General Diet Plans and Questions - Doin' It the Old Fashioned Way #6

I'm taking the plunge, LOL.
Nancy, I wish I'd seen that Oprah now. Beans are very good for us:). I just won't do all my fiber through them anymore, LOL. Had 1/2 cup with lunch today. My mother died at age 44 and my grandmother at age 45, both of heart things (mom of cardiomyopthia and grandma of hear aneurism). Everyone on my mom's side has something wrong with their hearts, even if it is something very small. My sister has a slight murmur. I seem to be taking after my dad's side so far and they are relatively healthy. If I can just continue to eat right and excercise, that should help.
I have been checked out and everything looked good.

I was going to do no sweets today, but uh that's out the window already, LOL. I ate 2 servings of Peeps (marshmallow rabbits) and had 1/2 a Girl Scout cookie in the car. Whoops. That's it for the day though, LOL. I had a whole wheat, 1 slice roast beef, small slice of cheese sandwich for lunch with some beans and I just ate 1.5 - 2 green pepper slices and some carrot slices. Feeling full now:).

In Christ,
Pamela

Okay, I'm posting here to get on email notification!
Not much new to post, cept I'm back at 149 again!! Now to break through and get to 148!! Onward and DOWNward!! :)

Also, thought I'd stick some intro to this thread in here incase anyone new stops by . . .

This thread was originally started by Aphil to motivate and join forces with women who are losing their excess weight by limiting their calorie intake and exercising. You can use a calorie book, Weight Watchers point system, or a Richard Simmons food mover guide-it is all just different ways of keeping track of the same thing.
In Aphil's words, we share a lot of information here, and tons of support-we urge you to post here, or if you feel more comfortable you can just lurk!

:)

One last thing, Pamela, what type of beans to you eat? And do you eat them plain alone or mixed with something?

Does anyone have any good recipes with beans? I enjoy them but I'm not so sure about eating them plain! :)

Christine
195/149/130

Thanks for starting the new thread Pamela,

So sad that your Mom and Grandmother passed away so young. You sure are on the right track for staying healthly..keep up the good work.

Christine,,, only 19 pounds till you reach your goal. That is so close !!! :)


Hey I bought a can of black beans yesterday and havent got a clue what to do with them....will look on some website and try to find a recipe.....they seem a little scary to me....hahahah..


Se ya later....

Nancy

Well, its confession time.. I went over on calories today. But, I'm not upset about it for some unknown reason. I'll be good now.. I promise! :D

19 til my goal sounds great, until I consider the fact that I've lost the last 4-5 pounds about 5 times each now! At that rate, it'll be well over a year before I get near that goal! I think that if I can just break through this 149-150 thing, I'll see a decent drop though. I'll keep plodding along until I get there reguardless!

But . . . I would like to at least be close in 6 months when I visit my family in Arizona!! I love reactions from those who haven't seen me in forever! Last time my sister saw me (in January) she was impressed with how thin I'd become but I could probably drop some jaws at 130!! :D

I bought a couple cans of beans a couple months ago! And they're sitting in my pantry still cuz I have no clue what to do with them to make them tempting to eat :lol: I think you have the right idea, Nancy.. I should go searchin the internet for some recipes! There has to be tons out there just waiting for me to find them.

Okay, enough babbling. I hope everyone else joins us on this thread soon.. lets see how long it takes to fill this one up!! :-)

Christine
195/149/130

PS How can I put an image on the left under my name? I just cannot seem to figure that out!!

Hi guys,
I made my way to the new thread. What's up with all the beans? I must have missed something. lol. Are they magic beans that will help me lose this weight? Sorry, I'm just being a little silly.
I did good today, mostly because I slept all day. I was extremely tired. I think my lack of sleep catches up to me sometimes and I just crash. Both of my kids haven't been feeling well either, but I have none of their symptoms. I did go to the Y and do my aerobics and I am glad. I always feel better after I exercise. I thought I was ready to advance to a higher step. I'm glad I waited. My heart rate was way up there. I would have passed out if I went to the higher step.
I have to go for blood work tomorrow so I'm fasting for the rest of the night. My doctor wants to see if my diet is ok. She hasn't seen me in a yr and was very happy with my weight loss. She just wants to make sure I'm doing it the right way.

WTG Christine with the loss. You CAN lose that one pound that's holding you back. You've already lost 46. Dig Deep. It's just one pound that's stopping you. One stinking pound. You can do it.

To all, Have a great day. Keep up the good work. Share those Girl Scout cookies with friends and family.
Melisa[

I just got this in an email and thought it was cute and fitting. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord My shape to keep.

Please, no wrinkles;

Please, no bags.

Lift my butt -- Before it sags.

Please no age spots;

Please no gray.

As for my belly, Take it away.

Keep me healthy. Keep me young.

And thank you Lord For all you've done.

AMEN

Hi everyone!

Just found the new thread. I can't believe how much it has filled up already in one day. That is great! Lots of support here.

I have done pretty good again today. Stayed with in my calorie range but could have made better choices. However I still got the sticker on my calendar. I am quite competitive and think this is why the sticker thing works for me. It is like a game against my fat and I just have to win. I know each sticker will represent a bigger loss at the end of the week.

Christine glad to hear you are back at 149. Can't wait 'til I'm there!

Pamela, glad to here you follow on your father's side re: the heart. It is good you are taking care of yourself.

Hey Snowey what's the weather like out there? What city do you live in?

Melissa I liked your poem it made me laugh.

Take care all!

Hello all,,,,

Do you believe its snowing here....ugh...will it ever stop..?

Sprite, I live in Kitimat...its about 1000 miles north of Vancouver..You live around Vancouver dont you?

I feel like its in the middle of nowhere.. Especially after being born and raised in Chicago..what a shock to come here. But my hubby and I are talking about moving soon.. more towards the end of the province or Alberta. I dont think I can take this snow for the rest of my life. It so pretty here when its not raining or snowing.

Melisa, loved your poem !

Well I guess I am going to get to bed...feeling tired...but had a good day...

See everyone tomorrow....sweet dreams...

nancy

:) Hello everyone!

Thanks for starting the new thread, Pamela! That is so sad that yur mom and greandma passed away at so young an age. It's so good that you are taking care of yourself for a long, happy, healthy life.

Sprite, way to go on refusing the sweet goodies, even being with others who are eating them!

YAY, Christine, into the 140's!! that is awesome!

Melisa, you seem to be doing okay with eating out. It shows alot of self-control to not eat the whole portion - you were strong to save the other half for dinner. We shouldn't have to give up going out with friends and family. I've been reading in the news alot lately about the huge portions that restaurants regularly serve, which is contributing to America's overweight problem. I guess we can ask to have a specific portion amount, like 1 cup of pasta instead of the 3 that is served; and to take away the bread basket and butter (mmm, bread and butter...) I'm sure your doctor will applaud you for doing so well.

Nancy, you made me laugh out loud twice - first, with the thought of one's head sewn to the floor (ow!) and then about the SCARY black beans!:lol:

I'm VERY lucky that my husband is a great cook, and pretty often he makes burritos. He browns a small amount of lean ground beef (like 1/2 pound), drains any fat, then mixes a can of refried beans and some chunky salsa, and some chili powder. If we have any leftowver rice, that is fine mixed in, too. Then you put some on your soft taco shell, add alot of lettuce, a little non-fat sour cream, maybe some more salsa, roll up and scarf down.

You have to check the labels of the refried beans, though, and find the low or no-fat added variety. They are high in sodium, but hopefully you won't have too much sodium from anything else that day.

I find if I have one of these, surrounded by a huge amount of green salad, that pretty much satisfies me - but having one more makes me feel very satisfied :ink: :D

For the ladies who have already done so well and lost weight - at what point did your family/friends/co-workers notice the difference? (we will all be inspired by Melisa's case of not even being recognized!:D )

I am now liking my bowl of oatmeal/apples in the morning, though I have a gift certificate for a local restaurant that has awesome breakfast food - soon we have to redeem it; I'll just be sure to try to even out the calories the rest of the day.

Hope everyone's having a great day!!!

Sincerely, Holly
176/168/160 1st goal

Good morning Everyone!

I tried to post earlier and my reply got lost in cyberspace so I am trying again.

Holly YUM! That burrito recipe sounds awesome! I am going to go grocery shopping today and will buy the ingredients for that. A little know fact is that flour tortillas are fairly high in calories which you wouldn't know since they are so thin. So one is definitely enough, unfortunately.

Nancy, I know where Kitimat is. Did you and your husband move there on business? What culture shock you must have had moving from Chicago! How long have you lived there? One summer there and the snow will be just a distant memory. Are the people friendly there?

I hope I have good news to post after my weigh in tomorrow.

Christine, Melissa, and Pamela hope you are having a good day.

Good Morning all........


Holly.... I havent had breakfast yet, but your burrito is reminding me...that sounds so yummy !! Ill imagine my cream of wheat and banana tastes like that..hahah

Sprite,, I have only lived in Kitimat since July, Bruce and I were married on May 26th last year and I quit my job at the end of June and moved here. Bruce is born and raised here. He worked at Alcan for 28 years and is now retired ( an early retirement pkg that he could not resist). We had talked about him moving to the states but with the exchange rate from Canadian to US dollars it sure would have made his retirement seem like nothing. SO I took the plunge and moved here (with blessings from my family of course). Even though both my kids are grown and on their own it was hard to leave them. (Bruce also has 3 grown children who live down in Vancouver).

Oh I bet you are wondering how I married a man so far from home? Well I met him almost 5 years ago through a friend of mine who lives in Canada. We dated long distance and did lots of traveling...(and to think I am scared to death to get on a plane now)

The people that I have met are friendly, and when they find out where I am from they wonder how I got all the way up here.. haha
Well any way... I hope I did not put anyone to sleep with my long story :lol:

Im off to make my cream of wheat.....

Christine, Pamela and Melisa, how are you today?

talk to everyone later.... have a great day all !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nancy:wave:
207/197/150 1st goal

Doing okay with food today so far.. cereal for breakfast.. low-fat bologna sandwich on light wheat bread & salad for lunch . and one small chocolate just cuz...

Anyways, I wont be posting much for the next few days cuz we ordered DSL and my ISP was kind enough to change us to the DSL account even tho its not hooked up yet so we get only 20 hours dialup for the month and we're already up to 16!! Hopefully the DSL is working early next week or i'll go crazy ;-)

I'd say folx starting noticing my weight-loss when I'd dropped about 20 pounds but I cannot really remember. They started REALLY reacting when I'd lost about 40.. I can't wait to see how they react when I've lost 65!! ;-)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Christine
195/149/130

Hi all! :wave:
I've been reading this thread for several days now and decided it's time to introduce myself.
I'm Kelly-Anne (not Kelly) 45, married to Barry (AKA Lovey) and mom to 2 wonderful girls (Emily and Melina).
I started on my weight loss journeyabout 15 months ago after my checkup showed elevated cholesterol and evidence of a small heart attack. I lost 15 pounds over the following 10 months with just dropping my fat and sugar intake. Then I went on Prism (a faith based calorie counting plan) and lost another 25 over about 3 months. My loss stalled and I gradually became careless about weighing and measuring.
I decided recently to get at it on my own, did some reading and decided to download Calorie Companion (actually bought it - I must be serious!) I've been using it for 2 weeks and am really pleased with it. It offers different calorie levels dependent on weight, how fast you want to lose and activitity level. After messing a bit, I decided it's well worth suffering through exercising to get to eat more, so you'll find me on the treadmill every day now - reading or wathing TV and earning myself some yummies. :lol:
I'm finding myself a lot more active these days anyway - losing even part of my excess has given me SO much more energy!

Kelly-Anne
(290, 255, 125)

Good morning all!

WOOOOHOOOO! I was down 2 pounds this week! Thanks to all of you for all of your encouragement it's helped me get back on track!

Welcome Kelly-Anne. Congratulations on the weight you've lost so far. I'm sure you'll find this thread very supportive.

I started getting reactions and comments from people after I had lost about 25-30 lbs. It felt really good. I would like to really WOW them when I get to goal.

Nancy I love to hear stories of how couples met. It certainly must be fate how you two met. A woman from Chicago meeting and marrying a man from Kitimat!

Well I better shower and get ready for work!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Good Morning Eveyone......


Way to go Sprite!!!!!!!!......2 pounds...that is wonderful!!! Keep up the good work you will be at your goal in no time....:) Are you pumped????

I cant wait till folks start noticing that I am losing.. it gives you such a good feeling and keeps you motivated. But right now with only losing 10 pounds so far...it like taking a cup of sand out of the Sahara Desert...not real noticeable :lol: but I know and I feel it!!

Welcome Kelly-Anne. glad you could join us. We have a great group here and we all help each other. Sounds like you have done a great job on losing weight already..

Hey Holly,, I tried a new hot cereal today. Its called Red River,,, it is cracked wheat, cracked rye and flax...Its sure has a crunchy texture but I like it..It is 154 calories a serving, 2.5 grams of fat and 5.1 grams of fiber.. You have to cook it a little longer then oatmeal or cream of wheat. Now I have 3 hot cereals to choose from. Variety is good..haha....anyway, the hot stuff last with you so long. I always add Splenda and cinnamon to my hot cereal.

Pamela, I also found a recipe for black beans and brown rice...I am going to make it and see what it looks and tastes like....I hope it will look appealing...hahah .....I guess I am in " the time to eat more fiber" mood.......whoa,,,should I be afraid??????????:eek:

Christine,,,, I hope DSL gets hooked up right away, we need you here...:)


Melisa,, how are your kids feeling? You havent caught it have you??

Well ladies ,, Have a great day.....will see everyone later.....

Keep smiling....
Nancy :wave:

207/197/150 1st goal

Hello everyone!:wave:

Welcome, Kelly-Anne! You are sure to find friends and support here. Everyone is great. This is what is helping me do it!

Wooo-hooo Sprite! You must be so jazzed. Good for you! And remember to change your posted weight! (You've worked too hard to let that not get noticed!)

That hot cereal sounds yummy, Nancy. Yes, having a variety is what makes it workable. And the warm stuff does seem to stick in the tummy for a longer time. Don't belittle your "only ten pounds" loss - that is tremendous for just what - ? five weeks? That is marvelous! And each week will be down more, and towards healthy habits that will enable us to maintain our new, fit, energetic and attractive bods!!!:strong: Boy, am I pumped for us all!:lol:

I think the exercise has even helped me with time of month - I've had no usual lower-backache, which is great - and no uncomfortable cramps. Yahoo!

Has anyone else had a little trouble with this site? I don't know if it's that, or my 'puter. Eventually I get to where I want, but it's taking longer than I expect. Oh well. I'm grateful to wait, if I have to!

Have a great evening, y'all!

Holly
176/168/160 1st goal

Thanks so much to all of you for the warm welcome!
I may be able to help with the bean thing. We were vegetarians for 14 years and still eat beans a lot. If all you're wanting to do is add a few beans a day to your diet - add them to soups, mash and add to meatloaf or burgers, eat bean burritos, quesadillas, tacos, check out Middle Eastern food, (hummus - mmmmmm)
Beans - not just for weinie beanies anymore. :lol:
I've just come up from my walk in the basement :strong: - I can smell the motor after 1/2 hour - time to buy lubricant, I think. I sure do enjoy walking and watching or reading, though - especially since it meant I could have some of the trifle my daughter made for dessert tonight! :T
I have a question - when I see people's post, there's a little place that says if they are online or not - does that mean signed in to this forum or online, period?
Also, do any of you go to the chat room here?

Kelly-Anne
(290, 255, 125) weigh-in tomorrow :eek:

Thank you all for your kind words. It sure feels good to lose after gaining or maintaining for so long.

I really couldn't have done it without this site. I had almost given up. Thank you all again. I really feel we have a special group of people here.

Nancy how did your black bean/brown rice dish turn out?
Black beans are also very good in chili.

Holly thanks for reminding me to change my posted weight. That's part of the reward of losing, I wouldn't want to miss out on that!

Kelly Anne do you have a treadmill?I don't know the answer to your question about the online thing. Hopefully someone else will.

Melissa how are you doing?

Christine hopefully you'll be back with us soon.

Hi Sprite,
Yes, I have a treadmill and I LOVE it! We set it up in the basement so it'd be a bit quieter and Lovey set up a TV in front of it for me so I can rot my brains while walking. It's great!
We have long, cold winters and I'm scared of slipping on the sidewalks, so the treadmill is perfect for me.

Kelly-Anne
(290,255,125)

I'm back. No DSL yet but my ISP says they won't charge me for the extra hours this month. Hopefully the DSL is ready on Tuesday. We'll see... I used to have DSL but moved last November and we're just getting back to it.. I missed it!!

Kelly-anne... Welcome! Sounds like you're well on your way to your goals!

Sprite, congrats on the 2 pounds.. guess I'd better get my butt moving .. or I'll be left in your dust soon ;)

I think I've convinced the hubby to do the Body for Life challenge with me. We may start that the beginning of next month if we can get a weight bench by then. :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend...
I'm off to do something productive with my time... taxes? eeek! LOL

Christine
195/149/130

Hi everyone, I admit that I have been lurking on this site for quite some time. I figured it is time to take the plunge and join in!

A little background on myself. I am 29 years old, married with no kids (unless you count the little furry ones!). Several years ago I reached my highest weight of 183. After lots of exercise and healthy eating, I managed to get down to 135. Unfortunately I got off track and managed to gain some weight back. I think at one time I was up to 162. For the past couple of years my weight has fluctuated. I am currently at 149. I am proud that I have maintained a loss (for about 7 years) but I'm now ready to take the next step to reach my goal....and keep it off.

I have struggled with the word "diet" for several years. It has taken a long time to realize that this needs to be a lifestyle change..rather than a diet.

I'm really motivated and I look forward to encouraging others the way you guys have encouraged me (although I never posted).

I haven't really decided on a final goal yet. I mean I would love to weigh 115, but if all I can eat is a couple of carrots a day to maintain it....well that's not happening! :dizzy: Anyway, like I said..this needs to be a lifestyle change for me, not drastic measures to reach a "number". So for my first goal I would like to weigh 135 and we'll go from there. Ultimately I think anywhere from 120-125 would be good, but we'll see.

I look forward to us losing together!

183/149/135 first goal

Welcome Jacklyn.. congrats on your past loss and keeping a good deal of it off! I am also sitting at 149 now and having the hardest time breaking through to a lower number! I totally agree with the wishing i could weigh 115 but not if i have to live on rabbit feed! That's why my initial goal is 130... if I can keep going, I will but I know I'll be 10x happier at 130 than I was at my top weight so thats my goal! I think the real key for me will be getting back into more serious exercise!

I finally figured out how to add a picture over thar to the left. Picked a kitty for now cuz he looks a little like my kitties ( I have 3 .. all grey tabby ). I am going to try to make my own cute pic for there asap though... I love messin around with graphics! (as everyone saw with my altered picture of myself LOL)...

Catch you all later.. Keep it up everyone! :)

Christine
195/149/130

Top O' the Morning all.....(Thats as Irish as I get) :lol:

Welcome Jacklyn and congrats on the weight you have lost already!!!

Christine,,,so happy that you can be here and that your IP wont charge you!

Boy oh Boy did I have a lazy day yesterday.. Its that TOM and I feel like a slug.... I dont even know if Ill do the weigh in on Tuesday because I feel as if I have taken on more water then the Titanic :eek: Its always discouraging to me to weigh when its that TOM. But Ill see how I feel come Tuesday morning..

I did not make the Black Bean and Brown rice recipe yet. I will try it this week. Ill let everyone know if its worth trying.

Sprite, Pamela, Holly , Melisa and KellyAnne , how are you guys today?

Ok got to go find something productive to do, talk to you all later..

Have a good day !

Nancy :wave:

207/197/150 1st goal

:) Happy St. P.'s Day, everyone!

My husband's making the traditional meal for today - I hope to keep my serving portions in line.

Welcome, Jacklyn! Congrats on your great weight loss so far. You are sure to be kept motivated by the great ladies here.

Hi Nancy, Christine, KellyAnne, Melisa, Pamela, and Sprite! Hope everyone's doing great.

TOM for me also, Nancy. Though it will be over by my weigh-in day on Wednesday, so hopefully it won't affect the scale too much.

Hmmm, piece of advice - no matter how strong your resolve is, it's a bad idea to buy a chocolate rabbit for your kid for Easter two weeks before Easter!:s: Yup, the deed's been done and the little bunny is in my cavernous stomach. Oh well, it was a little one, and he sure was good. :D I get to blame it on hormonal cravings, right?!?:dizzy:

I didn't exercise today, but it will be my one day off this week, so I guess that's okay. Back on track tomorrow.

Take care, everyone!

Sincerely, Holly
176/168/160 1st goal

Hi Everyone!

Welcome Jacklyn!

Well it's TOM for me as well and I am soooo tired. Usually I would just eat away to try and get back some energy but I have remained strong today. But boy am I a bear!

Went out to the lake today and it was so cold we didn't stay out too long.

I will not buy my son any Easter candy this year. Maybe a toy or some clothes. I know his grandparents will buy him candy and that will be hard enough for me to stay away from.

Hi everyone and welcome to Kelly-Ann and Jackyln,
I hope you all had a good weekend. Congrats on the 2 lb loss Sprite! I wish I could say I had a loss, but I didn't. I don't know why I didn't, but I'm ok with it. I had an ok weekend. I could have made some better choices. I didn't go over my calorie limit, just ate junk with not much nutritional value. So you guys eat lots of fiber? How many grams a day is your goal? My fiber intake is always low. I finally got my calcium up to where it should be with the help of Viactive. Does a fiber supplement give the same benefits of fiber rich foods?
The kids are feeling better. My husband and I somehow avoided getting it. :)
This is kinda cool. My husband's job is offering an incentive program for reaching a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day for a 12 week period. He has to pay $5 for the pedometer and if he reaches the goal he is eligible for all kinds of prizes. Me and my kids decided to do it with him. I just have to buy our pedometers as his company won't let us in on their program. I think it's a neat challenge and I'm excited that the kids want to get in on it too. My daughter wants to lose 10 lbs and my son doesn't want to be left out. Whatever the reasons, I'm glad that we can do it as a family.:)
Later,
Melisa

Hi all!
Twas a happy me on the scale this am! 3 pounds off and a new week starting. :smug:
We bought treadmill lubricant this afternoon - I get to figure out how to apply it in the morning. We also found a pedometer that counts steps - Lovey gets first crack at it, since he says he gets *plenty* of exercise just walking to and from the lunchroom at work each day for his breaks. :lol:
Melisa - I think your DH's company is flat out SMART, since healthy, fit employees are more productive and hang around longer - wish more companies would do something like that!

Off to bed now - it's much easier to stay OP when well rested.

Kelly-Anne
(290, 252, 125)

Good morning everyone! I had a pretty good weekend. No loss but I ate pretty well. My focus now is that I need to increase my exercise. Good thing is that its starting to get dark later here so I will be able to walk outside when I get home from work. Our neighborhood is full of hills so its a great workout!

Hope everyone is doing well :) From reading the recent posts sounds like everyone is on track! Have a great day! :D

I have a (vague) recipe for using beans. Cook one cup of macaroi or other small pasta shapes. Whilst they're cooking, heat up 1 average sized can of diced or plum tomatoes, a couple of diced green onions, and a good sized handful of carrots. Add in an average sized can of black beans, chick peas, or mixed beans. Stir this all together, and season with lots of garlic and chili powder - or anything at all you desire. Mix in the pasta when it's done and you have a really healthy, virtually fat free meal with tons of vitamins and fiber. I know one cup of pasta doesn't sound like much, but the recipe should easily feed 4-5 people.

I'm trying to do things the old fashioned way too - cutting out fat, adding in nutrition, watching what I eat, and exercising. I've been having a good start to the week. Last week was a bit much, so I only lost about half a pound. But I'm determined to make this week a winner/loser!

Hope everyone's having a great monday!

The scale showed a gain of 4 pounds on Friday...but I think it is muscle from all the shoveling I did! Did some Thursday night then got up on Friday morning at 5:30 and did it for almost an hour. Flew to PA that night, got a lot of walking in at the O'Hare airport in Chicago. I had a really good weekend with my best friend and her family. Didn't eat that great (the most amazing Chinese restaurant is there so I got my fave: chicken fried rice!) but didn't eat all that much of what I did eat. Walked O'Hare a lot on the way back too. I'm part Irish, so had to get a Shamrock shake from Mc Donald's last night, LOL. I've come down with a cold and it helped my throat.

Beans: I soak dried pinto beans overnight then cook them for about 2 hours. I eat them with a little bit of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and Parmesan cheese (I'm a Parmesan cheese addict). I also have kidney beans that I'm assuming are made a similar way. It's really cheap to buy them dried in the bags and you get a lot.

Welcome Kelly-Anne and Jacklyn!!
In Christ,
Pamela

Hello everybody!

Welcome Turnips!

I see this week 3FC has a black bean dish. Sounds interesting.

Way to go Kelly-Anne! 3 pound loss that is just excellent! Keep going girl!

Melissa that walking challenge at your husband's work sounds great! What a good idea. I would love to have a pedometer, where do you buy them and how much do they cost?

Pamela you probably did gain muscle with all that activity. You could also be retaining water as chinese food is fairly high in sodium.

Snowey, Christine how are you today?

I have done okay today with a momentary lapse for which I will just adjust the rest of my day.

Good Evening Everyone....

I am feeling under the weather today or I would have posted earlier. I think I may have a stomach bug of some sort.

Welcome Turnips!

Sprite I got my pedometer for Christmas from my SIL. She bought it at Radio Shack. I love having it.. It tells steps taken, kilometers and calories burned. I always try to go longer then the day before when I am walking and by having the pedometer it keeps you on track.

Melisa , That is good that your whole family will be doing the walking, that keeps you motivated as there are others saying ok lets go...!

Pamela, dont worry about those few pounds , I bet its a water being held in your muscles from all that shoveling.

KellyAnne....congrats on the loss...way to go!:)

Tomorrow is weigh in day ,, but will see if I feel bloated in the morning and then decide if I want to weigh in.

Tonight its just a baked potato and steamed carrots and caulifower for me.. actually feeling so yucky dont want to even eat..but have to..or Ill only be at 450 calories for the day if I
dont...

Hello to Holly, Christine and Jacklyn.. I hope your day is good ...

Talk to everyone later....have a great night...

Nancy:wave:
207/197/150 1st goal

Wahhhhhhhhh! I need some major motivation. I don't know what my problem is. I went on my first eating spree since January 1st. I hope I'm all done with that and get back on track tomorrow. I just wrote 42 reasons why I want to lose 42 lbs. Now I'm going to see if I can find a beautiful body and paste my head on it like Christine did. I need something to get my butt back in gear. I was doing so well. I don't know what happened.
Congrats to all of you guys who are staying on track. Keep up the great work.
Melisa

I didn't eat too well today. I'm sick cause of my upper wisdom tooth coming in, just might break down and go get them checked out (they'll tell me they have to come out though!). Ugh...All I wanted was anything cold, cause it's really hard to swallow.

Hehe, I had the Chinese a day and a half after I weighed in so I hope that wasn't affecting my weight;).

Tomorrow will be better, just might eat popsicles all day. I did find some Excedrin so I'll take that first thing in the morning.
In Christ,
Pamela

:) Hello everyone!

Pamela - you sure had an active weekend! I hope that your wisdom tooth stops giving you trouble.

Melisa - you have done so well, try to keep going! We are all with you. I have heard lately about the "10,000 steps" - does anyone know approximately how far a 10,000 step walk is? Like a mile or two? Just curious.

Nancy, sorry you're feeling under the weather. Keep drinking water, and I like green tea when I don't feel well.

Hello Sprite, Christine, KellyAnne, Jacklyn, and Turnips! Hope you're all doing well.

My rah-rah-rah attitude has turned to blah-blah-blah. Maybe I'm fighting a cold, or it's the 5 inches of snow we got last night. I don't feel very energetic or optimistic. The journey seems pretty darn long today! Somebody slap me, please!:^:

Sincerely, Holly
176/168/160 1st goal
weigh-in tomorrow - I don't feel lighter :mad:

In response of what to do with the can of black beans. We eat a lot of beans in my family.

1)Saute 1 small onion, 1/2 of green pepper, 1 or 2 garlic mashed in 1 tbs of olive oil until tender.

2)If you have cilantro put some in it to. put 3/4 or 1/2 a can of tomatoe sauce, dash black pepper, cumin, oregano and salt to taste.

3)If you have potatoe diced 1 small one if you don't have it it's ok. Drain the water from the beans into the sauce plus 3/4 or 1/2 a cup of water and cook for about 10 or 15 min. until de potatoes are soft then put the beans in and cook for 20 or 25 minutes. Eat on top of rice (white, brown, yellow rice etc).

Been puertorrican I saute pieces of ham with all the ingredients and also put some herbs that only you can find it in the puertorrican place. Any way a lot of time I just cook it with the ingredients above. You can use the same exact recipie for any kind of beans. Rice and beans is the puertorrican most popular food eventhough black beans are more cuban origen. Good luck;)

Hi, I'm new here and I was wondering if I could ask for some advice. I have tried WW and I wasn't having much luck with it. One idea that I had is low calories. When I added up my actual calories vs. points I was pretty low. I am going to give calorie counting a shot, although I am not sure where to begin. I weigh 176 pounds and I would like to eventually be around 140-145. I am very active and workout 5-6 days a week. Can someone give me some advice on where to find the correct info?

Thank you:o

Good Morning Ladies.....

How is everyone today? I hope ever one is staying positive and motivated.
I am feeling good....Today was weigh in day...and yup...down 3 more pounds.....YIPPEE, WOO HOO, I feel so motivated.. It feels so good being closer to 190 then the 200 mark.. I know pretty soon Ill be in the 180's !

Stomach is feeling a little better, not 100 percent yet.

Holly,I hope your weigh in went wonderful and that you have your RAH RAH back.....!!!!!!!!!! Im rooting for you!

Melisa, put yesterday behind you there is nothing you can do to change it, but today can be different, you have the power to make it a great day!!

Pamela,, I sure hope your tooth gets to feeling better. have you tried eating some suger free jello? That might help you.

Taina, thank you for the recipe. I still havent done anything with the can I have here. But if I am feeling up to it , I may experiment at lunch time with those beans......

Sprite, Christine, KellyAnne, Jaclyn and Turnips.. how are you doing today?

Tomorrow is the first day of spring... soon the flowers will be blooming and the trees will be green and this dreaded winter will be behind us....

Heres to a wonderful day for all,, keep smiling , with every good day we are one step closer to our goals!!!!!!!!!!

Nancy:wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

Wow Nancy!! You seem to be on a roll now! I hope my loss will begin sometime soon. Still at the same weight. I know I know...patience

Pamela, I have had the same problem with my wisdom teeth as well. I'm going to have to have mine out as well. I'm going to shoot for sometime this summer. When mine start acting up, I typically begin taking ibuprophen, about 4 every 4 hours. I know it sounds like alot, but it's about the same as prescription ibuprophen. It will get the swelling under control. If it gets really bad you may want to call your dentist. I was on my honeymoon in Cancun and mine got infected. Not fun. By the time we got back I could barely open my mouth. I looked like a chipmunk. :lol:

Hope everyone is having a great day!

183/149/135 first goal

Hi Great Space Coaster - I have this info right on my desk - so handy!

For a calorie budget of 1500 calories, which should allow for a safe, steady loss of 1-2 pounds a week, this is a pretty good breakdown:

Breakfast 300 calories

Lunch 400 calories

snack 100 calories

Dinner 600 calories

snack 100 calories

You will probably be using more calories with working out 5-6 X a week, which is great. And drinking lots of water is very helpful, too.

Now I need to take my own advice and stick to this!:lol:

Good luck!
Holly

I'm being a pig. I admit it. I bought a bag of chocolate even! Yikes! I'm not even TRYING to be good.. uh oh!

My brain is telling me, 'You're going to start the Body for Life challenge on April 1st, you can be bad until then!' No no no!!

Heeeeeelllllpppp!!! LOL

GSC, there are tons of links to sites you can find your calorie requirements at, but here is a link if yer interested... it has that and many other calculators: http://www.ivillage.com/diet/tools/healthcalc/

If you dont like that one, do a websearch for 'calorie counts' or something similar and I'm sure you'll come across quite a few!

Hope everyone is behaving better than me!!

Christine
195/149/130

Hey girlies.....

What the heck is going on with everybody....?:?:

Everybody seems to be going thru a blue funk :(.......summers coming and so many of YOU are so close to GOAL...just picture how good YOU will look and feel in your new summer clothes... I am not going to let any of YOU give up......YOU all have given me such motivation and support and I want to do the same for YOU..

Ok so lets forget about yesterday,, we cant bring it back anymore then we can skip tomorrow. But what we can do is make it a successful day. We can eat the right foods , drink the water, exercise and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. We must dwell on the opportunities of tomorrow and not the blunders of yesterday....

So what do you say girls....WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS AREN'T WE?????
(Ok here is where everyone must vision me in a cheerleaders outfit doing a motivational cheer....):lol: :lol: :lol:

I hope that tomorrow is a great day for all and everyone will be smiling because you are feeling just so darned good about yourself....:)

Take care my friends,, sweet dreams....see you tomorrow....

Nancy :wave:

Good morning everyone! I get up this morning, get ready to take a shower and do the usual weigh in. I had already prepared myself for the same number since I've been stuck there for a while and what d'ya know!?!? I dropped two pounds! Yeah for me! I didn't really do anything different yesterday, I guess it just took a while for my body to adjust.

I agree with you Nancy. We cant change what we did yesterday, so there's no use dwelling on it. All we can do is keep plugging away and cheering each other on.:dizzy: We are in this together!!

Well I have to get back to work. Hope everyone has a great day!!

183/147/135 first goal

Good morning everyone!

WOW, how can we not be motivated! thanks, Nancy, for the support.

The scale says I didn't go down any this week, but I'm not going to be discouraged. I'm going to focus on what I've already accomplished (looser jeans - yeah!) and do an extra-vigorous work-out.I'm going to keep my water bottles filled in every room and drink, drink away. I'm going to try to NOT think about being hungry, but think of that being the time when the fat reserves are being BURNED.

I do visit here several times a day to see how everyone else is doing; it surely does help to know we're all working together. So let's all have a positive day! Yeehaw!:lol:

Sincerely, Holly
(176/168 - no change:( /160 1st goal)

GOOD MORNING ALL!

Nancy thanks for the cheer! I think we all needed that. I had a couple of not so perfect days, but really not that bad. I seem to be able to stop myself before it gets really out of control now. Sooo I think my week is still salvageable (sp?) and I am still determined to be down on Saturday.

Jacklyn way to go on the 2 pound loss. That is awesome! See it just goes to show that persistence pays off.

Holly keep going I bet you next week you will have a loss.

Christine I have read the Body for Life book and it is very inspirational. Can't you start now? Throw the chocolate away!

Pamela hope you're doing okay with your wisdom teeth.

Have a good day everybody!

Good Morning Ladies......

A big High 5 to you Jacklyn for the loss.....I bet you are smiling and feeling good...!!!

Holly,,, next week will show a loss,, and those loose jeans will be even "looser" (is that a word?) :lol:

Sprite,, come Saturday you will see that your week wasnt as bad as you think !!!!

Pamela, Christine, KellyAnne, how are you guys today?

Great Space,,, how are you doing with your calorie counting?

Taina,, still havent done anything with the beans. Geesh have you ever seen anyone as intimidated by a can of beans before?? Well here I am...:eek:

Well girlies,,, I am off to Subway for lunch today with a friend. Any one want to come along...???

Will talk to everyone later.... have a wonderful 1st day of Spring..
bye for now....

Nancy :wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

Hello everyone :-)

Congrats on the 2 pounds Jacklyn!

As far as the BFL challenge goes, there are a number of reasons for waiting to start. First, it was suggested not to start at that TOM and Im just ending that. Second, I need to prepare for it. We are going to be buying some freeweights and a bench and whatnot. I'm hoping we'll be able to purchase those this weekend. Lastly, I'm going to use this next week to try out some of the recipes and get my menus planned. I figure the more well planned this is, the more likely I will be to stick it out for the 12 weeks :-)

I do not have the willpower to throw out a bag of chocolate... LOL.. Id much rather give myself a 2 chocolates a day rule until they're gone. I'm less likely to search for bad stuff to fill my cravings if I allow myself that little treat. Once I start the challenge, no chocolate except on my one day off a week so I gotta get it out of my system now .. lol.. excuses excuses, i know!! :lol:

Christine
195/149/130

Hi all! I read this thread, but don't often post. You are all very inspiring!
I just read a bean recipe-- a can of black beans (rinsed), heated in a nonstick pan with spray with salsa. Once heated, make a couple of "holes" and crack open an egg. At this point, you could add some shredded cheese. Cook until the egg is the way you like it and serve with burritos. Sounds like a quick and easy dinner!
Keep up the good work!

Hello ladies, just wanted to let you know that I will not be near a computer for the next few days. My dad is having surgery so I will be with him in the hospital until about Saturday evening.

I will be getting up early tomorrow morning to get on the road (its about a 3 hour trip) so I probably wont post...that is unless by some miracle I have another 2 pound loss. In that case I'll have to post to tell somebody the news! :D

Hope everyone have a great rest of the week. Surely I will be able to stay on my diet. I dont think the hospital food will be too tempting :p
On the other hand, my husband and I will probably be going out to eat quite a bit. I'll try to be good:^:

Good luck to everyone on their weigh-ins!

183/147/135 first goal

:) Dear Jacklyn -

Just a quick note to send all the best wishes to your dad.

Sincerely, Holly

Hey guys,
Thanks for the motivation. I love to see your losses and the great support. I am back on track. I feel good. I don't exactly know what my problem was but I'm better now. Do you know how much weight you can gain in muscle in a week? I've really been working hard on toning up and I haven't had a loss in a week and a half. I haven't changed my eating. Any advice?
Congrats on all who are hanging in there and losing,
Melisa

Good morning everyone!

Jacklyn I hope all goes well with your dad.

I am not feeling that great today. Kind of flu-like. It started yesterday but I forced myself to walk anyways along with a few ab exercises.

So, if I do not post much in the next few days you know why.

Take care everyone!

BEANS.. ARE SOOOO GOOD FOR US . .IN MODERATION , OF COURSE.. I LOVE FRESH GREEN BEANS . COOKED 'AL DENTE' IN TOMATOE SAUCE .. WITH LOTSA GARLIC ..
PINK OR BLACK BEANS (GOYA) ARE GREAT ALSO WITH SPICES AND TOMATOE SAUCE OVER RICE.. I ESP. LIKE WILD,YELLOW, AND BROWN RICE ALL MIXED TOGETHER IN ONE CONTAINER.. SO MUCH HEALTHIER THEN BORING OLD 'WHITE' RICE..
HAVEN'T BEEN TO THIS SITE IN A LONG TIME . JUST FOUND IT AGAIN IN MY FAVORITES FILE. . NOW I SEE WHY I PUT IT IN THERE.. THIS IS WHERE I BELONG ... I'M A MEMBER ONLINE OF OA. AND HAVE BEEN DOING THE WW PT SYSTEM SINCE 1/22 AND HAVE LOST 13 LBS SO FAR . .ANOTHER 20 AND I'LL REACH MY GOAL OF 140 .. CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR ME Y'ALL .. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE A W.L. BUDDY. . I'M AVAILABLE .. JEANNE AT BUSDRIVE@WEBTV.NET

Good Morning All......


Sprite~ I am sorry you are feeling ill, I hope it passes soon and you will be back to normal. Ill be thinking of you..hang in there.

Domi~ Hello,,, I like beans also... but I have to admit..I tried a recipe last night with the black beans and brown rice... I love the brown rice(wonderful texture) but I did not care for the black beans..:eek:... but that has not turned me against the beans.. that are so good for us. Good to hear that you are doing well with your WW,, losing weight is an awesome feeling isnt it? :)

Jacklyn~ I hope all is well with your dad.

Ok so where is the rest of the gang at today?? I hope you are all doing fantastic and feeling good!!!!!!!!


Well I hope everyone has a fantastic day....Ill be back later.....

Bye for now
Nancy:wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

:) Good evening, all!

Man, I've been trying to log on all day, but Earthlink was giving me problems...at least I could read posts!

Sprite, I hope you get over feeling ill quickly. Take it easy on yourself.

Nancy, I like the new image by your name! Pretty. When is your trip? You must be so looking forward to it.

Melisa, I think everyone gets in a bit of a blue funk once in a while. Things will seem difficult for that one day or so, then hopefully your spirit bounces back. I don't know how much muscle weight you can gain in a week - but I'm reading "Get the Connection" by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey, and Greene says that the scale can be so misleading because of water retention (and he says newly developed muscles will also retain water!) and the day-by-day fluctuations of body weight - he suggests relying on how one's clothes fit, and knowing that one is working hard exercising, eating right and drinking water. Much easier said than done, though; we work hard, and want to see the results on the scale, don't we.

Hi Domi! Thanks for the bean input!

Pamela, Christine, Kelly-Anne, and Jacklyn - hope you're all doing well. Aphil, are you out there? We miss you!

I was in a poopy mood Wednesday; but thanks to support and friendship here, I had a great day yesterday and today. And shoveling the fresh 7" of snow didn't even bother me - I thought of it as an extra bonus workout!:lol:

I have found an added bonus to putting away leftovers IMMEDIATELY after serving supper - there's something for lunch the next day! A new concept for us...:D

Have a
GREAT evening, everyone!

Holly 176/168/106 1st goal:wave:

Hey all....

How is the evening going?? Mine is going good... I am trying to figure out how to post a picture on these posts.... cant figure it out yet..any one know how?

Hey Holly~~~ I also just read that book Making the Connection.. I really liked it...makes sense to me...
I am going back to the states on vacation last week of May or beginning of June...I am looking forward to it so much..I hope I have lots of weight gone by then..

Christine~~~ Are you getting all geared up for your BFL challenge? I would love to find a way to build some muscle in my middle aged body...I just dont know where the heck to start..
I am in need of some serious toning......Sometimes I wonder if its just to late after all the years of my body being stretched out...:eek:

Melisa, Pamela and the rest of the gang,,, where are you guys hiding??? Come out, come out where ever you are.....

Ok I am going to figure out how to post a pic on here....hope I can figure it out....

Bye for now.....
Nancy:wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

HI everyone,

Holly, I'll have to check out that book. I read tons of magazines, but not too many books. I just paid my fines at the library (thanks, kids!!!) so I can check some out now.

Sprite, I hope you feel better soon. You must be very motivated to exercise while you are sick. Good for you! Keep it up!

Jackyln, I hope all goes well with your Dad's surgery.

Nancy, It's never to late to start toning. I do all over toning. I could use more work in some areas than others, but I figure that sooner or later everything will catch up.

Jeanne, Hello and welcome back. Thanks for all the tips. Congrats on your loss and keep up the good work. You can do it.

Christine, Good luck with the BFL challenge. I'm sure you can do it. I still can't figure out how to paste my head on someone elses body. I'm going to have to ask my daughter to help me :o
She's got a knack for this computer stuff.

To all, keep up the excellent work.
Melisa

:) Good morning everyone!

Hmmm, I thought I was doing so well; then I went and gobbled down a cold pork chop late last night. What was I doing? It wasn't even that good, all cold and tough. And I had so carefully put away those dinner leftovers!

But I shall keep things in perspective - I have been overall making healthier choices (drinking my 64 oz. water daily, exercising 6X a week, smaller portions) so I'm not going to let a hastily scarfed pork chop do me in. I shouldn't have had it, but I'll try to do better. There! I feel better.

I did enjoy reading the "Make the Connection" book.However, we can't ALL hire a personal trainer and a personal chef, can we? Alot of stuff we all already know, and try to do. This guy stresses aerobic activity even over weight/toning work - meaning make the aerobic activity (walking, jogging, aerobic dance, stepping) the first priority, then adding weight training if possible.

Nancy, I'm sure your (Young!) body would respond well to some light weights, as you've already got the aerobic/walking exercise nailed. I know a pair of weights I bought came with some basic instructions, which are very helpful.And I've bought videotapes from a very helpful site, www.CollageVideo.com, where tapes are reviewed and rated by the staff.

Hmmm, I think I'm stalling to put off exercise

:o so I'd better get to it!

Have a great day, everyone!

Your friend,
Holly 176/168/160 1st mini goal

P.S. - I'm also reading "The Vitality Challenge" by Dr. Art Ulene. I was bummed when I got to the pages that have the recommended height/weight tables for men and women - and the info is credited by the Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 1959?!? Why the heck doesn't someone put together a more modern table? I really don't think many women were steady exercisers back in 1959 (just the "kooky health nuts" who watched Jack LaLane) and I just know that if I weighed 130 lbs. as recommended for me, I'd be dead. Dead and stick-like. :devil:

Well, I'm here for confessions again... I'm still not being good. I'm not doing any all-out pigouts or anything but I'm certainly not behaving on the food front!!

Yesterday we went to Sam's and got a lot of lean meats in bulk for our BFL. The breakdown for the 'diet' portion is approximately 40% protein 40% carbs 20% fat. My normal diet is more like 15% protein 55% carbs 30% fat!! But, according to the BFL program, you need that extra protein to build muscles... that makes sense plus I always feel full longer when I eat more protein. My hubby is going to be the challenge.. he's soooo picky!

Nancy, I've seen photos of people who did the BFL program who are in their 70's!! If THEY can do it, anyone can :-) You're still a youngin!!

Melisa, if you really want to do the head on a body thing.. I suggest turning both photos black& white first because its easier to blend skin tones in black and white ... if you can't figure it out, I could try to make you one .. but i make no promises, as it took a few attempts to get that one right. On my photo, I also kept Shania's hair because it was easier to blend my face into her hairline instead of trying to get my whole head and hair to look natural and my hair isnt too different anyway.. lol :-)

Holly, I think that your best bet for finding your ideal weight is using BMI (Body Mass Index). The BMI index is a much newer method! They give a nice large range unlike the old weight charts. A healthy BMI is 19-25. For me, I need to lose only 4 more pounds to get to a BMI of 25! Of course, my GOAL is more around a BMI of 22 (128 pounds). Here is a website where you can calculate your BMI (and there is a link to the chart so you can see what you need to weigh to be in your range)... http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ (the only problem with BMI is if you are very HIGHLY muscular, your BMI will be higher) but (no offense to any of us) I'm guessing none of us are highly muscular :) Also, the range tends to work this way.. large boned people weigh at the higher end.. small boned at the lower end and medium boned in the middle! I've used a couple methods to determine my bone-size.. and most tell me I'm right on the borderline between small and medium boned so I figured a 22 bmi would work for me. I'll see once I get there :) (My range of healthy bmi weight is 110-145)

Wow, I've babbled on and on today... hehe.. gonna go now and leave some space for ya'll!!

Christine
195/149/130

Hi everybody!

Thanks for all the get well wishes. I am feeling a little bit better today and am trying to psych myself up for my walk/leg exercises today. I read all your posts earlier and it helped me keep motivated. We have such a supportive bunch here I feel really lucky to have found you all.

Christine I went on the BMI link you provided and found I was a 26 which is overweight. I then entered my previous weight of 187 and found that was a 33, obese! This helped me to feel a great sense of accomplishment after seeing how far I've come instead of concentrating on how far I have to go.

Holly, good for you for not letting one pork chop set you back. Keep going girl!

Melissa, Pamela, and Nancy hope you are all doing well this week!

Take care everyone!

Howdy all,,,


Sprite~ good to hear that you are feeling better !!

Christine and Holly~~~I know I need to get toning up... It does not make any sense to work so hard to lose weight and then get the saggy yucky skin.. I swear i could go skydiving and just use my flabby arms as a parachute!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol::lol::lol:

I have those TaeBo tapes. I just cant make it past the 8 minutes intructional video without getting worn out..
Once when I was working out with the video, I happened to glance over my shoulder and seen myself in the curio cabinet mirror........YIKES....scared the heck out of myself....thankfully I was alone and no one else had to see me all twisted like that.....hahahah ! :eek:

But seriously,, I am going to starting working on toning up.. Maybe there will be a day that I wont have to tuck my thighs into my socks for fear of stepping on them........:lol:

Pamela, Melisa, KellyAnne, Jacklyn...how are you ??

Ok I am going to get my silly butt off of here and go make dinner... I hope everyone has a wonderful evening....

Stay positive and keep smiling !!!!!!:D

Nancy:wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

My tooth is feeling better, thank you! The mucky gunk in my head is still here and now ds has that too. He's also learned how to climb out of his crib (19 months) and so I've been...stress eating. Bad me. It was a rough week, though. I cannot wait to bike. I'm not worried at all about the weight once I can bike. Hopefully, I will lose the last 30 pounds in a few short months like I did last year. Plus we have our vacation to a Christian music festival where I always lose weight too (you walk all day long, sweat and don't eat a whole lot!). I've been trying to get out and walk after dh gets home now that it stays light until 6:30. I'm going to try to go to the gym tomorrow! Thanks for the well wishes.
In Christ,
Pamela

I had a computer meltdown this week and have been bereft. My baby is up and running again, but nekkid - I'll be spending the next few days reinstalling all of my programs.
My calorie counter went with the rest, so I'm afraid I've taken advantage a bit - Sunday will tell the tale. :o
I'll have everything set back up soon and will be back on the wagon starting in the morning.

Kelly-Anne
(290, 252, 125)
:wave:

Christine, That is SOOOOOOO sweet of you to offer to do that for me. I truely appreciate your kindness. If my daughter can't do it ( she will have fun trying to do it) I will definately take you up on your offer. Thanks for the tips on how to get a better effect. You must be pretty computer savvy. I could be if I had more patience. That is something I need to work on.

KellyAnne, You have the right attitude. Get right back on track.

Pamela, Are you biking outside? I loved to do that even when I was heavier. We have a bike path here that runs about 8 miles 1 way. I forced myself to do the whole thing round trip one day. I passed out on the ground when I got home, but I made it the whole way. It was a great feeling. Just 30 more lbs and a few more months.......what a great feeling. Good for you!

Nancy, You never fail to crack me up. The tapes will get easier as you keep doing them. One day soon, you'll be like " I did the whole thing? I didn't pass out? How did that happen?" You'll see, just don't give up.

Holly, A pork chop isn't so bad. I'm glad you aren't beating yourself up over it. I agree with you about the 1959 thing. Those weight charts are way out of whack. My doctor has my goal at 150, my goal is 145. My BMI says 145lbs would be 24.1. I guess I should shoot for lower. I'm not muscle bound and although I think I'm big boned and have a large frame, that may just be my eyes playing tricks on me. I tend to see myself differently than others do. I'll have to ask my Dr. how she came up with 150 for me and ask her what my BMI should be.

Sprite, So glad you are feeling better and still staying motivated. You are a motivator yourself!! Keep it up.

I will be weighing in in a few hrs. I just know this week isn't going to show a loss again.:( I decided to add another day to my fitness routine to rev my metabolism back up and to hopefully get me in better shape to walk the hundreds of miles in Disney. We leave April 10th.:) Our 1st time going. We are very excited.
To all, have a great healthy weekend,
Melisa

GOOD MORNING:) GOOD MORNING!:) GOOD MORNING!:)

I just weighed in and am down a pound! Yee haa! I love this feeling! I wasn't sure how I would do as I looked at my calendar and had far less stickers on it this week.

Nancy you made me laugh with your comments about doing the Tae Bo. Keep working on it! Toning up is very important. As I can attest to. After I had lost about 30 lbs I was left with this flabby tummy where even though I can wear smaller size pants now this spare flat tire shows. It drives me crazy!

Pamela glad to hear your tooth is doing better!

Kelly-Anne good luck with your weigh in tomorrow!

Melissa that is so exciting that you are going to Disney. You will definitely get alot of walking in there! Are you going to Disneyland or DisneyWorld?


I just realized that I have broken my barrier! I am now officially in the 140's. This has taken me what seems like absolutely FOREVER to do.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Sprite, congrats on the pound and hitting the 140s! All these folx right around where I am now are going to keep me motivated to keep going... I can't be letting everyone show me up now can I?
:lol: :lol:

To Melisa and anyone else who might like to know, a simple way to get a pretty good idea of your bone-size is to take your middle finger and thumb and link them around your opposite wrist. If the fingers don't touch, you're large boned, if they just touch you're medium boned and if they overlap you're smaller boned. This isn't completely accurate but it can at least give you a general idea. My fingers overlap just a bit so thats why I tend to think I'm right at the borderline of small and medium boned. There are other methods as well which include measuring your elbow and such but they're more complicated of course! :dizzy:

Melisa, I am so jealous! I want to go to Disney so badly! Ive been do disneyland once, when i was about 11 years old but, I've never been to Disney World, not even to the state of Florida actually. And I live in North Carolina so its not THAT far. My dad has promised my daughter that he'll take her when she's 5, so 2 more years and I get a trip there ;-) I'm waiting... Heehee

Nancy, you are too funny! I was just telling my sister about how I refuse to wear any pants that sit below my belly button even now that I've lost 46 pounds, because its a sad site down there. I don't know if anything can help that tho, as its all 'baby belly' .. ugly stretch marks, flabby skin, and a c-section scar (although I could easily deal with that last one if I could improve upon the first two!!) Don't know if exercise can improve that but I'm willing to give it a try at least.

Anyways, I'm off to be productive now... I've been such a bum lately... Hope everyone has a great weekend...

Christine
195/149/130

Woo hoo....for Sprite....breaking that 150 mark.. I am doing the happy dance for you !!!!!!! You are doing great! :D

Pamela~~~ glad your tooth is feeling better. You will have that last 30 pounds off before you know.. Put the lousy week you had behind you, we all have them, just hang in there and keep smiling! I hope you son feels better soon also.

KellyAnne~~~ glad you got the computer up and running dont want you to leave us now. I hope you have a good weigh in..You have done an awesome job already !

Melisa ~~~ I hope your weigh in went great...keeping my fingers crossed for you. That is so cool that you are going to Disney. I have always wanted to go there when my children were small. But never made it. I hope you have a great time. April 10th is right around the corner and with all the weight you have lost already walking around Disney will be a breeze for you...

Holly~~~ I have seen that Bob Greene has another book out that is called Keep the Connection. When ever I try to check it out from the library it is always out. So it must be a good one.

Christine~~~ I know what you mean about the stretch marks.. even my stretch marks have stretch marks....:eek: My stomach looks like a Rand McNally road atlas !!!!!!!!!!

Jacklyn~~~ I hope all is well with your dad and you will be back with us soon.

Ok ,, I am off to go finish some laundry , I hope you all have a great evening and keep on keeping motivated... Summer ,,,,,she is a comin' YEE HAH.....

Ciao for now......

Nancy:wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

:wave: Hi everyone!

Yay, Sprite! Good for you!! That is so great. Now you'll be dipping down into the low '40's - fantastic!

Pamela, glad to hear your tooth is feeling better. You have a 19-month-old? That's such a sweet age (well, they're cute at any age). I'm sure he keeps you BUSY!

Christine, thanks for the BMI tip. I see that I guess my work is cut out for me; my healthy weight appears to be 140-148. Hmmm, we'll see...That site also led me to a neat calorie and activity calculating site.
Can you briefly tell me what BFL is all about?

Nancy - you crack us all up!:lol: But seriously, the routines get easier with time. I can finally anticipate and keep up with my Gilad Step and Tone tape, so instead of feeling flustered that I can't keep up, I can concentrate on trying to do correct form. Hey, that's a gorgeous picture of you on your profile page!

Hi Kelly-Anne - hope your 'puter is running smoothly.

Melisa - don't be bummed if the scale doesn't reflect how hard you've been working. You show alot of determination to add another day to your fitness routine. That might be what is needed to kick your metabolism up more. We're all jealous of your impending trip to Disneyville! Mmmm, warmth and sunshine... outside here right now it's snow squalling. :?: (where is Spring?)

Let's see, have I missed saying hi to anyone?:?: I hope I haven't...

Have a great evening, everyone!

Your friend, Holly
176/168/160 1st mini goal

Body for Life:

I'll try to set it up as simply as I can (which isnt hard cuz its not very complicated).

6 mini-meals a day (one carb (preferably complex), one protein per meal). The breakdown is about 40% carb/ 40% protein/ 20% fat for your diet. Also says to include veggies in at least 2 meals.

3 45-min weight training sessions a week.

3 20-min high intensity cardio sessions a week.

One day off every week where you do no workouts and eat whatever you like.

That's the basics.. I borrowed the body for life book from the library so I could get all the specifics.. its really pretty simple conceptually but I dunno how easy its gonna be to put into practice.. I'll let ya'll know ;)

Christine
195/149/130

Thank you so much for the compliment Holly,,, I took that pic with the little web cam that is attached to the computer..that was at Christmas time, I wish we could see pics of everyone else. We seen Christines pretty face on Shanias body....I keep picturing my face on Faith Hills body....oh if only I could look so good.. and she has had 3 children by c section....I wouldnt mind singing like her also, or traveling like she does, or making the money she does, etc, etc,, geesh some folks have all the luck...:)

My sister in law asked me if I wanted to start going to the gym with her.. I am considering it. Ill go check it out and see if it scares me....hahah

Christine~~I think Ill check that book out at the library and do some reading on it also.. do you have to take alot of supplements when doing that program? You will have to let all of us know if its a hard one to follow.. We will let you be our guide :)

Well I hope the whole gang of us had a great day today that will carry over in to tomorrow... Ill see you all in the morning.....

Sweet Dreams Friends.....

Nancy :wave:

207/194/150 1st goal

More on the BFL topic:

They have a few different supplements and whatnot that they give you the option of taking but they do not emphasize that as a necessary thing. They do suggest you use protein shakes (myoplex in particular) because when you're trying to eat 6 meals a day, its a bit difficult to prepare something for every meal. You can do the program without the shakes though as long as you're willing to prepare the 6 meals.

I'm thinking it may be a good option to make a large dinner and package the leftovers into individual servings for the next days lunch or whatnot. I still plan to get the protein shakes though as it seems like an easy way to fit in a meal when you just dont feel like cooking! Plus, there are tons of recipes out there that include the protein powder to up the protein levels. As I said, my natural diet seems to be only about 15% protein so it may be a little bit of a challenge for me to get that up to 40% so any help I can get will be welcomed (protein powder here i come!) :D

We stopped at a sporting goods store last night to see what options we have for weights and whatnot. They had a 100lb set for $40 and a 160lb set for $100. I'm not sure what kind of weight we'll need for my hubby. I don't see myself needing anything more than that for a loooong time, but who knows ;-) *I* am very tempted by the Total Gym and similar machines.. nice smooth movements.. looks even fun to use.. but I fear Id max out on the weight on that cuz you only lift up to 50% of your body weight.. which right now is 75lbs but as i get stronger I'll be losing weight and eventually I think it won't challenge me enough.. especially for my legs! They do have a weider one that is similar at Sear's for a lot less money and it has added resistance bands so I'm tempted by that.. dunno if the BFL will work as well with that contraption as with weights tho.. but then, will i use it more cuz i like it better? oh, choices! I hate making choices! :lol: :lol:

Okay, I'm just babbling now.. so I'll go..

Christine
195/149/130

Thanks for all the weight loss wishes. They actually came true. I got on the scale today and couldn't believe I lost 2 lbs. :dizzy: I wasn't even going to get on I was so disgusted. I didn't feel like I lost and couldn't bear to have another week stuck at 187. I'm glad I got on. Now I feel like a million bucks! I'm still going to add that other night of aerobics. It's a different class than I've been taking and I think I'd enjoy the change. I was afraid my work schedule was going to change a lot so that I'd miss all my classes and have to go downstairs to the gym and walk on the treadmill and ride the bike. Don't get me wrong, I like to do that stuff, but it isn't as fun as my classes. My girlfriend or my daughter usually go with me and the other people in the class are so nice. At first I was intimidated. I was slow and clumsy. I'd get winded very quickly and I just felt like I didn't belong there. They were all very supportive. They told me that everyone is new at sometime and that they have all been there. That made me feel good. I kept chugging along and now I think I can hold my own.

Congrat to you Sprite!!! I am so happy for you. What a wonderful feeling.

That is a beautiful picture Nancy. It's nice to put a face with the name.

Christine, I did that measurement thing to check my frame size. I hope that's wrong. I have very thin hands and wrists, but that's about it. My rib cage is large, my hips are large and my legs are large. I don't mean large as in fat. My rib cage has hardly any fat at all and it's a whopping 37 inches. Maybe all the fat is inside it? lol. I'll make sure I discuss all of this with my Dr on Tuesday. She never says anything just to make me feel good. She tells me the truth even if it hurts. That's why I love her so much. She's the best Dr on the planet in my eyes.
A very long time ago, I weighed 132 lbs. I was sickly thin and people thought I was anorexic ( I know I spelled that wrong) Guess what size pants I wore?


10.......they were big in the waist, but I needed them that size for my butt and thighs. Honestly, I have no idea what my ideal weight is. I'm shooting for 145 only because when I was 155 I still felt a tad bit chubby. Will I ever be happy with my body? Probably not, but I am already feeling much happier with myself.
Well I think I've rambled enough. Time to get myself to the gym.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy day,
Melisa

PS We are going to Disney World in FL (just a few weeks away:))

Congrats on the 2 pounds, Melisa!

I'm back cuz I decided to step on the scale today and guess what, it read 148! Finally, another pound down.. now to keep it down for the next week while I await the beginning of my BFL!

:-)

Christine
195/148/130

:) WAY TO GO MELISSA!:) a 2 POUND LOSS! That is so excellent!

:) ALRIGHT CHRISTINE! yee ha! A 1 pound loss that is awesome!

Nancy let us know how the gym experience with your SIL goes.

Hello to Holly and everyone else. Hope you all are doing well. I really wonder what happened to Aphil. She was the one to start this thread and was so welcoming and supportive when I first posted here. Maybe I'll see if I can E-mail her.

It is such a beautiful sunny day today! Very motivating knowing that summer is just around the corner and da da da da shorts, swimsuits, tank tops.

Have a nice day everyone! :cool:

:wave: Hi everyone! Happy Sunday!

WAY TO GO, LOSING LADIES!!!!! :D Congrats to all of you! When you think of what's involved in losing a pound of fat - that's 3500 calories - that's alot of exercise and shaved calories. Woo-hoo!

Christine, thanks for the BFL info. Your idea of making a meal, then dividing it up sounds very wise. Choosing a weight system must be difficult - especially when there are big $$ involved. That's so great that your husband will be doing it with you.

Melisa, I have to admit feeling the very same confusion about frame size, and wrist size - I have wide shoulders, have always been wide-hipped; yet my wrists are on the small size. Am I deceiving myself into thinking I can weigh more, if I tell myself I'm big-framed? I just don't know. I think I'll just have to continue trying to get to a healthier weight and take it from there. I'd be interested in hearing what your doctor says to you about it (I mean, if you want to tell us! Didn't mean to sound too nosy).

Nancy, that's nice that your SIL wants to go to the gym with you. I'd say go for it! Does she go regularly, or will it be new for her?

My husband has a digital camera, so I guess I have no excuse not to post a pic of me. I'll just have to spend an hour or two or three fixing my hair, make-up, find a flattering blouse...:s: hee hee

Uh-oh, the family Easter dinner is in one week. My mom asked if I would make chocolate cheesecake for the 14 of us that will be there...this will be the test, to see if I can prepare it without "sampling" the ingredients too much; then next Sunday, try to still have modest portions. Maybe if I'm wearing something that is looser now, that will help me keep myself in check. I know that what we're trying to do is NOT a "diet" (which indicates short-term) but something that we can live with for the rest of our (longer, healthier!) lives - and that we should be able to have occasional treats - I'm just afraid that I won't be able to stop at a small treat. There's also the well-meaning (I think) family members who say, "oh, come one! A little piece won't hurt you!" Well, we all must put up with that, I guess.

Okay, ladies! Have a great rest of the day, and we'll see you tomorrow!

Your friend, Holly
176/168/160 1st mini goal

Hello again ladies,
Of course I'll share what the Dr says. I tell you guys things I don't tell hardly anyone. The only people who know how much I weigh are my husband and kids and one girl I work with. The only reason I told her was because she is always telling me how great I look, but what a cow she is. She told me how much she weighed and I said, I weigh the same as you. That did one of two things, made her feel better because she thinks I look great or made her feel worse beacuse she's just been trying to boost my ego by telling me how good I look. Either way, she'll do whatever she feels is right for her. I keep inviting her to go to the Y with me, but I think she feels weird because she is Muslum and wears a scarf to hide her hair. She would also have to wear a long sleeve shirt and long pants. That must make it so difficult for her. She would get so hot and not be able to cool off. Doesn't sound too appealing to me either. Any suggestions that I could share with her? She tries to work out at home, but the demands of her dh and kids (ages 2 and 7) always put a stop to that before she even starts. She should just put her foot down, but she's just not that kind of person. She always puts them before herself. We do have a walking track close by, maybe I could set up some walking dates with her. I think she wouldn't feel like people were staring at her and that the breeze might keep her from overheating.
ttyl,
Melisa
PS I'll try to get a pic up soon too. All the one's I have are terrible. I'm not a very photogenic person.

Good Afternoon Everyone.....

Melisa and Christine~~~~~~WOO HOO AND WAY TO GO..... CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU ON YOUR LOSSES!!!!!

I love associating with a bunch of losers!!!! :lol::lol::lol:
I cant wait till I have lost as much as so many of you have..
All of you are my inspiration...

Sprite~~ it is a beautiful day here also.. almost 50 degrees.. I love it..I have been out all day.

Holly~~ My SIL only goes to the gym once in awhile. But maybe if I start to go with her it will be more. She is trying to lose weight also. She is doing the Protien Power thing.
Dont worry about the Easter dinner thing,, just remember to take your willpower with you. Remember if you want something , just have it in a small portion. There is nothing that we cant ever have,, it is just how much and knowing when to stop. You will be fine. :)

Pamela and KellyAnne~ ~ Hope you are having a good day!

Well I think Ill go for a walk and enjoy some more of this nice day..
Ill see you all later....

Nancy:wave:

:) Hi everyone!

Monday already! Atl east now as the time flies by, I know that I'm at least in the process of improving my health.

Melisa, that is so nice of you to consider taking the co-worker on walks. I can't imagine having obstacles such as restrictive clothing - it's hard enough for me to commit to exercise, without trying to do it through layers of clothes.

Hi Nancy, Sprite, Christine, Pamela, Kelly-Anne, and Jacklyn! Hope everyone's on track and positive.

I think I might do something radical - like have my husband hide the weighing scales. I KNOW that there are fluctuations due to water, but sheesh, these 3 or 4 pound fluctuations are hard to take. I did buy a cloth tape measure, and (yuck) took measurements last night. I wonder if I have the fortitude to just ignore the scales for a month, and measure again in 30 days... Another lifetime ago :D like 10 years ago, I was going to a nutritionist and working out hard with a friend - we both lost over 30 pounds each. At the time I was in the low 150's, and could wear size 10 jeans loosely. So if my main cnocern is size, not poundage, I would like to see if I can monitor myself that way.

I gave up going to the nutritionist for a couple of reasons. At the time, counting fat grams was the big deal - I remember totally ignoring calories, just focused on fat grams. She had us on less than 15 grams a day, preferably 12. I felt like I was STARVING.Then, even though I thought I was looking okay, she took Polaroids of us in her office, then proceeded to point out the areas of our bodies that were "still big". Man, I took that so personally and never went back to her! :mad: I know she was trying to be helpful, but I just didn't want to see her magic marker circling my upper arms, my thighs...:s:

Hey, does anyone know why plain, old-fashioned rolled oats have 2.5 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving? The package just says "contains rolled oats" so nothing's added - are oats fatty? Weird!

Enough of my blabbing - have a great day, everyone!!!

Holly

Hello everyone! I'm back!

My dad is fine. He went home yesterday. There were some complications so I had to stay longer than I initially intended but he's better now. Hopefully everything is taken care of.

Holly...I can definitely see why you wouldn't want to go back to the nutritionist (sp?). I dont feel the need to pay anyone to point out my flaws. I'm afraid that would just depress me rather than motivate me.

Well I stepped on the scale..3 times this morning. You know how it is when you are just wanting to make sure. 1st time...145, couldn't believe it so stepped on again...144!! Third time...145. Unfortunately I'll have to go with majority, but maybe tomorrow I'll lose another. I'll have to say that this loss is probably due to stress and lack of decent food to eat at the hospital...but I'll take it:)

My husband and I are going on a vacation next week. We'll be leaving for Cancun on Monday...yes the dreaded bathing suit. Oh well, I'm not as small as I'd like to be..but I am alot smaller than I used to be. Positive thinking right? Hopefully next time we go, I'll be at my goal weight. We are wanting to go again in October. That should give me plenty of time, hopefully:p

Well, enough babbling..Congrats to everyone's losses!


183/145/135 first goal

Just dropping in quick. I think I'm losing weight from trying to get the baby to sleep twice a day, but I guess I'll take it. I don't have much of an appetite right now and no energy, so I'm not feeling healthy at all. This too shall pass, right? Good job for everyone who is doing good!
In Christ,
Pamela

Hello everyone..

Well this has been my binge day. Its the very first one that I have had since I started this on February 5th. And to think by stepping on the scale triggered it. My official weigh in is not till tomorrow (but wont even do that until next week now) But I decided to get on the scale this morning and it showed that I have gained a pound !!!!!!!!! I am so bummed about that . I have been absolutely faithful since I have started this. I just dont get it. Well needless to say the hubby was down another 1.5 pounds. And I do all the cooking for him also!!!
I have been depressed all day. So what do it do??? I eat two handfuls of those little Snackwell cookies. All I want to do is go to bed and sleep until tomorrow.....

I hope everyone else has had a great day and the scale is good to you....:)

Talk to everyone later....

Nancy:wave:

Congrats to you Jacklyn on your loss. So glad to hear your dad is doing well now.

Holly good thing you stopped going to that nutritionist. You need someone who will help you think of the positive! Hopefully we all can do that for you!

Pamela I hope you manage to get some rest yourself. Glad to here you are losing!

Nancy: We all have had bad days here. Just keep on trying. Tomorrow is another day. I know we've talked about this before but maybe your calories are too low and that is why you are not losing?

I am so tired today. I am sticking to my calories today but it is so hard when you're tired. I feel so exhausted and weak and I am starving. Think I will eat dinner early because I can't wait much longer and then just hit the hay early tonight.

Anyone watch the Oscars last night? I loved it.

Hey everyone!! I was looking through the different threads on the message board and yours is definately the BEST by far!! I hope I can join in on the fun and chats you all have!!

I think that I found a bit of home here, I am originally from Edmonton Alberta, but have taken the huge move to Melbourne, Australia .... for love of course! I have been here almost 9 months now, and did not miss the snowflakes once during your winter! It was a mild summer here, so I lucked out with my first Aussie summer.

I started to gain weight over the last 5 years (now 30) and it was bad last year. I met my husband through a friend (they met in Whistler while he was here skiing) and got passed off to him on the internet..... he visited me, I visited him, he visted me a few more times, and then we got engaged and I applied for my visa for Australia to make a long story short! This meant that those hours I used to spend in the gym and the pool were now spent on the net for chats.... I was studying part time while holding down a stressful full time job and was depressed that I could not be with him 24/7.... instead of for 2 weeks every 5 months or so..... needless to say, when I started going through all my clothes to move here.... well..... I realized how many nice things I had at the back of the closet, and ended up with all the 'fat' clothes coming to Australia with me!! I have managed to lose 10 pounds since the wedding...... now weigh 160! and I am determined to get back to that sleek 135 or so!! because I am coming back to Canada for Christmas!

Well... that is probably enough about me.... I look forward to meeting all of you!

Wecome Kanola! Glad to have you aboard. I feel the same way you do about these guys. They truely are the greatest. Congrats on your loss. Keep up the good work!

Nancy, The same thing happened to me last week. Reread the posts written last week. Everyone had such motivating things to say (including yourself). It helped me not fall to far off the track and not give up. I want you to do the same. You can do it sweetie. Come on!

Pamela, You know it will get better. Hang in there. Is the weather nice enough to take the baby out for a walk in the stroller? Maybe the fresh air will do both of you good. My kids always fell asleep on a walk. Walking twice a day would be good exercise too.

Jacklyn, I am so glad to hear that all is well with your Dad. The is the best news you could give us. Second best news......your loss. That is great! Some of us gain during stressfull situations and you kept to your goals. That is awesome! Hey, have fun in Cancun. We will miss you while you are gone.

Holly, You should have taken a marker to one of her photos. I'm sure you could have found at least one flaw. No one is perfect in every way. Then she'd see how it feels to be judged and criticized. Grrr I hate people like that.

Sprite, That sounds like a plan. Maybe you'll feel refreshed tomorrow. :)

Hope all is well with the people who haven't posted lately.
ttyl,
Melisa

:) Good morning everyone!

First urgent message to Nancy - Please don't get discouraged!! As Melisa said, you have helped us all in the past few weeks; now we are here for you!

We know that one pound of fat is from 3500 calories - now, you have been keeping your calories low and on target; and you have been walking; so there is NO WAY that the pound up is actually fat gained. It HAS to be water weight, which is sucky, but fact. It could be from some food that was particularly high in sodium? or just due to the myriad of fluctuations the body goes through.

And, your "binge" was not terrible - probably seems excessive to you because you have been so disciplined - but an understandable reaction. You have been doing so excellently, and have motivated us all; stick through this temporary disappointment and you will be a big loser :D in a few days!

Jacklyn - Also very happy for you that your dad is fine. You are a good daughter! And congrats on the loss! Cancun - I'm jealous! (but in a friendly way:) )

Pamela - take care of yourself! You ladies that have small children, and are working on getting healthier - hats off to you. Small children take so much attention, it must be so hard to give yourself some time. Even if you have no appetite, try to eat light yet healthily. Maybe some low-sodium soup with lots of veggies?

Hi Sprite - sorry to hear you're feeling no energy. Maybe your're fighting off a cold. Get lots of rest, if you can. Maybe a limit on any exercising might be in order 'til you feel better?

Hi Melisa - right on with your message to Nancy. Hope you're having a great day.

Welcome Kanola! So, you're having summer now? Are the seasons reversed - or six months apart? I'm so ignorant. Congrats on the 10 pounds gone already! do you count calories, do ww? any particular form of exercise?

Hi Christine - did you get the home weight center this weekend? Is this the week you start the BFL Challange? If so, yay! Keep us posted on what it is like!

Hi KellyAnne! Hope you're doing well.

I was looking over my notes from the first week I signed on - and was looking for some ladies that we haven't heard from - of course, Aphil; and then there was Froufy, Lexxy, tryin' hard, Katy Des, Heather and Meg - are you ladies still out there? Hope you're all well and continuing the trek!

Time for me to exercise. I'm thinking of you all and thankful that we all connected.

Your friend, Holly
176/168/160 1st goal
weigh-in tomorrow - we'll see!

Hi all :-)

Welcome, Kanola, it sounds like you're off to a great start :)

Holly, my BFL start date will be April 1st. Just in time to be tempted by all that Easter candy sitting around the house! *laugh* I'm going to do my best to find non-candy items for my daughters basket this year but I know her grandparents will be giving her tons of sweets.

Nancy, don't worry about the binge, it happens to all of us. Melisa is right, go back and read your own words of encouragement from previous days/weeks! Don't let the little slip mess with your effort or progress. You can do it :)

I don't think I mentioned this yet (my brain hasn't kicked in for the day yet so who knows).. over the weekend the hubby and I found a 115-lb set of weights with a barbell and 2 dumbell handles for only $14.88 at sears! This will be our starter set. I'm sure the hubby will outgrow it if we get serious about the weight lifting but it should do the job for now and was perfect for our budget ;) We're going to look for a cheap weight bench to use too for the time being. I've seen a couple for around $50. *I* also would like a total gym type contraption but I guess that will have to wait for now as I don't have $250 to spend on one atm!!

Hope you are all having a great day.... :)

Christine
195/148/130

Hi all! Holly--thanks for checking up. I am a very faithful reader, but not a great poster! I get so much inspiration from all of you and it seems like you say it all so well!
I am still struggling with the last 6 - 7 pounds. I guess I should look at it that I am maintaining, which is something I have never been able to do at a healthy weight! I want to be at my goal for Mother's Day, so I will continue to walk and limit my calories. Lately, I really struggle on the weekends--a glass of wine here, a handful of pretzels there... we all know how that goes! But like I said, I get so much inspiration from all here and that will get me through this weekend!
Hope you're all having a good day!

Hi everyone!

Nancy, I hate to hear you so down:( You have been such a positive and inspirational person, I hope we can help you, the way you have helped us.

I know what helps me is I try to look at the overall picture. Sure I eat things I shouldn't from time to time, but I usually try to make healthy choices, and in the long run, I have been able to maintain a loss.

I even allow myself to cheat from time to time :devil: For example last night, we went out and ate mexican and I even drank a couple of beers:o Didn't count calories and didn't care. I didn't bother to weigh this morning because I knew there would be a gain. But I'm back on track today and that's all you can do. So cheer up!!:D You have done so well....and you will continue to do well. We will eventually get there!!

I'm so glad that I found this thread!! It's nice to have the support from such a great group! I really appreciate all of the kind words about my dad.

Welcome Kanola!

Holly, keep us updated on the Body for Life thing. I have read some of the info on it and I'm curious to see how it works for you. I have also looked at some of the BFL threads and it seems to work for them. I need to get into some weight lifting to build some muscle. I know that the more muscle you have the more calories you burn..and the more you can eat:s:

Anyways, I have to get back to work, I'll check in later!


183/145/135 first goal

I just realized that its Christine doing the Body for Life challenge, not Holly! Sorry for the mix-up! and good luck to you Christine!:)

Good morning everyone!

Welcome Kanola! How do you like Australia? Was it a big adjustment for you? I always wanted to visit Australia and had daydreams (when I was much younger , of course) of meeting a sexy Australian man and getting married and moving to Australia. Lucky You! (Not that I'm complaining, I'm happily married now to an Italian and living in Canada ha ha )
Congrats on your 10 pound loss so far. How long did it take you to lose that? When were you married?

:) Nancy:) How are you? Your photo is absolutely beautiful and you do not look like you need to lose an ounce. You must carry your weight very well. I hope you are back on track today!

Hello to everyone else!

I am planning a shopping trip with some girlfriends late April and I am going to buy myself a tankini. It is like a bikini but the top part is like a tank top and comes down a bit farther over most if not all of the stomach area. This is a huge step for me but I really want to wear it this summer and trying it on periodically from the time I buy it until it's time to actually wear it in public will be great incentive. I am going set a date that I have to wear it out to the beach no matter what! That's got to get me losing!:o

Have a nice day :sheep:

Sprite--I ordered a tankini from Land's End and I love it! It really covers most of you and it is so comfortable! And, it's a two-piece! Have a great time shopping and DON'T look at the size numbers--they mean nothing when it comes to bathing suits!
Have a good day!

~~~~GOOD MORNING FRIENDS~~~~~

Hello and thank you to everyone of you for the words of encouragement. I agree with Holly, I am so glad that our paths have crossed, you guys are simply the best!!!!!!

I am feeling better today, I have decided to have an awesome week and not let yesterday linger into today!!!!


Holly~~~~ You are probably right , I bet it is just water. But that is a mean trick for the body to play on a person dont you think?????? And then for the scale to laugh up at you really can send you over the edge :eek: :eek: :eek:
I hope you have a great weigh in tomorrow,I am rooting for you and Ill even start my happy dance for you now...:jig:

Sprite~~~~ I wonder at times if I am eating too low of calories, but now I am afraid that if I try to add any more that Ill gain weight....ugh.....why does it have to be so hard..?
Have fun shopping for your hot new swimsuit...I am sure you will find the perfect one . And you will feel wonderful wearing it.

Christine~~~~ I bet you are all pumped to start the BFL, I hope you kick butt!! And with you and your husband doing it together it should go great !
I was talking to the hubby the other night and said that it would be nice to have one of those BowFlex machines. I knew a man that I worked with and he was so over weight and out of shape . Well he bought one of them and in no time he had transformed his body. He said it was well worth the money that he spent on it.

Jacklyn~~~~ So glad to hear that your Dad is doing well. And you persevered through a stressful time.
And WOW a trip to Cancun...that is great... remember us up here in the cold will be thinking of you on the warm sunny beach :cool:

Melisa~~~~ You are right,, I did go back and re-read the postings and they dohelp. Maybe I should print them all out and stick them in a binder for quick reference. :)

Pamela~~~~ How are you today? Hope all is well.

Kanola~~~~ Welcome, I too have made a move. I moved from the US to Canada.. Oh the things we do for love.... Glad to have you on board and congrats on the weight you have lost already.

Tryin'hard~~~~ Congrats on being so close to goal, you should be there in no time!!!!!

KellyAnne~~~~ Are you still with us? Hope to hear from you soon.

Well ladies while sitting here reading and posting, I have drank almost 2 liters of water,,so guess what.....gotta run.....:lol:

Be back later.....
oh yeah...whats with this thing???,, I lost a entire post ,,what a bummer.... all that typing and poof....its gone just like that !!!!

Ciao for now
Nancy :wave:

You think its time to close this thread and start a new one??....we are at page 7...we sure fill up fast.....how cool.....

Nancy

Hi all!! Thank you for such a warm welcome! I can feel the increase in motivation already! YAY!

Nancy – Great move! Where did you move from and too? I hope you survived the Canadian Winter! I know there were days I missed the beauty of it, but did not miss those weeks of really cold days in a row. If we were to come back, I think we would be in Vancouver. It is still close to my family and it reminds me so much of Melbourne. Being close to Whistler is my hubby’s dream too! Love can make us do crazy things!

Sprite – Tankini’s ROCK! I had one that got worn until it was so faded, I could hardly tell what colour it was anymore! It needed to be replaced and I waited too late past the ‘summer’ season here to find one…. Had to settle for the one piece this time.

Christine – A co-worker from my job in Canada has been doing the BFL for 2 years now. He swears by it. His motivation was not for weight loss but for nutrition and fitness. He has had great success and runs half marathons now! I saw him about a month ago, he is living just outside of Sydney with his girlfriend for a year, she is taking her last year of University over here and he is working part time jobs when they are not travelling around. It was great to see a familiar face and hear a familiar accent when they visited us for 4 days!

Jacklyn – I LOVE mexican food. That is what I like to have on a ‘being bad’ day! There is a place not far from us that has 40% off on Mondays before 7:30. Makes being good for a whole weekend worth it! I can almost taste the nachos!

Holly – we are coming into Autumn here in Melbourne. The weather is definitely cooler and the days are slightly shorter. It is raining a fair amount as well…. Something that did not happen much in sunny Alberta! I began using the Slim Fast program in November and lost 10 lbs in 6 weeks, which was great. Then I hit a plateau and have not gained or lost since then, as long as I stick to the breakfast smoothie, snacks, canned shake and a healthy dinner. No matter how much I exercise! I am the worst morning person and would not eat until 10 am until I started doing this. It has definitely made me more aware of my eating habits. I also found a great website, www.fitday.com and started journalising my diet. 2 weeks ago I was reading an Australian fitness magazine on the train and came across an article for a 12 week challenge, they had last year’s winner and she looked amazing! I had the hubby take the awful bathing suit photo, measurements and post them off to the magazine and now I am committed. I joined a gym with a full membership, gym, classes, pool, everything! I am journalising my food intake and keeping it around 1500 a day. After 10 days, 4 classes, many laps in the pool, yoga sessions, walking to the train station and then to work every day I have finally lost 2 pounds! I was so happy when I stepped on the scale. What a great day! My goal is to lose 10 kilos (22 pounds) in the 12 weeks. And I am giving this my best effort!

I came across 3FC while looking for fitness and nutrition information on the net and it has proven to be a great resource! So glad you guys are here!

Hi everyone,
Glad to hear all the encouraging words. I may have a few to share of my own. I went to the Dr's today for my yearly exam. I seen her 2 weeks ago, but couldn't have everything done due to TOM. Anyway, she set a goal for me of 150. I thought this was too high. The BMI index says a person at 5'5 should weigh 145 or less. She says to ignore the BMI. That it, along with all the other charts out there are not absolutely perfect for everyone. She feels that if I can reach 150 and maintain it, I will be very healthy. She says it would be worse for my body to yo-yo up and down trying to lose the last 10 lbs. She also suggested that when I reach 150 to measure my waist and hips. She said if there is a 10 inch difference between the 2, that I will be at my ideal weight regardless what any chart says I should weigh. I will take her advise, because I worship the ground that she walks on, lol. I also know that if I need her at anytime, I can make an appointment to see what she has to say. Everything else checked out fine. By the way, I know we had a discussion on "frame size" and some of you wanted to know what the Doc would say. I asked and she said I had a large frame. She based this on the size of my shoulders. My bloodwork came back with everything at normal levels. :) I take great pride and always have that even though I am overweight, I am a healthy person. I must be doing something right. On another note, I shrunk. I used to be 5'5.25" and now I'm a flat 5'4". How on Earth did that happen? I'm only 35, shrinking shouldn't be an issue for me now. I was talking to the pharmacist today and he asked about my calcium intake. Well, I have always been on the low end of my daily requirement as I am lactose intolerant. I roughly get about 30% in. I know that is really bad and I have been making an honest effort to be better. I try to take calcium supplements, but I was told by another pharmacist, that you shouldn't take them with caffeine or protein. Ideally I should take 1 at 11am and another at 3:30pm to space them out between meals, but I just haven't gotten into the routine. I think this shrinking will be a motivating factor for me. Ladies, get your calcium!!! For those of you wonderering why I talk to so many pharmacists, I'm not a junkie. lol, I work as an RX technician. I "float" all over the state and get the opportunity to work with about a dozen different pharmacists a week and each has a different specialty. I work 8 hrs a day and ask questions all day long lol. They always give good sound advise and have my best interest at heart.

I hope everyone has a great day,
Melisa

PS My Doc also said that if we lose our weight slowly and maintain our loss that most of the "loose" skin will disappear!!!! Whew, that's a relief.

Melisa--thank you so much for sharing your doctor's visit with us! I recently went to a BMI website and according to their calculations, I am still overweight. It is do discouraging to feel so good about all you have done, only to see in a chart that it's still not enough! I can't wait to go home and measure my waist and hips! Even though I weigh 161, I am wearing size 10 clothes and even though I want to loose another couple of pounds, I really don't want to go much lower than that. I'm 5'7". It sounds like you have a terrific doctor! I wish they were all that practical!
Have a great day everyone! Let's all try to remember it's all in how we feel!

Hello all :)

Jacklyn, don't worry about the mix-up, I can never remember who said what and thats why I am rarely speaking directly to anyone in my replies LOL

I am beginning to really think that building muscle will be the key to losing more weight. The more I read about it, the better it sounds. Not only will I get a toner, sleeker look but for every pound of muscle you gain you burn something like 50 calories more per day! So if I can gain a mere 5 pounds of muscle, I'll be burning 250 more cal a day.. thats a pound lost every 2 weeks doing nothing! Now, imagine if I can gain twice that much muscle!? lol

That whole BMI thing is interesting, Melisa. I have the opposite going on though, as I am only 3 pounds above the high end of my healthy BMI range, yet I feel far from where I want to be! But then, I'm 5'4" and at 148 pounds, I'm still not fitting into a size 10. I just measured this morning and my waist is only 7" smaller than my hips. I don't see how that can be a proper measure of correct weight though because of different body types and some people who naturally have wide hips or some with thin hips..some with defined waists and some with no waist to show.. *boggle* Maybe it'll work for your body type in particular but not everyone? My waist is 32" and my hips are 39" currently... which was a nice suprise as thats 1.5" down on each from my last official measurements (7lbs ago). I do however, agree, the BMI is not appropriate measure of everyones weight. Its just nice to have an idea of approximate healthy weights :)

I truely think, measurements and clothing sizes are a better judge of loss than weight. I think I'll really see this when I start lifting the weights.. as I'll be building pounds of muscle while I'm losing the fat so the scale won't change as much as the measurements.

Ok, enough of my babbling for now...

Hope you're all having a great day :)

Christine
195/148/130 (ok, the scale said 149 but I'm not ready to give up that pound yet.. if it keeps it up for a couple days, I'll change it!)

Nancy, don't give up! :) You might also be building muscle in your legs from all your walking.

I got to the gym today and did 1/2 an hour on the stair stepper, wow. I feel really good. My sister babysat last night and Emmett went to bed at 7:30 and slept all night. Granted, I went in this morning and he was stark naked, but that's ok, LOL. I'm going to get him up from his nap soon, cause I think he was napping too much.

I was actually eating pretty badly and too much the past couple of days, but I'm starting to get back into my old groove. Not really going to worry about things until after Easter. I'm hoping the trail will be totally snow free by then so I can bike!!! I can't wait. My dad's making an attempt right now, but there's too much snow for me.

Hope everyone has a good day!
In Christ,
Pamela

Gonna start number seven...see everyone there.....

Nancy:)