothes fit before it starts to show on her.

Remember that when you have finished losing all your weight, you will have a firm, toned body. Hers will still be flabby. When and if she starts an exercise program, she will experience some slowing of her weight loss because she is building the heavier muscle. Don't worry, though, your body will adjust and the weight will start to come off, just be patient.

Also remember that people lose weight at different rates. Continue to celebrate each day that you stay completely on program, celebrate the times that you are exercising, celebrate any and all small successes that you can create for yourself and one day you will suddenly realize that you have lost a lot of weight.

I celebrate each week that I lose anything, I celebrate every 5 pounds that I lose, I celebrate every compliment that I receive, I celebrate the people that keep asking me how I am doing this weight loss thing, I celebrate every time that I need to buy a smaller size of clothing. Hubby and I work at the same college, so he gets lots of people making comments about my weight loss. I celebrate every one of those comments, too. I find that if I set mini-goals (another 5 points, a move to a new WW points range, moving from the obese BMI category to the overweight one, anything that I could think of) that are attainable within 1, 2 or maybe 3 weeks, I have lots to celebrate all the time. That kept me motivated to keep at it. Then something strange happened. I recently looked back over the past 8 months and realize that I have lost 55 pounds. It was actually a surprise because I was so focused and spent my energy on the little weekly goals that were doable, I didn't look at the big picture. I am going to have to start to look at some pictures, though. My clothes are falling off me and I can imagine the pictures that other people are seeing. LOL

Take care and good luck.

Peggy,
Thanks a million for your words.....I'm a cheerful happy person by nature, and didn't enjoy that sinking feeling in my stomach, no matter how brief it was....I'm setting new goals....I want my first 5lb star by then end of March.....I want to be at or under 200 by my bday...may 1st.....and for a short term goal....I want to walk 10 miles this week....
You couldn't have stepped in and motivated me at a better time. I need to stop worrying about everyone else and remember that I'm doing it for myself. I'm the one that's wants to have a waist again....I'm the one that wants to carry laundry up stairs with out getting winded....I'm the one that wants to get matching bra and panty sets instead of these custom made $70 bras and cotton undies...lol...
I'm at 214.2.....and started at 220 on Valentine's day.....so I'm on the right path and that's where I'm staying!!!!
Michelle

Hi Michelle
I know it can be frustrating, but just stick with it... YOu can do it...
I had read this article a while back & was just going to post part of it:
" As you become more active & drink more water, your muscles will act like sponges & will immediately become more fully hydrated. In addition, you may also add a little new muscle, which in turn will store even more water. The more active you are, the more glycogen your muscle will retain. Each gram of glycogen stores an additional 2.5 to 3 grams of water. Finally, the better shape your in, the more water is stored within your bloodstream.
It all comes down to trust - trust in yourself! As long as your are doing the program, good results will happen.. Just focus on how good you feel, how your clothes fit & the other positive changes that are happening to you...

Patty, that was well said, and another hint for Michelle. If nothing else, make sure that you drink all your water. I found it was one of the most surprising weight loss techniques going.

One Sunday evening I was suffering with acute cravings. I had hubby take me for a drive, and in the course of doing that I needed to purchase some bottled water to take to work. I thought that might take my mind off of the cravings that I was experiencing. After the drive, I was still in the same state and was on the verge of making myself an off program, over points treat. I decided, instead, to take a bottle of water and read the posts on 3fc. When I finished the bottle of water, I found that I did not have the cravings anymore. When I really thought about it, I knew that when I am at work, drinking water all the time that I do not have cravings very often. However, on the weekends, I was not as diligent drinking water, so found myself in the craving state at the end of the weekend.

A few days later, I was reading an article that basically said that one of the symptoms of being dehydrated is craving something to eat. Most people satisfy the craving by eating whatever they happen to crave at the moment, rather than re-hydrating themselves. This, of course, does not satisfy the craving so often bingeing starts. I have made a conscious choice to make sure that I am sucking at a bottle of water all the time (even have one on my night table). My plan is to driink water when I have a craving for something to eat, but by drinking enough water all the time, I don't experience cravings. This is a very strange and new experience for me, but I believe it has been one of the greatest contributions to my weight loss.

How are you doing this week with staying OP? I was in a bit of a funk the week before last. I was at home and decided that I would test the points thing and see if I could manage eating without journalling my food. I found out pretty quickly what the results would be - a 7 pound gain last week. That really hurt, but I am back OP as of last Monday. That week was the first time that I had not journalled since I started last July.

It looks like I will be OK for weight loss this week. I broke a tooth last Sunday and managed to limp through the week before going to the dentist this morning. My appointment was at noon (yes, that would be lunch time), and since I had a staff member call yesterday to tell me that she couldn't work today and couldn't find a replacement, I had to come to work right after my appointment. When I was leaving the dentist, he mentioned that if I experienced any pain, to take some tylenol or advil. I thought that was a strange comment, since he has never said that before. Weeeelllll, I know what he is talking about. I am sitting here at work, no pain killers, have another hour and 15 minutes left and am in excrutiating pain. I have some tylenol in my office (which is located in another building), but was told yesterday that I would not be able to access it this weekend because they are doing an asbestos removel there. I can hardly wait to get home, take some tylenol and go straight to bed. The last thing I want to do at the moment is to eat...even a little piece of the cake I baked this morning. (hehehehe)

My points total for today, so far, is 4.5. I think that is where it is going to stay. Through all of this, I better be showing a weight loss this week!!! LOL.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I will probably catch up on Monday (WI day) and let you know how things have gone. Take care.

Hello Ladies
I had a pretty good weekend, as far as staying OP. But I did not get my exercise in as planned. Saturday the weather turned cold, and I just got lazy stayed in and just laided around. I think I needed a day like that though. But this is a new week and my goal is to exercise 4 days out of the week.
we'll i need to run, hope everyone is having a great day..

Hello All
Weigh in was today and i've lost 1.8 lbs... I'm excited.. I know it's not much but for me that is great. I guess the journaling & drinking & exercise really do work:D
we'll I need to run... hope everyone is having a great OP day..

i know i am late on this but you are doing great...6 pounds in your first 2 weeks is a great start and you will keep going, no matter what you lose!!!! Any loss is a good loss I always say!!! I have been at theis WW thing for 8 weeks now, and am down 16 pounds. I have had a steady loss of 2 pounds per week and am grateful for it!!! I would like to be at goal by 11/25/2002.

I was going to recommend to you www.fitday.com, they have a great weight goal thingy on there, you put your goal in (i always put in the short term goals, like you mentioned you have) and it tells me exactly how much I have per week to lose inorder to make my goal happen. That really puts it in perspective for me; I found that to make my long term goal, I have to lose 1.5 pounds per week which is totally doable!!! Graphs it for you too.

I hope your week 3 weigh in goes well, and that everyone else is having success also! I am off tomorrow to California for the weekend, to be in a wedding, so probably wont have a great weekend points-wise. Too much wedding food and bridesmaid luncheon and the like. Oh well, Monday I am back on task....

Anjie

hello everyone

i joined ww 2.5 weeks ago. my first week i lost 2.6lbs!! i am finding it easier to work out the point plan the night before and then just follow it. no fuss as to what to eat during the day or counting the points and worrying if i will have enough.

i have cereal with fruit and milk in the moring. a nutrigrain bar for mid morning snack (3pts) 2 ricecakes with nofat chees on top, apple, carrots/celery, and for dinner chicken with vegies or the frozen dinner and vegies and then a snack of yogurt and granola, or toast. crumpets are excellently low on points and filling.

my husband is doing this with me as well as a girlfriend and its great having the support at home. we are also working out together ----- which in -30f weather is hard to get off the warm couch to go into the FREEZING weather. but once at the gym its worth it.

everybody have a great weekend.

Hello Tuggy,
I kept stuggling with WW, until I got a game plan. Every sat/sun I go to the grocery store & buy what I think i"m going to eat for the week. Then I write in my journal what i'm planning to eat. That way I know what my food plan is.. When I'm at work, and i'm hungary, I don't ever think of healthy foods... I usually just want something fast... this way, I already know what my plan is.. Keep up the good work, and let us know how your doing...
talk to you later..

Well Ladies,
It's another week on the WW plan....my third official weigh in since my sign up day on Valentine's Day....and this week I lost 3.6 lbs...a little more than last weeks .8...;) yeah!!!!! I've been doing a good job of sticking to everything, I find that my bad moments are when I don't keep up with my journal....and I just started not keeping up in the last few days...need to cut that out. It's been time for me to go and get groceries again, and so it's been harder this week with limited supplies...he he. Just got my pedometer, and I where it all day long from morning until night. We start our first log in for the WW walking club, next Thurs night on weigh in night. Been cold and cruddy here, haven't wanted to leave the house much, plus I took on a new family in my daycare with a nine month old and got two teeth pulled this week, so all together tiring, and busy week. The other big event this week is that we finally got our new computer and all in one printer....yeah...I'm lovin that. And I've been busy downloading music and making cd's....anything that means I'm not eating is good though...he he. I'll try to be better about keeping in touch now, y'all.
Talk to you soon,
Michelle

Hi
I started WW last week. I tried to lose weight by myself but it didn't work because I didn't keep it up. I joined WW for its weekly weigh -ins (accountability) and for information plus support. I have not wieghed myself but WI is tomorrow. I am also finding much support here at 3FC eventhough I have not been posting. I hope you do not mind me joining in every once in awhile. I do not have a lot of access to internet. Thanks DM :)

WAY TO GO MITCHELLE! 3.6 lbs... that is great... Keep it up. I know for me the key is to plan my meals, I hit the grocery store about once a week and stock up for the week. I have to have all kinds of low point snacks on hand at work.
DaiseyMaisy - post as often as you can.. Let us know how your doing.

I have been MIA the past week. I am finally out of my funk and at last week's WI lost 3.75 pounds and another 1.75 pounds at today's WI. I have just about lost all the weight that I gained while on vacation. I won't be doing that again...it's journalling for me. My mini-goal for this week is to get below 130 pounds. It has been 2 1/2 months that I have been stuck between 130 and 142 pounds. I am counting on being down below 130 by next Monday. Wish me luck.

Patty - You are doing great on your weight loss. I also plan all my meals in advance, so if I deviate, I know what the damage will do and whether it fits into what I have planned for the rest of the day. I find the planning really helpful when it is holiday time. If I plan strategies ahead of time, I usually don't have trouble staying OP. I think that may be because I sit down and consider every meal - almost to the point of visualization - so that it will not be a surprise when the real event hits. Keep up the grea work.

Michelle - Way to go, girl!!! It looks like your body is finally catching up to all the exercise you are doing. I know what you mean about the teeth. I just spent another 2 hours in the dentist chair this morning getting the prep work done for a bridge. It replaces the temp filling that I had last week. Today, though, I have tylenol to help me through the pain. LOL. Keep up the fabulous work on your weight loss program and remember to journal, drink lots of water and keep up the exercise. You are doing so well.

Anje - You are so lucky to be able to see the 2 pounds per week go. I guess luck isn't the right word because I know it is hard work. You have done a great job with your weight loss. At this rate, you will be a goal before Thanksgiving this year. Woohoo.

Tuggy - Congrats on the loss. 2.6 pounds the first week is remarkable. Stay with it and you will be down to nothing very soon. It is so nice that your hubby is OP with you. My hubby tolerates what I cook (which is OP), but supplements the food with sweets, non-diet versions of what I eat and the occassional second helping. Even at that, he has lost about 15 pounds since last July and didn't need to lose to start with. I think he said he is down to 145 pounds fully clothed. I have been trying to adopt one of his eating habits that I think is the most critical to keeping at a healthy weight. When he is full, he quits eating. I have often seen him turn down his favorite dessert because he is full. I have watched him leave a tablespoon of potatoes on his plate because he is full. I have difficulty doing that because I think to myself that it is just 1 more tablespoon and I can't see it wasted. I am trying to change that attitude, but it is difficult.

DM - You have taken the first and most critical step to a healthier life style. Joining WW was a great first step. I decided to follow the WW plan with a co-worker last summer. I journalled, we planned meals, got recipes, etc., and by the end of the first month, something in me went 'click' and I have become obsessed with following the plan. I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would try a week without journalling and paid a big price (7 pound gain) for it. It really is important to journal to keep yourself honest. The lady that I started with was playing at the program during the day to make it look to me like she was serious, but I found out later that she was off program in the evenings, weekends and holidays. By that time, I was hooked and had the support system here to continue. I can't handle attending meetings because I tend to be a recluse - once I am home in the evening, I just don't want to go out again. LOL. I am a liftime member of WW, so I thought that I would go back when I am down to my goal weight because I will need the support there for maintenance. Keep us posted with your WIs every week. I know you can do this.

Hope everyone has a great week. Take care and keep on losing it.

Hi - I just had to get to a computer tonight. I had my WI after my first week of WW and I lost 3.5 lbs. :dizzy: I am very happy with that. I don't mind the journaling, my problem is eating all my pts. I weigh so much that I have alot of pts. to use each day and I am not used to eating that much. That is why I was so happy with the lose, I was scared that I would gain weight. The easiest part so far is drinking the water. Never thought I would hear those words from my mouth because I would rather have soda pop. Thanks for accepting me - I hope to post again soon. DM :dizzy:

CONGRATS DAISYMAISY Way to go Girl
3.5 lbs that is great, keep up the good work. I'm so glad your doing great with the water, because that is usually the one problem people have... Drinking that much water. Isn't it amazing how much food you can eat, when you eat healthy. It's the fast food & junk food that use up all the points. Plan snacks in between your meal to use your points. My leader said you should eat at least the minimum of your points, & you can bank the rest. Remember as you lose weight to also adjust your points.. you might lose & fall into the next catagory.
SweetTooth Vacation is what got me in trouble last year. I went off point & never got back on. I'm glad to see you back.

DM - Congratulations! Yahoo! Way to Go! You have done so well this first week. 3.5 pounds is a very nice start to the weight loss journey. If you don't have trouble with journalling or drinking water, you will do fine. Those 2, plus the exercising seem to be the biggest stumbling blocks for people on WW. I still have trouble with the exercise, but I am concentrating on that. Keep up the great work.

1day - Thanks for the encouraging words. I am back on track with the points, so that is a help. I find that I am more disciplined with eating when I am working. It seems that the home fridge isn't close at hand, so I have to eat what I have planned for the day. I also keep extra water in the fridge at work, so if I am feeling deprived, I always have that to fall back on.

I went to the dentist yesterday and between having freezing in my mouth and the tooth ache afterward, I didn't feel like eating very much. Yesterday was a good weight loss day, but I woke up this morning feeling dizzy and disorientated from not eating yesterday. I should finally be able to get below the 130 pound mark this week, so here's hoping.

Hope everyone has a great week. Stay OP, drink water, journal and exercise. We can do this!

Luv,

Hello All
Sweet Tooth - Ugh... My teeth were hurting for you.. I hate going to the dentist..When I was a kid, I had so many cavaties
Let us know about your weigh in. Mine is thursday, and i'm hoping for another weight loss week..

Peggy,
Thanks for your encouraging words, I have been a little down ever since I came back from the wedding...the bridesmaid dress sisnt fit quite as well as i thought!! Everyone else's was looser...oh well. Back on track now, haven't done too great today but I will get there!!!!!!!!

Thanks again,
Anjie

Sorry, I've been so MIA also....our MSN server has been down, and it was out of my hands....still going strong, though I'm feeling really heavy this week, must mean that it's about that time....yuck....hope the scale is a little kind to me tomorrow night at WW...lol. I've been wearing my pedometer constantly since last Thurs night, and as of right this minute, I've logged 10.9 miles and 32,446 steps....and that's not walking any extra this week other than grocery shopping, that's just what I log running my daycare and I think the fact that we have a split level home has some to do with that, stairs, stairs, stairs....he he. I've found myself having more cravings than ever this week, I'm sure that is also pertaining to hormones. Welcome DM.....glad you joined our crew!!!Keep up the good work. My teeth are feeling better for now anyway....lol...until I go back in April for my fillings. Can't wait for spring so I can get out more. Well I'd better go start dinner.....catch y'all later.
Michelle:dizzy:

This is going to be a quick check-in for me. I am so busy this week that I don't know whether I am coming or going.

Anjie - Don't worry about how your dress fit at the wedding. You know that you are on the right track and that you will be healthier for it in the end. That's the most important at this point. I know how depressing it must feel to have the perception that are the odd ball in the wedding party, but don't worry. It is often your own perception and also because you know that you are concentrating on weight loss, so think everyone is focusing in on that. You wouldn't have been asked to be a part of the group if you didn't mean something to the bride and be able to offer your support to her.

Michelle - So good to have you back. It sounds like you do a lot of exercise just in the course of your work. Where did you get your pedometer? Is it the WW's one? I would like to get one and see how much walking I do everyday.

Well, I guess I gotta go. It's time for lunch and hubby will be calling any minute now. Take care everyone...

Good Evening Ladies

Our WW leader told us that WW has a pedometer in testing right now. They had one in the past, but I think it must have had some problems & there testing a new model. I know you can purchase other brands at any sporting goods store.

My weigh in is tomorrow too... I'm keeping my fingers crossed I do good. I should but you just never know with the water weight.

we'll i need to run... i'll talk to you all tomorrow..

Ww actually had two previous models of the pedometer, and they've worked all the kinks out, and I have the third and newest model...it's the new 2002 one..I'm not quite sure what your lady is talking about, she must have been misinformed.... mine is accurate as can be, did the treadmill test and everything.....I know you can get pricier ones at sports stores, and I even saw one at Kmart, but I love mine and can't wait to log some miles tomorrow. Later, y'all.
Michelle

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping they have made their way to Canada...

I know you are right about the fit of the dress. I am over it now, and looking on to the next wedding (Gosh there have been a lot of them!) Hopefully I will look nice in that one!! Thanks for the encouragement!

Anj

Hey ladies...well it's about 4:30 and that means a half hour to weigh in...fingers crossed, and I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm in my "any loss is a good loss" frame of mind again, but I'm really hoping to get atleast .8 lbs and hit my ten pound mark and get my first star....it's so funny. I remember the night when I lost .8 lbs and I thought it was horrible....I thought only .8 lbs lost, oh my god, that's not even a full pound, and now tonight that .8 means the world to me. Funny how things come full circle. Either way, I'm celebrating my fifth weigh in and my first full month on the program....whooo hooo....that's enough for me right now. I'll tell y'all how it goes.
Michelle

Michelle - I'm sending good vibes for the WI to you {{{{Good Vibes}}}

Good Evening Ladies

Mitchell - I'll ask my Ww leader... she just told us about the pedometer about 3 weeks ago...

We'll my weigh in was today and I gained .8 lbs... I"m not going to stress about it because I know I have stayed OP. Last night I ate some pretzels that were pretty salty & after I had eaten them, I started thinking I should not of eaten them. This morning I woke up & my hands were swolen.. so I knew then it was not going to be a good weigh in day.. So i'm not going to let it bother me & next week I'll know not to eat preztels the night before...

Hope you all are having a great day..

Hey everyone....
Well last night was my fifth weigh in counting my starting date and the end of my fourth week....which means my one month anniversary date, and yeah.....I was down 3.2 more lbs. Which brings me to a grand total of 12.8....I was surprised, but I've been really faithfull to the program and I guess it's paying off. My pedometer clocked in at 12.7 miles....ironic they're so close, and now it's onward with week five. We had our splurge night last night after weigh in, in which we use ten of our banked points, but I don't even fret about that anymore. I can't ask for better results so I'm not going to change that now. Hope everyone else is doing well.
Michelle

Michelle - Congrats on the weight loss. I knew you could do it, and you also have your 10 pound star. There is reason for you to celebrate. I am just adding a quote from one of your earlier messages:


"I'm setting new goals....I want my first 5lb star by then end of March.....I want to be at or under 200 by my bday...may 1st.....and for a short term goal....I want to walk 10 miles this week.... "

What do you think now? Way to go and be sure to acknowledge to yourself that you have surpassed the first mini-goals that you set for yourself. You can do this!!!!

Patty - Sorry to hear about the gain, but I think you are right. Probably the pretzels had an affect on how much water you were retaining. You will just see a bigger loss next week when you are back to normal. Just be patient. I know that I get a bit frustrated with myself when I do something like that. But I am also learning that I don't need to throw in the towel, but just need to remember what things affect my weight loss. We all lose weight differently and need to figure out what works for us and what doesn't. Sometimes what I try doesn't work for me, so I just make different choices the next time. I think that is where keeping a food journal helps. I can always check back to see what I did the weeks that I lost the most weight, and what mistakes I made the weeks I gained. Keep it up, though, you should be back to normal next WI.

Maybe what we could do in the next two weeks is post what our plans are for the Easter weekend. For me, the holidays are always the difficult times for me to stay OP, so I find it easier to manage if I plan what I will do ahead of time rather than try to blindly cope. I know one of my strategies will be to have some banked points to use during the weekend. I'm not sure what else I will do, but I'll think about it and post back

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Hi there,
Peggy- thanks for the reminder on my previous goals....it never even occurred to me....something else to definately celebrate!!!! Can't wait to weigh in next week now...he he.
Michelle

Hi everybody!!

I like Michelle's goals for getting the star by the end of March and getting down to 200 by the next birthday. I think I am going to 'borrow' the goals. The 200 pounds by my next birthday may be a little bit more than I can do but I can try.

Thanks for telling us about the pretzels and water weigt. I wouldn't of thought of being carefull about what I ate right before WIs but now I will.

It sounds like everyone is doing great. I have been OK. I have been out of town for a few days and there was a lot of eating out. I know I may not of made the 'best' choices but I know I made better choices that I would of made before joining WW. DM

Well, Monday morning WI has arrived. I was hoping to meet my mini-goal of breaking the 130 pound mark, but alas, I am sitting right at 130 pounds. Lost 1.5 pounds this week. Next week, for sure, I will be under 130 pounds. However, on the bright side, I have just 10, yes 10 more pounds to lose to reach my personal goal. Yahoo!

DM - Congrats on your weekend eating plan. I, too, don't always make the best choices, but my choices now are better than they would have been a year ago. That is one of the small successes that you should be celebrating. Give yourself a big pat on the back. You deserve it.

I really watch what I eat before WI, too. I actually try to watch for the couple days prior. I find if I eat at the low end of my points for those couple of days, my body is regulated for the WI. Right after WI, my treat for the week is to be able to eat at the high end of my points. Weird, I know, but psychologically, I really look forward to Mondays so that I can eat at the high end of the points range - a treat to myself every week. Yesterday, though, I actually ate over the high end (with banked points), so I'm sure that affected my WI today. Once I reach my personal goal, or maybe within a couple pounds of it, I am planning to change my WI day to Friday or Saturday. Then my treat days will be on Saturday & Sunday. I find those the most difficult days to manage with eating at home. The rest of the week I am just too busy to worry about food. LOL.

Hope everyone has a great week. Take care and keep on losin'.

Luv you guys,

Good luck Peggy, I hope the weigh in goes well. I have felt like a big hog the last couple days, although I haven't gone over points, I have pushed them to the limit. Hopefully this too shall pass.....hehe. I have decided to think of how I want to reward myself and I've come up with this so far:
20lbs lost- I'm getting my nails done and maintained
40lbs lost-I'm going to tan "fake bake"
60lbs lost- not sure on this one yet....taking suggestions
and 80 lbs lost(my final goal 140)-taking a cruise
I decided not to reward myself with clothes, because that's just a given, when I lose the weight, I'll need new clothes. So I decided to pick other things that I would really want. Y'all will have to give me suggestions on my 60lbs goal.
Talk to you again soon,
Michelle:dizzy:

Hi Michelle, every time I read one of your posts I am truly inspired to give it my all. You are so cheery and obviously really into this. Bravo for you and hope your success continues. You have done so well and know you will get to your goal.....Please keep us posted!!Patti

Thanks for the feedback, you brought a smile to my face, and really made me feel appreciated. Just got back from walking with the dog almost one mile, I drove it to check...he he. And now I'm going to sit down and eat my killer no point salad and some WW Lasagne....it's my first taste test of the Lasagne, but I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again, Michelle

Hi, I am new to this forum and a 4 week WW member. I just had to write and ask for the recipe for your killer no point salad. Is it posted elsewhere on this forum or would you mind sharing it with me. Thanks very much.

Hey there, well here it is....my salad recipe....and correct me if I'm wrong on the no point part of it.
First I shred about one cup of lettuce and sprinkle a tad of greek seasoning on it and toss it.
Then I cut up a roma tomato.
Then I chop up a quarter cup of both red onion and green pepper.
Then I add 1/4 cup of chopped broccoli and cucumber.
Sometimes I add some sprouts....
I might then add a touch more of greek seasoning and toss it all together.
I measure out two tablespoons of Kraft Free Italian Dressing, which is only 15 calories...so it's free!!!
And I top it off with a few shakes of Racconto Cheese Trio in Sundried tomatoes flavor. Which is in with the parmesan cheese at Super Target. It's only 15 calories for 2 TBLSP's also....so FREE!!! and it's sooooo good. I also put it on top of my WW lasagne tonight, which was soooooo yummy. Pasta has really been something I've missed(along with baked goods...he he), and I've found a way to solve both. I have pasta in my WW meals, and I bought a fat free cookbook and have been trying recipes out. Also found these kits at the Dollar Store to make rice krispie treats and smores bars. Everything to make them comes in the box for 1.99 can't beat that, and the smores are 3pts a serving, but well worth it. I think the rice krispie ones are only two. But I'm a real baker and dessert maker, so it made me feel a sense of normalcy, well I guess if I want to make goal, this is "normal" now, but it was a nice treat.
So anyway, as you can see, by the time you get done with all of that it's a bowl full, and I'm not sure if my way of thinking is right, but I'd say it's no points. Especially if you stay within your portions and measure. Give me some feedback on what you think....Michelle

Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and so quickly, too. I certainly will try it and let you know. To be honest, I have always been a little shy of fat free dressings but if you say the Italian one is good, I will try it. It does sound really yummy. I make my own oil and vinegar dressing but it is fairly expensive in terms of points. It is a greek-type dressing, though and I always put light shredded feta on my salads which I am hooked on. I will try to find the Racconto cheese. It sounds so good. Unfortunately, we do not have Target in Canada so this is one more product that I can probably not get here.

I do have one sweet-tooth treat suggestion. They are called "shakers" and are made by good humour. They are like single fudgcicles and come in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. I loooove the vanilla and chocolate flavours and they are only ONE POINT each!

I enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work and the inspiration.

Hi everyone!!

I'm kind of bumbed - no WI this week because the leader was sick. I just know I lost a pound. I did weigh in at home but my scale and the one used for WI have never read the same. So hopefully next week I will weigh in and see a 2 lb. lose, maybe even enough to get a star ( I think I can ... I think I can).

Whenever my sweet tooth starts acting up I think ' Do I really want to have to figure out the points for this?' and I usually don't so I won't eat it. It's not that it's that hard to figure out the points but it helps me realize that I need to be acountable.

Happy Spring Everyone! DM

Well ladies this will be my one and only post for the day, and I'm going to make it short. Under the weather with Bronchitis and the flu....what a combination. That'll teach me for always saying, I never get sick. Although I have to say that not having an appetite has done wonders for the reading on the scale. I went from 207 on Monday to 202 today....not healthy I know, but when my throat is this sore, those one point popcycles are all that sound good. Hoping I'm better by tomorrow, it's WI and I don't want to miss that. Even took of a day from doing daycare, and I honestly never do that....so that tells ya how I feel. Well going to go back to bed....think "get better" thoughts.
Michelle

It's great that everyone is doing so well this week. I'm sending {{{{{{{weight loss}}}}}}} vibes to everyone this week.

Michelle - Sorry to hear you are under the weather. I'm not mentioning anything about not being sick if that's what it does to you. Get better quick. I guess the bonus is the weight loss, but not a very healthy way to accomplish the task. Hey Michelle, you will be in Oneland soon. Another 7 pounds. Way to go, girl. What an accomplishment.

DM - Thanks for the 'Happy Spring' thoughts. I'm not feeling much like spring yet. It was -34 yesterday and -29 today. It is truly cold here and I wish it would go away!!! LOL. I do the same as you when the sweet tooth attacks. I have made a committment to writing down every thing BEFORE I eat it. It makes me accountable for what I am going to eat, rather than guilty for what I have just eaten. Also, like you say, sometimes it is just to much work to figure out the points, so it isn't worth eating.

Andreasmom - Welcome to our little group. It is good to have you here. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your weight loss journey. You mentioned salads in your last post and being shy of the Italian dressings. Look in your supermarket for ff dressing that are similar to Italian. I have found some that are roasted garlic, etc. that are the same nutritional value as the Italian ones, therefore are also 0 points. I vary them, so that I am not having the same salad dressing all the time. I should try the feta cheese with it on some occassions, too. That sounds yummy.

Well, this week has been very stressful for me. Yesterday I had the final appointment with the dentist to install a crown. So far, I have had a chronic tooth ache for about 1 1/2 months now. The dentist says that the nerve will take another week to heal and that there may be some sensitivity for a few months. I REALLY looking forward to that...should have bought shares in Tylenol.

After the dental appointment, we had to put our cat down. The kids brought him home as a stray 20 years ago and the vet at the time said he was about 7 or 8. At 27, I guess he deserves to be let go, but saying good-bye was really tough. Consequently, yesterday was not a good eating day for me. I did stay within points that I can bank this week, but the points were not banked before I ate. I hate it when I do that. The good news is that I am back on track today and anticipating losing enough to be below 130 pounds by WI on Monday.

Hope everyone has a great week. Keep on losin' it...

Hi ladies,
Well I'm feeling alot better....taking my antibiotics, and ate a full supper last night. Still looking forward to weighing in tonight. I'm on a house cleaning mission today, something I always do after someone is sick....sheets....bathrooms, light switches....all needs cleaning and disinfecting!!! This good movie on Lifetime is slowing me down though, don't ya hate that. They have such tear-jerkers.
Well I suppose I'll make this short, might check back in later today. If not, I'll let y'all know how weigh in went.
Michelle:dizzy:

Hey y'all,
Well weighed in last night and brought an end to week five.... lost 1.8 pounds last week....leader thought that the reason I didn't hit my three pound average is because I was way under point two days in a row, because I was sick. Which brings me to a grand total of......drum roll......14.2 lbs!!! yeah!!! Jill is at 13.2.....and I've managed to pass and stay ahead of her. We also took our one month measurements last night. I lost two inches on my hips and 1+ inches on my thighs.....1/2 inch on the waist and my arm stayed the same....but over all I'm pretty happy with that. Well I suppose I should get going.....no school today or all of next week so I have a house full, and there's only so much time during naptime to get everything done. I'll try not to be too scarce. Have a great weekend!!!
Michelle:dizzy:

Michelle - Way to go, girl. You are doing great on the weight loss and also on the measurement loss. I just knew that your body would catch up with the change in eating habits and exercise that you were doing. It's good to hear that you are about neck and neck with the "competition." I know that it can be disheartening when you are losing with someone else and they lose faster than you. That's one of the down sides to group loss. However, if you strive for yourself, you will always be happy with any losses. Your are doing extremely well with yours. Yahoooo!!!

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend.

Cheers,

Hey, Sweeth Tooth! Thanks for your interest in me. My journey began when I was about 10 and has been on-going ever since. This is at least my 4th try with Weight Watchers. I was on the traditional plan, the fat and fibre plan and I can't even recall the others. I always felt really restricted by these plans and felt I couldn't live like a "normal" person. I can remember feeling so out of control if I was asked to go somewhere for dinner, and I once turned down an invitation to a wedding as I was determined to be 100% "on program". Well, I may as well have gone because I'm sure I was off it by the next day!

When I decided to deal with my weight once and for all, I was a little apprehensive to rejoin WW as I hadn't really had long-term success with it before. However, something seems to be really different for me with this new Winning Points program. It has made me so much more aware of the foods that I was eating that I thought were healthy and low-fat. It ends up that this was not necessarily the case at all. (i.e. Smart Food Popcorn) Also, I was eating far too big of portions. This program really makes sense to me.

So far, I have lost 6 pounds in 5 weeks without suffering for it. This may be committing Weight Watchers sacrilege when I admit this but I will - I have yet to stay within my points range yet. I am always 2-5 points above my limit. I do exercise but not always enough to make up for this surplus. I feel that as long as I am losing weight I am doing fine.

This time, I am using the program as a guide, not an obsession. It is really working for me and I am really enjoying it.

Thanks again for welcoming me into this forum. I look forward to continuing conversation and support.

Hi everyone. Happy Monday morning. Remember, it is a short week this week. Only 4 days. Unfortunately for me, though, it is budget week and I need to take about 5% out of the budgets that I am preparing.

Yesterday was not a very good day for me, but I will survive it. It's that time of month, so I am feeling really bloated today. For me, that always translates into a gain. Oh well, maybe next week I will be under 130 pounds. I'm hoping, anyway.

andreasmom - Good to hear that you are doing so well on the Winning Points plan. I wouldn't worry about being over points because you are really using the plan as a guide. If you are eating the additional points and still losing, then you are accomplishing what the program is designed to do. If you reach a plateau at the additional points, you may want to decrease a bit, but by that time, you will be more accustomed to smaller portions and eating differently. It will be easier. I am almost at the point now (after 8 1/2 months), of not being able to find anything that I want to eat to bring me up to the minimum points every day. Yesterday was an exception...I really had a bad day, but am back OP today. Hope your week goes well.

Well, I guess I better say good-bye for now. Off to WI and it won't be pretty, I'm sure. However, I do start with my personal fitness trainer today. Yahoo!

Cheers,

Hi everyone,
Thought I'd check in. I'm still not better yet....just when my cold is disappearing, I get a migraine yesterday, and not just a little one.....a gigantic, throbbing, nausiating, can't even stand to stare at the tv migraine. So I'm having a little aftereffect today, which means, I'm not journaling and not really caring what's going into my mouth. Hopefully if I get to bed early tonight, I'll be back to normal tomorrow. I'll let ya know.
Michelle

Hi Everyone!!

I know the calendar says it is spring but the weather is saying winter. Brrr that wind is awful.

I had WI tonight and I did great! I received a bookmark and a star. I did not know about the bookmarks. I know this is the exception and not the rule but I am so glad I did not gain, I was eating out alot again. Now for the real challenge, Easter with the family. I have not told them that I am on a diet, I always feel that if I tell people I stop trying. Weird I know. The good thing is since I am going there I will not have left overs here to nibble and nibble and nibble .... DM

Hi Everyone,
WI was tonight and I lost a lb. Pretty good considering all that tempting Easter Candy that's out there.

I hope this thread is not coming to an end. I have enjoyed visiting with everyone. DM

Hey ladies,
Once again I've been MIA, but I'm back to normal now, not sick at all, and back going strong with WW. I gained .6 lbs last week while I was eating away at my migraine....that's enough of that. I vow that's my last gain, unless I start exercising more, than .6 wouldn't bother me. Easter wasn't that hard for me, I've stayed away from the choc. but been nibblin enough jelly beans....he he. We got snow yesterday, must have been God's april fool's joke. Well think I'm going to go and do some exercise...I'll check in later.
Michelle

Hi everyone. I'm finally back from visiting family after Easter. I didn't have internet while there, so could not check in to see how everyone is doing.

My Easter was not very good, but it was better than it would have been last year. I ate smaller portions, only ate a few Easter treats (had to share with the grandkids), and generally maintained weight. I haven't had the nerve to WI yet this week, but I will probably wait until Thursday or Friday to find out the official results.

I still have that dreaded 10 pounds left to lose, but I will work on it starting yesterday. LOL. Hopefully will lose by the end of May. However, if not, it is not that big a deal. I am already in the normal weight range for my height, I would just like a little safety for the holiday times.

While we were away, 2 of the kids cornered their dad and told them that he had to make me stop losing weight. They both think that I am too skinny. :D We went swimming over the weekend and I wore my 2 piece size 8 bathing suit. It's been a looonnng time since they saw me wear one of those. It was a great feeling.

Hope everyone else had a great Easter and is back on track this week. Take care. I will try to check in this week, but it is budget time at work, and study time at home (I have a stats course that I need to finish by the end of April). Take care.

Cheers,

I finally had enough nerve to WI yesterday...as I suspected, I maintained the weight I was last week. Whew! Soooo, it is time to work on the remaining weight.

Have a great week.

Hi everyone! I have been really busy with school but wanted to catch up on posts...

Michelle~ You are doing great, you have accomplished much and you stay so positive! Inspiring me all the way...

Peggy~ You are an inspiration, you are so focused and experienced, WOW your last 10 pounds! That is great!

I am still stuck between 194-197, I have been for a month now, would like to think it is a plateau but it is really me just not sticking to points! i am good one day, then the next day I eat everything in sight...

Any suggestions??

Anjie

Anjie - Good to hear from you again. I know what you mean about the plateau. I have been stuck in the same 5 pound area for the past month, too. I think the problem though is that I slip every week at some point, so the pounds are just not coming off the way that I would like them to. I usually treat myself to a couple of higher point days right after WI to give my metabolism a bit of a boost every week. That has worked up until recently when I have been having more difficulty keeping OP on weekends. I have been treating myself to 4 days of higher points, so the weight is just not coming off. Even though I keep telling myself that I will be good on the weekend, I am not managing to do it. Soooo, I have decided to change my WI day to Firday, starting this week. That way, my difficult days will be my higher point day, and I will be back on track by Monday morning. Hopefully this will work, but I will keep everyone posted.

How is school going for you? I am taking a correspondence stats course right now...on the third and last extension for the course. It needs to be finished by the end of the month, so last weekend, I thought I better start it. LOL. The next couple of weeks will be marathon study weeks, but I am planning to write my final on April 23. :dizzy: Hope everything is great with you. Keep us informed how you are doing with the weight loss.

Peggy,

Yeah, I seem to have the same problem that you are having...my treat days are starting to outweigh my OP days! It was pretty easy in the beginning to drop weight, and the first 15 pounds came off easy, then it seems I am "stuck", except it is really my own fault for eating badly!

I am starting to have my main meal at noon and then have a 5 point meal in the evening....I eat with the family but i have some steamed veggies or maybe a protein shake. I will let you know how that goes...

School is going well, I am taking 5 classes and have 3 As and 2 Bs so far...am hoping to make the dean's list, shouldnt be a problem. I have 4 semesters after this before I graduate! Then onto Law School hopefully...

How are you doing with points this week? Let's get on it and make it count!

Anjie

Hi everyone!!

Since I last posted I have had an awful cold. A little frustrating, I am eating better, exercising, taking vitamins and still get a head cold that stops me in my tracks. WI was Monday and I gained a pound but the leader did say it could be because of the cold. I have been eating within my points but last night I was way out of the ballpark. I had broasted chicken and pizza and ice cream (no one was twisting my arms it was all free will). So if WI on Monday show another gain I know exactly why :^: .

Its my turn to take treats to work. Does anyone have simple but tasty receipes to recommend? Thanks, DM

Hi everybody. It is finally spring and I can't wait for the MUCH warmer weather to come. We are finally getting temps above 0, so the snow is starting to melt and we should be out in the yard by the end of the month. This is really late for us, but it is not unheard of to get frosts as late as the end of May. I am savouring the wait to get in the yard because of the school work that I need to do. :D

DM - Sorry to hear that you are feeling under the weather. Hope that you recover soon and that it does not seriously affect your WI next week. One little slip during the week will not bother the weight loss to drastically. What kind of exercise do you do? Maybe try a little extra to balance the extra points yesterday. :)

I have started working with a personal fitness trainer and am starting to lose weight once again. I haven't been very faithful with staying completely OP - just close - so the weight has been hovering around the 130 pound mark. I notice that when I work out regularly I am starting to lose the odd pound again. I guess my motivation is not very strong right now because I am already in the normal weight range for my height and a fitness assessment that I had this week says that my body composition is excellent. I really does de-motviate the weight loss. :lol:

Anji - Congrats on the 15 pounds. That is an accomplishment in itself. When I was really trying to lose the bulk of my weight, I got to be very stingy with my points during the day. I know that I have problems with snacking at night, so I tried to stay very low on points for breakfast and lunch. Breakfasts usually consist of coffee (with skim milk and artificial sweetener - 1 pt.), 2 sl toast (high fibre, low fat - 1 pt. for 2 sl.) and jam (without sugar - 1 T. = 1 pt.). The for lunch I either had a salad with 0 pt. dressing and vegetable soup (0 pt.), and a 1 pt. piece of fruit along with a diet coke. That consisted of 3.5 points for the day, leaving me with the rest of my points to use up for dinner (which I really enjoy) and snacking in the evening (my downfall). I was finding that, before I went to bed, I would just HAVE to have those cookies to bring my up to the minimum number of points for the day. I thought that eating the same foods for breakfast and lunch would get boring, but I found that it became a habit that I quite enjoyed. I switch the fruit at noon for some variety, but stuck to that for a long time. I am starting to step out a bit from that now and having higher point lunches. This is what is causing my problems with the snacking at night - I still snack, but don't have the points to do that. :o However, I am working out more, so that is keeping me at the same weight, but I do need to work on keeping within my points range.

Congrats on doing so well on your studies. You must be very proud to be considered for the Dean's list. That is quite an honor for anyone, especially with the added stress of losing weight. :smug: You must be close to finals about now, too. Good luck on exams and keep at it. Are you working during the summer, or going to school?

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week. Remember, only one more get-up til the weekend. :lol:

Hey everyone!

Daisy Maisy: I have a great recipe for pumpkin muffins...they are easy, just us a box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin, 2 points per muffin. If you want I can give it to you.

Peggy: Thanks so much for the tips, I think I may start to do that, eat smaller bfasts and lunches. I have been doing better and am now at 18 pounds lost. Can't WAIT to see that last 2 pounds come off, for some reason 20 is an important ,ilestone for me!

How is your last 10 pounds coming? Are you sticking to program, and getting in your exercise?

Thanks, here at my school it is pretty easy to make the DEan's LISt, but still important to me. Finals are next week, I have 4 finals and a research project and 1 paper. I cannot wait to be done with this year!!!!


Anjie

Good morning everyone. I woke up this morning in complete shock. We got it again...another dump of snow. This one is at least 6 inches and still snowing. Buuuut, like a good girl, I still went to the gym at 5:30.

I'm going to pop over to the health office here and weight myself later this morning to see if there has been any change in the weight. I stayed close to my points over the weekend, but had a couple of snacks that I really didn't need. No regrets, though, because I am finally back on the losing track. I changed WI days last week, so my WI was Monday, then again on Friday. Yes, I lost 2.25 pounds. Yahoo!

Anjie - I have to agree with you about the muffins. They are good. I make those quite frequently. Hope your exams go well. I worked on homework all weekend again and have 4 chapters left to cover. Hoping to do that by Friday, write my exam on April 23, then have til the end of the month to finish assignments. Just gotta keep truckin'.

Hope everyone has a great week. Take care.

Cheers,

Hi Everyone,

WI was tonight and I lost this week instead of gaining - it could of been the cold.

Angie - I would love to have the pumkin muffin receipe and to add the muffin receipe to my collection. I do not do alot of cooking, I like the Smart One TV dinners and Leine Cuisine, etc. I am trying to do more but it needs to be very simple. Good luck on finals and the paper.

Do the muffins freeze well?


Peggy - I have something like the Gazell at home that I try to do at least 30 min. on. I also have a video tape by Denise Austin that I try to do on the weekends ( I am not cordinated enough to do it in the morning before work). I do have Tae Bo and might try to do it a little at a time but I want to be able to do the Denise Austin tape well before I try the Tae Bo.

Thanks everyone, DM

DM - Good to hear that you are using your gazell. I have a treadmill at home that I use to do my cardio training. I don't have the motivation to use it before work, either, so end up doing my 20 - 30 minutes after work. I have power walking tapes from Debbie Smith that I use. I really like the workouts that she has. However, I do go to the gym in the morning before work, simply because of how busy it is after work. If I stop after work (usually after I have worked an hour or so of overtime), then I am finding that I don't get home until 8:00 pm. That makes a really long day when I start work at 7:30 am. I mentioned to my trainer that I wanted to start to workout in the mornings, and she told me that was a good idea if I wanted to lose some more weight. She said that the workout revvs the metabolism, so you actually burn morn calories througout the day. I have just started this morning routine last Friday, so will find out if it actually works for me. I am hoping that it does because I am having trouble budging the last 10 pounds that I want to lose.

Here are a couple of muffin recipes that I make quite often. It includes the recipe that you are looking for.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

One can pumpkin
One Chocolate or Spice Cake mix

Mix together with a hand mixer. Do not add anything else.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

TROPICAL MUFFINS

1 pkg (3oz) Lite cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sour cream lite
2 cans (8oz each) crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds (just 3 or 4 on top of each muffin)

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and extracts until smooth; stir in egg.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt;
Add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, just until moistened
Fold in pineapple and coconut
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
Sprinkle with almonds.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes or until muffins test done.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks
Yield: 1 1/2 DOZEN for a total of 49 points.

I think each muffin works out to about 2.7 points each.

NOTE: the recipe is correct, it does NOT contain baking powder or added fat. I baked mine in paper-lined cups and sprayed a shot of Pam on the inside of each paper cup. I thought they might be difficult to remove from the paper liners but they came out beautifully.

Your pumpkin muffin recipe sounds extremely easy, and at 2 pts per muffin, quite a bargain. However, what size can of pumpkin? How many muffins, 12?
Thanks again.

Thanks for the receipes. Do you know if I could make a cake instead of pumpkin muffins with that receipe and if so how high and for how long. I am hungry for cake tonight. Actually, I am hungry for everything tonight. It seems that there is always one night per week where I am very hungry. But with banking points and earning points with exercising I keep within my point range.

I do my exercising before work during the work week because it the only time I have time. I like how its suppose to boast the metabolism. It also seems to make the work day go better. Maybe thats all in my head but even if it is that's OK. DM

My Pumpkin muffin recipe is a little different, and yes you can bake it like a cake but have to cut it into 24 peices for each peice to be 2 points. IT is actually 2.1 but WW Recipe builder says to count it as 2.

1 box spice cake mix
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
2 egg whites
3/4 c. water

Mix all, place in 24 muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so. You can also bake this as a loaf of bread, it is good that way too. My friend adds raisins and likes that, but i do not like them so I don't know how it tastes. Top them with 2 T. fat free cool whip for 0 additional points, tastes great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peggy, congrats on the 2.25 pounds! So does that make 7.75 left to go? AWESOME! Keep on truckin...how are exams coming? Mine SUCK. Oh well, on with is and 2 weeks left till I leave for a 3 week vacation! Yippeeeee!!!!!!

HAs anyone heard from Michelle? She hasn't been on in a while! Wonder how she is doing....

Anj

Thanks for the receipes:) ! Hopefully I'll be 'good' and make one and not do the easy way out and buy something from the bakery department at the grocery store with 50pts. per piece.

WI was last night. I lost two lbs. and am so excited. My clothes are getting lose and people are noticing the weight lose.
DM

Hi there,

I just joined WW 03/18/02 and I love it!!

Kinda slow losing but staying OP :strong:

This is my first week on WW, though I am doing this program independently (can't afford the weekly costs, etc.). I'm counting points, using lots of the info from the web about point values of food, etc. I don't have a scale, but went to the doc last week and weighed in at 245. I wear a 20 pants and want to get down to a 16 by September. I think I'm doing something wrong, however. I feel sluggish and headachy during the day. I try to save my big points for the dinner meal with my family is home and they want to eat non-diet food. Any suggestions?

Redneck-
I know that many people like to save their points for later in the day, but that would never work for me, I would end up eating everyithing in sight because I was lightheaded and knew it was from lack of food and proper nutrition.
Shortly after I started this program, I mentioned to my MD that I get shaky between breakfst and lunch-her suggestion is to eat some protein for breakfast, and save some food from breakfast for a snack before lunch. It turned out to be great advice-I now eat protein with every meal almost every day and it really helps. You are in a higher point range, given your weight, so it should be easy for you to spread your points over during the day and stay satisfied. In the beginning, it is difficult-it's like we are learning a new skill.
Good luck-I would suggest also trying to get some information from some people who have been going to meetings, so you can learn some other information about the program.
Also, make sure you drink LOTS of water-it helps during those 1st few weeks when you feel completely deprived.

Redneck-
Forgot another piece of advice-try not to achieve a certain amount of weight lost or size changes by a certain date. If you follow the program and lose weight, you will be better off than if you never started at all. And if you don't reach your goal by that date, you will feel like a failure. I am guilty of this very thing-lose 10 lbs in a month, etc. Then when I lose only .6 a week, I feel like a failure. Any loss is a good loss and even if you don't lose, but your clothes feel looser, you are loosing inches.
Best of luck to you!
Keep us updated!

Hi. Good to hear that you have started your weight loss journey. Like you, I did not join weight watchers, but chose to follow the ww plan. In the last 10 months I have lost 60.25 pounds and am presently 5.75 pounds from my goal weight. Here are the things that helped me along the way.

1. I committed to weighing myself every week. Even if you have to make an extra stop at the dr. office once every week, try to weigh yourself on the same day each week at about the same time. I find that myweight fluctuates during the day and also different days of the week, so to get an accurate reading on weight, I weigh on Fridays at about 7:30 am.

2. Commit to writing everything down. I bought a daytimer at the local office supply store and faithfully write everything that I eat down. Sometimes when I didn't think that I had lost enough weight, or I had gotten into a rut, I was able to review my food journal and figure out how to make some small adjustments. Also, when you have a bad day, it is sometimes enough to put you back on track if you HAVE to write the over points down. :D

3. Drink all your water and more if you can. I find that drinking water all the time takes cravings away. I discovered this by accident one weekend when I had not been drinking enough water. About 2 weeks later, I read an article about keeping hydrated. The article said that people often suffer with cravings because they are dehydrated. Most often, they try to satisfy the craving by eating whatever food it is, but because they don't correct the dehydration problem, they don't satisfy the craving, consequently binge. I have tried this on many occasions and it does work. Also, one of the fitness instructors at the college that I work at advised that afternoons are a particulary difficult time for many people. She said that between 2:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon, most people become very lethargic and tired. To prevent this, drink a lot of water in the 1/2 hour before you know this is coming on. Part of it is the dehydration problem again I generally drink a lot of water in the afternoons, anyway, so haven't experienced the tired feeling.

4. Vary your points everyday. You may think that eating at the low end of the points range will produce better results. WRONG! Your body decides that you aren't giving it the regular amount of nourishment, so to counteract the reduction in food, your metabolism will slow down. Consequently, your weight loss will be slower. I usually eat at the top of the point range right after weigh-in, then gradually drop to the bottom of the range for the rest of the week, so that I am eating at the minimum point range just before wiegh-in. Then quick boost to the top again (after weigh-in) to get the metabolism revving. This has worked for me, but you will need to make adjustments that work for your body. If you want more information on this, another plan is called the Wendie plan. It actually goes beyond the allowable points range one day per week, but for some people, they lose better that way. It didn't work for me, so I adjusted to my own.

5. I can relate to you about wanting to eat well with the rest of the family in the evenings. I call that being stingy with my points during the day. :) I usually find that I have only eaten about 5 or 6 points for the day (I'm on a range or 18 - 23 points) so psychologically, I feel like I have lots left for the end of the day. I eat something low in points for breakfast (usually low fat bread and sugar free jam), and lunch (garden vegetable soup (0 pt.), fruit and a salad with ff dressing) and drink lot of water in between. If I feel a need to snack or am getting headachy or lethargic, I alway have carrot sticks or chopped veggies to munch on during the day. It has become such a habit now that I find I am short of points at the end of the day...just have to have those cookies before I can go to bed. :D

5. Cook low fat and diet food for you family. Now, don't get me wrong. I am in the same position that you are in, where the family don't want and don't need to diet. Well, that doesn't stop me. I utilize low fat cooking methods in my preparation. When we have hamburgers for supper, I eat mine in low fat bread, rather than a bun, and prepare a veggie burger, rather than beef. That's not much of a change in preparation and it satisfies your food plan. Also, check out a lot of the recipes on the WW thread here. Things like the cola chicken, smothered chicken, etc. are a hit in my home and they don't even know it is diet food :D You can do it, and have your family eating healthier without them even knowing.

Hope some of those suggestions help you. It's a start, anyway, and you will develop some of your own strategies. Good luck on your journey. You can do this, with some planning.

Thank you so much for all of the help...and I love the quote (Titanic and Ark). I have heard about the need for water, but water is like medicine for me... I really hate it. I like the Fruit2o's, but I worry about what all of that Splenda stuff will do to me. I try to limit myself to one bottle of it a day. I've eaten enough carrots to turn myself orange, and I should be able to see better now. Believe it or not, I was a vegetarian and a body builder for years before meeting my husband...and then I ate a Big Mac. It was as if every fat cell in my body took control and I've not been able to turn it off since. My husband needs to diet, but won't admit it. He has a "redneck 36"-inch waist...if you sling his belt low enough below his belly.

It is very hard to cook for my family as they are very picky. My husband doesn't help as he is a meat eater and really loves fried foods. Honestly, I just don't have enough willpower to fry food for the family and then just sit and eat rabbit food.

I eat a large salad each day at lunch time and I do add some form of protein to each. I have found that I do better if I eat some protein in the AM rather than just eating the carbs, so I am cooking a real egg each AM and eat it with a piece of toast sprayed with that spray butter substitute. Is caffeine free tea considered a water? If so, I can handle that for my water requirement as I do love to sip on tea all day.

I've read of people "banking" their points...is that a way of saving them for a special occasion?

This being my first weekend on the diet will be crucial for me as the family will be home eating all weekend long and I'll be tempted to snack right along with them.

As for my goals, I primarly want to get into regular sizes, not women's sizes. My issue has never been with weight, it's always been with size. I want to go to the rack at the Misses department and be able to pick out nice clothes that fit well. I also want to be alive for my kids and my grandkids, whenever they arrive. Another 20 years just won't do; I'm going for another 40 years!

redneck - I know where you are coming from. I don't like water very much, either, but I have been drinking the flavored waters for some time now. I can't get any that are flavored with Splenda (which, by the way is made from sugar, not aspartame), so I drink the ones that are made from aspartame. I did do quite a bit of research on the 'aspartame' thing before I started and the jury is still out. There is lots of documentation either way about the health risk. I guess I also look at the diabetics that don't have much choice. They have been using aspartame for 30 years and there is no research to indicate that it is a health risk. Anyway, enough of that subject.

Also, on the family eating stuff, I don't in any way suggest that you eat rabbit food when the family is enjoying a hearty meal. If you did that, you are a stronger person than I am. :lol: What I am suggesting though, is that if the family is having hamburgers, you have a veggie burger, or if you really want the beef (sometimes I just can't handle another veggie burger), eat half a beef patty (or if you make your own, make a full patty with half the beef). If the family is have smokies, you have a ff weiner, either grilled or microwaved. That way you are having the same meal as they are, just not the same calorie or fat content.

Also about the frying. That's a real problem. I don't fry very much stuff, mostly because I have had a Jenn Air for the past 25 years and we have become accustomed to grilling indoors. I am just replacing it with a cook top that does not have a built in grill, but I am planning to invest in a stove top grill that I can do my meats, etc. on in the house. Before I made the decision not to have a built in grill, I checked out to see how much they were and if they were any good. Some of the ladies on this site have purchased the George Foreman grills and are very happy with them. If your family still likes the fried stuff, then fry theirs, but do yours in some other fashion - eother baked, broiled, or grilled. I know it is extra dishes, etc., but it will be worth it in the long run.

You may even want to do something like cook 6 chicken breasts up, eat one for the supper meal and freeze the rest. Then, even if the family is eating a big beef steak, you can still have something that is similar - your protein, your potatoes, veggies, salad, bread and perhaps a couple cookies for dessert. I don't worry about whether I am eating beef when the family does, only that I am not depriving myself of something that is enjoyable. I couldn't eat a salad when there is meat on the table - I just love meat waaaay toooo much.

Also, try to make it a family obligation to make sure that you have your things cooked and served a certain way - ie: I don't eat fried foods anymore, unless they are fried with a bit of Pam, rather than a dollop of butter. I can remember a few months ago, DH was dishing out supper because I was busy. He asked how many potatoes I wanted, and I replied, about 1 cup. Well, when my dish arrived at the table, there were 3 little 1/3 cup pyramids of potatoes. He had actually taken out the measuring cups to make sure I got exactly 1 cup of potatoes.

I also don't expect the rest of the family to give up their sweets and desserts, but when they have coke, I have diet coke, when they have cookies, I have tea biscuits, when they have nachos, I have toasted pita bread and salsa, when they want ice cream sandwiches, I eat my graham crackers with frozen cool whip between. I try to match the snacks that they have with something that is similar, but within my weight loss program.

However, I do make compromises that fit with my final destination. The family consumes less fat than we were a year ago, simply because I buy "light" foods now rather than full fat. If the family doesn't like them, we have 2 in the fridge. A small jar of something for me and a family size jar of the real thing for them. Most of the time when I make stuff with light cream cheese, or light mayo on sandwiches, lower fat margarines, etc. they don't even notice. When they do, I buy for them what they desire, but don't indulge myself.

Hope you are able design a program that will allow you to follow you weight loss plan AND keep the family eating what they want. I know what a big adjustment that is, but it is doable. Just persevere and come to a workable solution that benefits both. You can do it.

Hello, Something else that you might try is eating your points starting at night.I tried this several weeks ago and have lost 42 lbs this way, If your family is having the largest meal at night this might work. I count from 5 pm until 5pm the next night. I know its a mind game but then I have what they are having. On the boards they call it night eaters and for some strange reason this has helped. Just a thought....

Sound like wonderful ideas--All of Them! What is a tea cake? I remember them as being light cookies made with lots of butter and not much sugar. I also like the idea of counting points starting at 5PM, but I just know that I'd never make it from noon until dinner. Today I made myself an iced coffee for my afternoon pick me up. I used instant coffee, Equal and poured some nonfat milk in with it with a drop of almond extract. Tasted great and got me through those critical two hours after school and before dinner. Are there any sample eating plans out there? I am really stoked to lose this weight and don't want to lose my momentum at this point. This web site is helping SO much and I really appreciate all of the encouragement and the great suggestions.

WW says points in a 24 hour period. Maybe you should try from noon until noon the next day????

I finished my first week on WW and I am feeling really good about my efforts thus far. Yesterday I had a really hard time eating up all the points allowed so I went to bed with 10 unused points. Can I eat them today? I felt so stuffed yesterday and still felt that way last night. Kids wanted McDonald's last night, so while everyone else ate fries and big macs I had a McGrill with no mayo (7 points). I refilled my diet coke once and then we went to the mall and did some walking.

The first two days of the program there was a chocolate cake in the house. It had a beacon on it calling me, so I threw it down the disposal. I finally told the kids last night what I had done, and while they were upset that I had lied to them, they understand that it is hard for me to resist those kinds of foods.

I would like to thank this website for all of the great information and support. Everytime I feel the need to get a snack, I sit in front of the computer for a while and go straight to this website. If it keeps me busy for even 30 minutes until the craving passes, it's working for me.

I don't have a scale at home (for years I have refused to have one), but I plan on going out for one this week. For this first week I don't care what my weight loss is...I'm just so happy that I was able to stick to the plan for a week and not feel deprived. It took 20 years of living life to the fullest to pack this weight on and I don't expect to take it off overnight.

We're closing on a house here in Granger on 5/20 and hubby has said that we'll buy some exercise equipment for the basement! You see, he has also had a good time with food and he has put on considerable weight. Combine that with his layoff last summer when he spent 5 months unemployed and he has gained 70 lbs since we got married. He is starting to show some interest in "doing the program" with me, but when I told him the real coca cola would have to go, he was quick to change his mind. Maybe my success will change his mind; I certainly hope it does.

Have a really good week, everyone....you're all losers (weight)...and I thank you.

Redneck-
Sounds like you are doing all the right stuff. Best of luck to you!
As for your husband, possibly he can drink regular coke, and just count the points. Maybe after awhile, he will not want to use so many points for coke. The other thing that may work is to gradually decrease the amount of coke and replace it with diet coke.
Another bit a advice-I know many people like the George Foreman grills. However, I read a suggestion from these boards and I'm glad I did.
WalMart sells a grill, made by GE. It is exclusive to WalMart, and the best part about it is that the grill parts come off and can go in the dishwasher!!! The GF grills don't have that capability. Also, there is a drawer that fits under it to catch the grease. The GF grills have a little tray, which if it is not in the right place, can cause a mess. I don't use my grill often, but I do use it to cook foods for the whole family. Also, it was cheaper than GF, only about $69.95.
Have a great day! Keep up the great work! Day by day, you will get there!

Hi everyone,

Donna - Like your suggestions about coke. You are right...just because you are following a weight loss program, does not mean that you must give up everything that you enjoy, whether it is chocolate cake, or coke. The whole philosophy is that you plan, within your point range to have those things, and to eat them in moderation.

I have a real weaknes for things like chocolate cake, etc., so when I have it in the house, I cut into individual size pieces and put into the freezer. The rest of the family can still enjoy, but they are not so tempting for me. I have to stop, consider if I really want it, then wait for it to thaw before indulging. Often, that is enough to prevent me from wanting it.

Also, you are right about the grill. When I started to look at the grills, I was partial to the one at Walmart. For me, being able to put the parts in the dishwasher is a major factor. I had actually settled on that model instead of the George Foreman grill, partly because of price, and partly because of the convenience of clean-up. I haven't purchased it yet, but if any one can has one, I'd like to know how you like it.

redneck - How did you WI go? Was hoping that you would post the results this weekend. Let us all know. I am glad that you were able to get through the first week without feeling deprived AND a bonus of not using up all your points one day. Woohoo!!! It will get easier and as you adjust and become accustomed to journalling and eating the proper way, you will find it even easier. Keep up the great work.

Hope everyone has a great week. Mine started at 6:00 am at the gymn :D I have hubby working out, as well, so it is becoming easier to get motivated in the morning. On the mornings that I don't feel like going, he's pushes me and vice versa. By 7, we are finished, have a nice shower at work (cuts down on the water consumption at home, too), then stop at the cafeteria for breakfast. Starting to get to be a routine. It is such a shame that we have not taken advantage of the fitness centre at work before, but I guess we just got a bit lazy...then, of course, when the kids were home it was more difficult. Things have changed.

Cheers,

sweet tooth-

How old are your kids? Mine are 15 and almost 13, and I fear the worst is still ahead, although getting to this point hasn't been much fun either.
It's great to know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi Donna - I know what you mean about the getting to the teen stage. It was really difficult to get the kids to that stage, but when they hit high school, they felt they were ready to make their own decisions. I think, for us, the two main things that worked was to discipline them with something that was meaningful for them as individuals, and the second was to expend the energy necessary to impose consequences.

When our children were small, we had a friend who grew up with 6 girls in the house. Since there were only 3 bedrooms in their home, she shared with 2 sisters. She told us that every evening she acted up at the end of dinner because her father's favorite punishment was to send them to their room. She loved that punishment because she had the room to herself, and she got out of doing dishes. We thought about the value of grounding our children when they were bad, and decided that we would utilize consequences that THEY valued, not that were easy for us. Our oldest daughter loved to go to church - she was big into volunteerism there, and her life revolved around our church. Soooo, you can imagine, when she was given something to do, or chose to be bad, she knew the consequences attached to her behaviour was that she would have to miss church. Our oldest son was heavily into sports, in particular soccer. His consequence was to miss practices or a tournament or something like that. Our youngest son was the social butterfly of the family, so when we needed to punish him, grounding, or sending him to his room were viable options.

The other thing that we found, was to ensure that you impose the consequences that you use. Often, it is more work and energy to impose the consequences than it is to either do the chore yourself, or ignore the bad behaviour. As my husband says, you can even give a woodpecker a headace. However, when kids start to realize that they must suffer consequences for bad decisions, they start to make better choices.

We also started to encourage our children to make their own decisions and become independent as they were capable. When they were in high school, we didn't have curfews for them, but expected them to be reasonalbe. Reasonable was set out in guidelines, but were flexible if we received a call and knew where they were and what they were doing. On the other hand, we were diligent about letting our kids know where we were all the time, calling them if we were going to be home late, and respecting their time, also.

Our middle son, the soccer player, was probably the most difficult to manage of all our children. He has a hearing impairment and along with some of that goes a behavioural problem. Although he felt that we were unfair and horrible parents when he was growing up (we were constantly being told that we were awful), he often comments now (he's 26), that he appreciates the discipline that he received and he learned valuable lessons from it. He also says now, when he compares his growing up years with those of his friends, that he wouldn't change anything.

Although you are heading towards a time where you might as well acknowledge to yourself that you are the stupidest thing to hit the face of the earth :D , it does get better. Family is most important in our lives, and raising responsible, self-sufficient adults is a task that requires a lot of sacrifice, a lot of understanding, and sometimes not being the most liked person in your child's life. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and someday you will look back and say that it wasn't so bad. While you are going through it, though, it seems like it will never end. But remember to enjoy those times, too. They slip away far too fast.

I went by the docs office today and had dropped 6 lbs over last week. Now, this is dramatic, but I think it is also because I have shed some premenstrual water that I had last week. Still, I am happy about it. The only days that I suffered were the first two during which a chocolate cake was on the table calling me. I destroyed it and the problem went away. Last night I made cola chicken and the kids really liked it, so that was a successful family diet food endeavor. I feel super motivated at this point. The kids are eating chocolate muffins right now (dad bought them), and I'm going to fix myself a cup of SF hot cocoa.

I am having trouble getting all of my points consumed in a day for the last two days, but I am able to consume my largest meal at night (6PM is dinner time here). I have enough points left for the day to have a nice spaghetti dinner with the family. Whole wheat pasta is all we use in this house, and it tastes wonderful. Mueller makes some as does Creamette.

Met hubby today for lunch at Wendy's and had a cup of chili with a side salad. The dressing looked too fattening, so I didn't eat it (got home and found it would have cost 3 points for it). I was so proud of hubby because he said that we'd go to anyplace that gave me the most choices of food on my diet. :D He ordered the spicy chicken, which is "diet" for him as he usually gets the Big Bacon Classic. I've promised him killer S*X when we both get the weight off, so this may have provided a little incentive. :s:

Have a really good week, and I'll be checking the 3FC site every day, several times a day.

Sandy

Sandy - Congrats on the 6 pound loss. You are doing great! Keep up the terrific work.

So good to hear that you are surviving your food plan and making the family happy with their eating treats. Check out some more of the recipes on 3FC for main courses. Many of them are really good - I serve the smothered chicken and perogies (sp?) quite frequently and the family think they are great. I know you can manage to stay within points, but do make sure that you eat all your points everyday. I went through a time when I wasn't eating all my points and my body decided to hold on to everything I fed it. Consequently, I didn't lose weight. I know make sure that I eat at least up to the minimum - occassionally I make a mistake counting and underestimate my points, but that is not very often anymore. :D

Hope this week is as good as last.

Cheers,

Hi
Although I have not been posting I have been staying OP. I didn't get to WW last week and when I did WI tonight I lost 2 lbs. Some days I have a hard time eating all my points and some days its the opposite, I go over my pts. for the day but at the end of the week it seems to be evening out. I tried on a pair of jeans the other day, two sizes smaller than the 'skinny' jeans that I have been wearing from the back of the closet and the jeans fit :D . I didn't buy them because it is getting close to being shorts weather around here and I would rather pick up some jean shorts etc. for the summer. Sorry this is a little on the long side. DM

Daisy,

Congrats on the weight loss and the ability to get into the skinny jeans. I would have bought them...you'd have something snazzy to wear out at night.

I'm approaching my weight loss plan as simply as I can. It's taken me 20 years to pack this stuff on. If I want to get it off for good I have to change how I eat, not just what I eat. I've seen too many people go on wild diets, lose a bunch of weight, and then gain it back and then some. WW has a good plan, and we all know that eating like Bachus is not healthy for us. Every now and then it's not too bad, but then it's back on the wagon.

Sweet tooth-
Thank you for your insightful words. You are right, there are times when I not only feel stupid, but I am told that by my adolescent children, "What are you, stupid,?"(or dumb, or whatever word comes to their minds)
Both my children are wonderful in their own right, and I truly enjoy them mostly when we are 1 on 1-that's when I see the most liked aspects of their personalities. However, when they are together, or we are all together, watch out!
I have pretty much vetoed any kind of family vacations, which is really sad because I love to travel and show them things in the world. However, due to strained finances at this time, travel would be a premium. I have explained to my husband that possibly he can do something special with each one of the kids individually, but I am not interested in spending good money on a vacation where I have to put up with the same XXXX
but somewhere else.
My kids are as different as night and day. My son is 15, has ADHD, and also ODD (Oppositional defiance disorder). Makes for an interesting life. My daughter, who will be 13 in July, I believe has a bit of ADD, but also has history of a seizure disorder, so we need to be careful with meds for her. Consequently, we have not gone that
route with her, but I believe we need to re-examine the issues. My son is very athletic, plays soccer and on gymnastics team, fit and trim and attractive, although somewhat immature in many areas. Traditionally, school has not been his strong suit, but this year as a freshman, he is having a great year (B average).
My daughter is not athletic at all, but quite intelligent (makes for interesting conversations among the 4 of us). She is a straight A student, always has been, and has extremely high expectations of herself, but is very disorganized and occasionally does not pay attention to the details which could be helpful to her.
Granting punishments are always a challenge, and my son is just now beginning to understand the value of his consequences. My daughter never really does anything wrong like my son, she just says things frequently without thinking and therefore says some hurtful things. Her main things are her disorganization and procrastination. In many ways, she takes after her father. He frequently complains about her and I usually point up the fact that many of the characteristics we don't like in her are the same ones he and I possess.
Anyway, we have probably have bored the rest of the people on this board with our stories.
Good luck to all of us with weight loss!!
We are always

I have a question, and maybe someone can give me some insight.

I'm not just a bit overweight, and my skin has "stretched" to cover the new, larger me. I'm in my mid-40's and, needless to say, my skin isn't what it used to be. I'm worried about looking like a flying squirrel once my weight loss starts to heat up. Is surgery going to be my only option? It's not just the flabby arms...I have what I call a "hangover"...the part of my stomach that hangs over from the c-section point and just sort of sits there. Exercise is great for the muscles, but what can I do for my skin?

Sandy

Sandy - I know exactly what you mean. I have lost over 60 pounds now and to make matters worse, I did not exercise through the weight loss period. I started exercising about 1 1/2 months ago. Fortunately, where I work, we can sign up for personal fitness trainers and have a fitness centre (complete with all the latest equipment) at work. I decided to sign up with a fitness tranier this year with the intention that I would work on toning up.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, the skin on my arms bagged, at the front of my chest was wrinkly, across my back, under my neck, the backs of my thighs, my calves, etc. I looked like some of the elephants you see at the zoo. So, I have concentrated exclusively on toning up, at a rate that I will still burn calories and lose weight. I am beginning to see signs of firmness now and not so much wrinkle. I am also hoping that, over time, it will improve even further.

Go to the eDiets website and sign up for their newletter. They often send articles on exercises that can be done to tone that don't required the equipment that gyms have. If they have an archve, dig back into some of the older articles, 'cause I know there have been several put out over the last 2 - 3 months.

Great Question!!

I had been wondering the same thing about the skin. I have lost 20 so far and have at least 75 to go (depends if I follow what WW for my height and age or go to a dr. and get a number that is probably more for me). I am going to go to ediets.com like Sweet tooth mentioned. I have never been there but have thought about it. DM

Believe it or not, I used to be a body builder in a past life... I know the exercises that "used" to work on different areas of the body, but that was a long time ago (20+ years) and I didn't carry stretch marks from bearing large children. Free weights are, IMHO, one of the best things a person can invest in. When used with good posture and proper breathing they can provide a great workout. Working with free weights can also provide a good cardio workout if you use lighter weights, increase the reps, and keep up the pace. I'll get my hubby a set for father's day and let you know how "I" like them.....

Sandy

I just went to ediets.com I didn't realize that it was something I had to pay to use. I just don't think I have the extra money right now. The WW fees are taking enough out of my pocket. DM

Daisy,

I'm following the WW plan but am not going to any program. I can't afford the $12 a week right now, either. I found so much stuff on the internet that was essentially free. Sorry Weight Watchers, but if you want to attract folks you're going to have to lower your weekly rates.

DM - I know that the eDiets program is a pay to use program, but you should be able to sign up for their newsletter free of charge. I don't pay, but they send me the newletter all the time. If you can't find the info on the site, send me a pm with your email address and I will forward the exercise newsletters that I saved. Take care.

reneck - I am like you. Must be my Scottish background. I have been following the WW plan, weighing in on a specified day each week, logging and charting my own weight and using this list as my motivation. For me, there are 2 reasons. The first is that I don't want to spend the money. The second is that I don't want to commit the time to go to a meeting...I find that I can come here whenever I want, so it is more flexible than attending scheduled meetings. You are right, though, there is so much information on the net that I don't want to spend that kind of money to do something that I should do for myself, anyway. Call me cheap...

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Take care.

Hi ladies....sorry to have dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still doing WW but it's been a journey. I'm in week 13 and down 18.6, but for the last four or five weeks I've really been yo-yoing.....I've come down from a size 22W to a 18, and excited when I go shopping now, but it still hasn't been enough to make me put the extra points down. And I haven't been journaling like I should either. Weighed in last night, so today is a brand new day. And I'm trying to take myself back to the early weeks, back when I was following things to a T, and the pounds were magically melting away. I have incorperated exercise, and I know that muscle weighs more than fat, my measurements are still going down, I just have this failure pushing down on my shoulders, and need to vow to myself that this will be a good week, and that I will be back on track. No more lazy journaling, no more sneaking points here and there, because there is no "sneaking" about it, the scale doesn't lie. I have six lbs to go until my 10%, and I'm giving myself one month to do it. Which is way to generous, I think, but oh well....should be more like two weeks, as much as I've been slackin. If y'all have any "stick to it" tips, bring em on. I'm looking for that something to give me some new spark.
Talk to ya soon,
Michelle

Michelle - Smart lady! You need to recognize what you are doing and go for it. One thing that I did when I first started WW and this continued for probably 8 months, was to carry my daytimer everywhere. I took it to work everyday, with me when I went for a drive, into restaurants, or travelling...just everywhere. I also committed to writing and calculating all my points BEFORE I ate anything. I often have my journals filled out the previous day, so that I had a better chance of sticking to the plan. Get back with the journalling, even if you have to write down the points on the days you are waaaayyy over (kind of a wake-up call), it helps keep you focused. I know you can take that extra 6 pounds off by the end of the Month...you go for it.

The way I look at it, even if I were to gain a lb or two, I'm still at a net loss. I guess the Scot in me also contributes to my equating everything in life with money.... I look at my points like I would my daily budget. I have just so much to spend... so do I want to buy one blouse at Lord & Taylor, or 6 blouses at Walmart. That chocolate muffin on the table looks great, and I've even taken a bite, chewed it up for the flavor and then spat it into the garbage. Then I fix a cup of FF hot cocoa. I don't know why, but the hot liquids give me a feeling of comfort and fullness more than cold ones.

I'm enjoying the recipe pages, though I've only made the Cola Chicken. I'm not really a patient cook, so when I see more than five ingredients and more than two steps I'll walk away. I guess that's the Irish in me, always on the run.

I did want to make an observation, though. I've noticed that when I drink the Fruit 2 o that I get "the runs". Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone have any research on Splenda that they'd like to share?

Sandy

redneck - How many more nationalities do you have in you? I have Scot, Irish, also , plus some.

Sweet Tooth,

I'm a mongrel. My mom's side is Scot/Irish, with a bit of Cherokee thrown in from someplace. My dad's side is Welsh/English. In general, I come from a long line of fat folk who had bad teeth, were bald-headed and couldn't hold their liquor!

redneck - We share just about the same heritage. I have some Norwegian thrown in, also. Just wondering....What do you do for the baldness? :D

Sweet Tooth:

Funny you should mention that, about baldness. I saw a product yesterday on The Other Half, Nu Hair. It purports to help grow new hair with organic compounds instead of synthetic chemicals. I've been having a problem with hair loss since the birth of my first child, 11 years ago. What's worse is the increase in the facial hair which is coming in dark and coarse. I'm a fair skinned blonde, so this is quite disturbing for me. I have been told that these changes are likely hormonal and that the oral consumption of progesterone will help. I still await the results of some tests before I get the hormone therapy, and I do have to be careful due to a history of pre-cancer in the breast (removed x 2). I think there is a website for the Nu Hair product, but I can't say that I've been looking for it. If you decide to try the product and it works for you, please spread the word. There are so many of us ladies out there who are suffering from hair loss.

Sandy

Michelle - Congrats on doing so good!! I am about 2.5 lbs. from my 10% of 25lbs. and I hope I will get there by the end of the month.

I have not been doing the best on eating within my pts. this week but I have also been more physically active so hopefully it all evens out at WI on Monday.

Sandy - Exactly how easy is the Cola Chicken and where do I find the recipe? Somedays trying to use the microwave is one step to many!

Sweettooth - I'll try signing up for the newletter and if that doesn't work I'll send you my email address, Thanks.
DM

Daisy,

The cola chicken is pretty easy, though I think it's a bit too much catsup for my taste...

1 c. of catsup (I used 1/2 cup)
1-12 oz can of diet cola (I used a store brand)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

Brown the chicken first with a bit of Pam. Add the catsup and cola and let it simmer for 15 minutes. I had to let mine cook about 5 minutes longer on med-high to get the sauce thicker. I served it with rice and a salad and the kids really liked it.

Good luck in cooking it, and I hope you have a good week. Keep on trying and keep telling yourself that you can do this...one day at a time is all it takes. Look at your points like you would money at the grocery. Your veggies, salads and nonfat foods are like buying store brand stuff...you get more quantity for less output. I look at the high point foods the way I would if I were to buy a leg of lamb, for instance, for $30, which is half of my weekly grocery budget. I've always been a tightwad, so I'm trying to apply the same mindset to my food points.

I agree with Sandy about the catsup. I actually cut it in half - reduces points and doesn't have such a catsupy flavor.

Sandy - Thanks for the info about the hair loss. I started taking hormones in Jan. and my hair is falling out in big clumps. What used to be very thick, curly hair, is now very thin, even curlier hair. I agree, too about the facial hair. I am also very fair skinned and used to be blond (long story), but the hair comes in very dark and course. I spend about 10 minutes every morning tweezing. When I am really organized (not very often), I can even get some waxing done.

Michelle - So good to hear from you again. 18.6 pounds!!! WOW! You are soooo awesome. Keep up the great work. Drop in and visit when you have a few moments, too. We love to hear from you.

DM - The cola chicken recipes, along with a whole bunch more, is in the recipe section of the WW thread. Take a gander through there when you have time. I found lots of really nice recipes that, not only the family likes, but that I can make when company comes and still know that I am staying OP. I have had to do some experiementing, but that's part of new recipes anyway.

Weelll, this weekend was not good for me. I think that I have convinced myself that I don't need to stay OP on the weekends. Well, today, I am giving my head another shake. I DO need to stay OP everyday, without fail. But, today is a new day, and I am committing to staying OP, no excuses, until the end of June. At that time, I will reassess where I am at, and make some minor adjustments. Sooo, that is my plan...if I wander, please remind me. I appreciate that. :)

Hope everyone has an OP week. Talk later.

Sweet Tooth,

I went slightly off plan for mother's day... we were out shopping and it got late, so we stopped at a burger joint. I got a chicken sandwich with no mayo (2nd one in two day). I think I went over by maybe 5 points for the day, but the rest of the week I was a bit below points every day. Hubby wanted fried chicken, but I told him it was a big no-no for me.

The next two weeks are going to be a big test for me. We're closing on a house in a week and moving in a few days later. I tend to eat more when I'm stressed.

Well ladies, this is it, I've made the big decision, and feedback is sooooooo welcome on this subject. We're all women here, I can be frank. When the boob fairy blessed me with her magic powder, she tripped and spilled it all. I've been "well endowed" to put it nicely since I was 14. And no matter how much weight I lose, which back then I was still skinny and had them, I still can't stand them. The neck pain, and backache, and just everything about them. So I called the other day and I'm going in for a consultation to have them reduced on June 26th. I'm 27 yrs old, and I'm done having kids(for sure) so breastfeeding isn't a factor. My hubby supports it fully. I have to get my bras custom made I'm at 40 II/J or in general stores a E ....so I'm wondering what y'all think is a good size. I myself could go for a AAA...he he, but that's not realistic. My weight watcher buddy, says no fair....that's a quick five pounds gone atleast...he he. Let me know if anyone has been through it, and what y'all think.
Thanks,
Michelle

Regarding the breast redux...I have not been through it, but had a close friend go through it a few years back. She was also VERY large, and we used to joke around the office that we'd see her boobs come around the corner five minutes before we saw her face. She was overjoyed and totally elated at her results. She did, however, have a great deal of pain and was not happy with the scarring. She went back a few years later and had them "evened up" and had some plastic surgery done. My advise is to make sure that they do all they can to maintain sensitivity in the nipple area. They cut her nipples and rearranged them on her breast and she lost all sensation (something she enjoyed). She initially chose a D cup, something I had to gain 100 pounds to attain!!!!!! She's now a B cup and feels very comfortable. Make sure that you are seeing your doctor regarding other physical complaints, i.e,, headache, back pain, sciatica (pain down the back of the legs), difficulty sleeping, etc. In this way your insurance (if you're in the US and insured) should cover most of the costs associated with the surgery. Otherwise, if you're doing it purely for cosmetic reasons, they won't cover it.

My one suggestion would be this: If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, why not elect to completely have them cleaned out and replaced with implants? You'd cut your breast cancer risk dramatically without all of the ductal tissue for cancer to grab hold of.

Sandy

Hey Sandy,
Thanks for the input and the quick response. There's no family history of breast cancer, so that's not something I think that I would consider. My insurance will cover it, but it has to be preappoved, so after my initial consultation in June, I'll know. The doctor's office will send in the pictures and their assessment, and I'll go from there. Not certain if it's something I'll do if insurance DOESN'T cover it, we'll see. I'm also wondering if I'll have to lose more weight before they'll do it. I'm at 202ish now, and lost around 23 or so, but still want to lose around 40 or 50 more. Although back when I weighed 145 they were the same size.

Everyone else, bring on the feedback....I'm really curious what everyone else is thinking.
Can't wait to hear from y'all,
Michelle

I don't know, firsthand, about breast reductions. My experience, though was attending a lecture that was done by a plastic surgeon on all kinds of things. His topics included breast reductions complete with pictures.

The two things that I remember from that lecture was that he advised breast reductions are far more complicated (and painful - sorry) than breast implants and that, if you are considering any kind of plastic surgery to make sure that you find a good reputable doctor. He advised that you seek more than one opinion, contact patients and do some of your own outside inquiries before you settle on a doctor (even contact the medical associations in your area). My impression was that if a tiny thing goes wrong with this kind of surgery, it can make lasting problems and visible, unsightly scarring.

However, on the bright side, he advised that this kind of surgery is one of the best things that large breasted women can do for their backs. Having had a broken back when I was a teen and suffering with constant back pain, I can understand some of the strain that it puts on your back and the pain that accompanies that. If it can be alleviated, I would say, go for it.

Keep us posted...

I too have a friend who did the breast reduction thing and she is very happy. She had horrible back and shoulder pain. I believe she chose a B cup. She also had some problems with pain from scarring. I'm not sure how that is prevented because each person's body deals with trauma differently.

Why not wait for further weight loss before the surgery?:cool:

I'm fine with the waiting for further weight loss thing, it's just that they are still going to be there, I don't lose weight in my chest. I had them when I was skinny too. But thanks for the input.

Today marks a new day for me, back to the journaling grind, and no cheating myself. I'm going to look at the first few weeks of my journaling , back when I was gung ho and repeat old patterns. I'm back at the internet, and reading up again. Need to get out of this slump. Hurt my knees last week playing ball, but I'm hoping to get out and walk tonight, we'll see how they feel by the end of the day. Going to make myself get my water in today, and aiming for the low end of my points. My biggest thing is journaling, and not cheating. I've become so lazy at it all. So hence my new leaf is turned. A friend on the chatroom last night gave me some good advice. " You bite it, you write it......you drink it, you ink it.....you nibble it, you scribble it"
Words to live by.
Later,
Michelle

If you want my two cents - I would do it and not go bigger then a C and not smaller than a B.

I am truely hopeing that I will lose in my breast area. I could probably wear a C but I buy D cups because I like the under arm support better on the Ds. Good Luck!! DM

Thanks DM....I'm honestly thinking now, after researching things a little more.... a med C cup....
As far as being back on the WW bandwagon...yesterday was great, and for the first time in a long time, I banked three pts and knew it was honest. Good feeling. I'm going to keep it up, and next step....10% goal.... Weigh in is not until Thurs. so I'm looking forward to that. I'm hoping that just getting back at it and sticking to it these past three days and until then will make that scale freeze and start falling again!!!
I'll check in later when I have more time,
Michelle

Hey y'all ...I'm thinking this thread is getting a little big so it's about time to end it....and since I'm no longer new and all....So I'm starting a new thread... fatgirl8me and friends....taking suggestions on other names...hehe...
Michelle

Hey y'all started a thread in the Buddy Up...section....it's called Fatgirl8me and Friends Daily Chat come one, come all

Ok...I have to say going back and rereading this old thread of mine when I was just starting WW for the first time was re inspiring!!! God I was excited in the beginning....like a whole different person....and I can honestly say I'm back in that mind set...woo hoo...can't wait to see what happens this time around!!

Man oh man...where did this girl go....
I was soooo pumped back then when WW was so new to me....have to say re reading this has really helped with my frame of mind. I've had many stops and restarts since this and nothing felt the same as the first time. This time around though I'm really feeling good about it, something is different than my last few attempts, so the old me and the new me are joining forces and we're kicking that butt for good!!!!