Support Groups - Time For Serious Fun #48

TIME FOR SERIOUS FUN #47

We are a thread dedicated to making losing weight a pleasant experience. We laugh, cry and talk together. We have challenges, points for staying on program, drinking our water, and exercising. We have a daily topic to join in. Our only focus is to help us realize that dieting and all that goes with it need not be unpleasant, but can be fun. Come join the fun here at Time for Serious Fun! Everyone is Welcome!

TOPICS:

Monday: Mission Monday New mission each week
Tuesday: Target Tuesday We target something to work on
Wednesday: Wednesday's Woes Our day to complain about anything and everything
Thursday: Time for Us Thursday The day set aside to pamper us!
Friday: Fabulous Face and Body Friday We need to take care of our bodies with facials, pedicures, whatever
Saturday: Sunny Thoughts Saturday We share stories and jokes to help us smile
Sunday: Silly Poll Sunday A new poll to give your thoughts to every week


POINTS VALUES:

STAYING ON PROGRAM IS 2 POINTS
DRINKING YOUR WATER IS 1 POINT
EXERCISING IS 1 POINT

POSTING A WTG: A WTG IS WHEN SOMETHING NON WEIGHT LOSS HAPPENS TO YOU LIKE A NEW DRESS IN A SMALLER SIZE. TO POST A WTG, USE ALL CAPS AND POST IT IN PINK. FOR EXAMPLE: WTG: I rode my bike 2 miles instead of one today.

FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE JAN 1- MAY 1. THE MOST LBS LOST WILL WIN A $30 VISA GIFT CARD! ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MEMBERS FOR 4 MONTHS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER GIFT THOUGH ALL MAY JOIN THE CHALLENGE!

MONDAY: Today is Mission Monday. Our mission this week is need vs want. When you feel like hunger is upon you each day this week and you go for whatever it is that you want to eat, before biting into it, reflect on whether this is a NEED or a WANT. Am I really hungry or just want to eat it, is it visually appealing so I want it, is it high caloric and fat where it would bite into whatever program I am using, do I want it because my mind "tastes" it? Take time to consider all these things before going for that cake, pie, candy, snacks or even sandwiches, bacon and eggs whatever. Work on your "weigh loss stamina" by leaving whatever it is alone for just a few minutes. Occupy your mind with something else completely and DO NOT think about food. After 15 or 20 minutes do you still desire what it was that you were going to put into your mouth, or has the urge to binge lessened? Many times, you will find that holding out for just a little while will lessen the desire to eat something you don't need. The more we work at eating for need instead of want, the more successful we will be not only towards our weight loss goal, but for keeping it off!

Morning/afternoon ladies depending on where you are. Looks like they have things back again. The upgrades are really great once you get used to the changes, especially when you do what I do everyday with fonts, colors, etc.

Please continue to post points today, but I am not posting smileys. I will resume tomorrow. The posts didn't have dates so I don't know what days are what so we will start fresh tomorrow. Congratulations to those of you with 4 pts and to anyone who has achieved pts at all!

Ok, chat is tonight at myfamily at 7:30 pm central, 8:30 pm eastern. If you have not already joined and several of you have not done so, I will need to resend you an invitation so you can chat. I will do that when I leave here. For those of you wanting to chat, you do not have to have a "leader" so to speak, for example, I don't have to be there every week to get things started. Just go into myfamily and look for chat and follow the instructions. When you get into our chat room it shows who is there once you have logged in. As I said before, I have not been successful using myfamily chat from this computer, but I will try again. I usually can log on, but when I post a message, my computer completely shuts down! Anyway, the chat is completely private and no outsiders will be there, just our Time group who belong to our site.

Have a great afternoon.

Faye ;)

Hi Ladies,

Well, i got 1pt for exercise yesterday but i'm aiming for at least 3 today ( i never was good at drinking water :lol: ) but i'll work on that too ;)

Gosh, there are so many good bodies out there that its hard to choose is'nt it ? Beyonce never entered my head even tho' i love her :lol: and :cp: YEP that is a good choice and Marilyn too even tho' they reckon she wore a size 16!! I for one don't believe that :lol:

Faye..have you lost nearly 100lbs? :eek: :bravo: WELL DONE! thats amazing!

I think i am going to copy monday mission to the fridge, I think that would help us all if we do that daily, I know I eat not because I need it . MOst every thing I eat is because I want it. I think that this Monday Mission will be my dieting goal for the year!!!

Faye ,
I have not been here but a couple weeks , I have not felt more welcome on any forum, than you ladies have made me feel here.To you all Thanks!!!
I would also like to say to FAYE:
MANY THANKS for all the time you devote here. You do make a difference in alot of peoples life!!!
How about girls, lets all give Faye a BIG Thank You!!!
Donna

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY FRIENDS:You are so sweet, but the truth is, this helps me as much as it helps you. For everytime I post a mission or a target and for everytime I have to think up another one that I feel is helpful, I have that finger pointing back at me first knowing that I must do what I encourage you to do. I don't care if you have 10 or 200 lbs to lose, we still all fight the same fight. Was losing 100 lbs easy? Heck NO! It was a fight everyday. It is hard to explain to people who can put on there socks by lifting a leg up or tying their shoes without having to sit sideways in a chair or on the bed so you can reach your shoe. No one but a hugely obese person understands what it is like NOT to be able to walk from a store parking lot but having to be left off at the door. I couldn't walk my dog, I couldn't tie those shoes, put on my socks, carry my grandson at all, I still cannot run. It would take me a rest period to go up a flight of stairs. I still have 170 lbs to lose, but I darn sure am going to do it if it takes 5 years and I slip and slide all the way. Those 100 lbs that are gone have enabled me to carry that 3 year old, walk up to 3 miles at a stretch, take my dog out, I can cross my legs! So, sweet dear friends, this thread is not just to help you though I really would do anything I can to get you where you want to be in any capacity, it also keeps me on the straight and narrow and helps me to see that others struggle too, maybe not in the same way, maybe with not as much difficulty, but struggle you do. We are in this together and together we will win. I won't let you lose. I will fight every inch of the way to help you stay focused so you can be healthy and happy and be around when those of you that are young have families and they grow up, when those of us who are older can see those grandbabies graduate from high school. I am lucky I even lived long enough to see my darling boy be getting married and I darn sure am not going to die because I am too fat. If God is gonna take me, it is because it is something out of my ability to stop it and I can say without a doubt that weight loss WE CAN DO!

REGARD CHAT TONIGHT:

I sent everyone an e-mail from myfamily as to how to use the chat, but it looked like none of the aol subscribers got their e-mail. With that being said, here are the instructions for using the chat.

Log on to myfamily, go to chat, join a chat, right column is group chat and click on launch a chat and you should be launched. You name will appear in the left hand box if you are logged in.

Faye :)

hi girls!

Sorry i haven't posted...was gone for the weekend. Andy and I visited his mom upstate and spend most of the weekend there.

I stay o/p all week, Saturday was a close one, but I believe I pulled it off. Sunday I had chinese food, but it was basically my only meal so that was okay. Today I weighed myself and found I lost 1.5lbs. Which makes me happy because I want to lose 4lbs by my b-day on the 31st. So I might actually make it.

Happy Belated B-Day Susan- Hope you had a blast!

Welcome newbies hope you like it here.

Oh by the way Faye, you did give me some good pointers on the vacation planning. I was interested in like a beach vacation. Out of State. The mystery weekend sounds fun though too. I also wouldn't mind a b & b.

Take care girls...I will talk to you later.

Hi Girls..

I have had a tough day with food issues today. I just want to eat everything in the house. I have caved to a snickers bar, potato chips, and 2 huge chocolate chip cookies. Yesterday was such a good day and I got all 4 points.. but today.. ughhhhh. I have no idea what's causing it but I sure hope I get rid of it soon. I am making whole wheat pasta with a homemade low cal tomato sauce tonight for dinner - I may just pass on that for a salad since I feel so bad about all the junk I have eaten.

Hope everyone is doing well and feeling great :)

Til Later..........

Good Evening ,
I have had a really good day today, Got all the housecleaning chores done!!!
I get 4 points for today, I got the vcr connected and done the one mile walk,
That is a major accomplishment for me.
Got to work tomorrow , So I hope every one has a great day tomorrow
Good Night, Donna

Monday!
I got 2 pts today, only because I didn't write down all my food. I guess I could record things now...ok, I did it. My current plan is just to write it down, so I guess I get 4 pts after all. I am restarting very slowly, as I have gone on and off diets in record time lately. So congrats to all of you who are doing so much. I hope one day to have a handle on emotional eating, but for now, I am doing what I can just to be AWARE of it. I like this week's mission, for this week I will try to meditate on what emotions are present in driving me to food.
Looking forward to tomorrow!


Kim

TUESDAY:Today is Target Tuesday and we are continuing the series of How to Stop When you are full. #6 is Pick a taste. Different Flavors stimulate the brain's appetite center, which makes us eat more. Our brains are designed to be full in one flavor category and still hungry in others. Limiting yourself to one taste (all sweet or all salty say) prevents the appetite center from going wild with diverse temptation. Gosh, now we know why there is always room for dessert! :lol:

I found today's topic particularly interesting. I never thought about mixing flavors causing you to eat more, but think about eating a candy bar and then wanting potato chips to counteract the sugar. Ever done that? I have more times than I can remember.

For those of you ladies who have AOL9.0, have any of you received your invitations to myfamily? I ask because Donna can't seem to get hers and I have resent it about 4 times. She thinks maybe it reads it as spam.

Everyone have a great morning and I will check in later with points.

Faye

Good morning ladies!

Four points for yesterday! I ate sugar, but it was those merangue thingies that dh thinks taste like spackle :lol: They only have like8 calories each, so I'm not worried that I overate.

Today is looking good, too. Tons of stuff to do.........I like the target today. I never thought about combining flavors either. Faye, where do you come up with all this stuff??? It's like you're a walking weight-loss encyclopedia! Or do you look it up online, and then post it here? Doesn't really matter, everything you post helps us think!

Kim--I think it's great that you realize you need to go slow! Focus on things you CAN accomplish, like just writing down what you eat no matter how much it adds up to. The more you write, the more you will be aware, and then your brain will start to shift its thinking all by itself! It happened for me. I resisted the food journaling hard, and never lost weight. Then I did it for just one week because Faye said so :lol: and it worked! I've lost over 30 pounds since the summer just because I was writing down what I ate! Awareness, it's all about awareness! You can do this, I know you can!! :cheer:

Donna--Congrats on all the accomplishments yesterday! It feels so good when we get things DONE, doesn't it??

Dorothy--Congrats on the loss! You'll get there.......one pound at a time!

Well, hope everyone else is feeling :strong: today! We're supposed to get record cold tomorrow (which is really saying something for January in Maine!) Guess some of my exercise will be hauling in wood today.

Gotta fly........
Julie

Julie: Usually I just "know" things and create the topic, but the target Tues are from an article in Self magazine, which I subscribe to called, "How to Stop When You're Full" and I thought they were worth posting here every week.

SandyB: Sorry I missed you just by a couple minutes at chat last night. Jack was playing a game and he HAD to finish this dumb yahtzee game online so I was late getting there. We will try again next week!

NEED A SUGGESTION FOR DINNER TONIGHT?

Asian Grilled Chicken

1 can (14 oz) ff chicken broth
2 tbl low sodium soy sauce
1 tbl vinegar
1 tsp slenda or sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper, or cayenne
4 boneless chicken breasts

Mix all the ingredients but chicken in a non-metallic pan, add chicken, turn to coat and marinate covered for 1 hour in the fridge. Remove chicken from marinade and broil or grill for about 15 minutes turning often and brushing with marinade. Heat remaining marinade and serve with chicken. Serve with rice and a vegetable Serves 4

Gotta go and get my walk in girlies!

Faye :)

Morning ladies!

Pretty gloomy day here...boss is also in today so i won't be able to check in until tomorrow, but just wanted to quickly say hi.

I got 3 pts for yesterday. Where is everybody? Kinda queit in here huh?

okay take care.

quiet*

Morning All

Hope you all are doing great...I got 3 points yesterday, no exercise of course, I am so bad about that, I am going to have to start making myself do my Walk Away the Pounds DVD daily or least start out every other day...

Faye - recipe sounds good, might try that this week...my husband is doing the Atkins though and I do not know if he could have that...maybe if I used the Splenda he could....

Julie, how ya doing? I keep looking at your CW, you and I have been close in that all along, we were at the same place before I went on my holiday eating spree, now I look at my 226 and see that i could be back down there with you at 218...ah well I am working on it...Keep warm!!

Well will check in later, everyone have an OP day!!!

2 points yesterday for me. I did not stay OP.

Today has been a food day as well. I also do the sweet then salt cravings and its bad.
I've been checking in regularly.. just not much into posting. Feeling down about my giving in to food.

Chat soon...

POINTS POINTS POINTS POINTS POINTS:

Kimmy :bravo:
Julie :bravo:
Dorothy :cp:
Carri :cp:
Faye :dancer:
Debbie :dancer:

Hope everyone is having a good afternoon.

Carri: I am trying the chicken for the first time myself. Just make sure you boil the marinade before pouring over the cooked chicken since the raw chicken was in it. I am plannning on thickening it with a little corn starch and water but if your dh is on Atkins that would be a definite nono.

For anyone that is interested: www.campbellkitchen.com has a bunch of good recipes and you can adapt them using lowfat or ff soups and broths and other ingredients like the Splenda instead of sugar and the low sodium soy. This is the website that Gordon Elliot exposes on his soup commercials and it has some great recipes.

We have some ladies here who need a lot of encouragement right now. I am not going to put them out there by name, but if you are doing particularly well, give a thought to those ladies here who are struggling at the moment and just give a general rahrah speech or something. We want everyone to get back on the horse and be doing well again now that the holidays are over and some of us are stalled at the gate so to speak. Ok, with that being said, I will go first.

To our mystery ladies:

First of all, know that I love each and every one of you and want you to succeed far beyond what you even thought you could do.
A) when you were doing really well, what was it that kept you UP? Was it losing, exercising/endorphin release, or what? Now, think about how you can get it back!
B) Start out like it is your first time if you have to. Don't try and do too much if you have really fallen behind.
C) Start journaling again if you have to. Write down all that you eat, how much you exercise, your water and what you feel like. Then go back the next day and see what you have written. See where you have fallen short, see what your emotions were, then work to change them or it.
D) Know that everyone here wants you to succeed. We want to see you lose that weight and get healthy and be happy with your life.
E) Look in the mirror. See the woman that is staring back at you now, not the one that was 20, 30, 50 lbs heavier. See how your face is thinner, your eyes shinier, maybe your skin is in better shape, your tummy is flatter, your legs more sculpted. NOW, replace that with the picture of your former self. Do you REALLY want to go back there? Do you want to give up and just chuck in all the hard work you have done? You know you don't.
F) REMEMBER WHAT MY MANTRA IS: YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, NOT JUST INSIDE BUT OUTSIDE TOO! GORGEOUS NOW AND MORE GORGEOUS EVEN LATER!

Faye :)

Wow, I am really amazed today. The topic really hit home for me in a way I never thought about before, which doesn't happen that often. When I am really stuffed on chinese food or pizza or whatever, I pretty much ALWAYS want candy or something, so much that certain salty foods followed by certain sweet foods has become kind of a ritual for me. I always thought I was "balancing my blood sugar", really. Now I realize it is my compulsion to eat looking for different avenues once one is saturated.

I am particularly moved by Faye's encouragement speach, and I am very thankful that I have found this thread right now, as it has broadened my thinking already in a number of ways. My goal today is to get 4 points!

To everyone who is slipping right now, I empathize, sympathize and everything else, and I just want you to know that You Are Successful Now. By wanting to improve your life you have made the ultimate statement of how much you love yourself. Just by wanting to have a better life you make the ultimate statement of how much you mean to yourself, and that is really powerful. There are all sorts of reasons that following through is hard, but know that it is hard for everyone. You are supposed to make mistakes, but don't make the mistake of giving up on yourself.

OK, that was really a note to myself!

Kim

PS, didn't join the chat last night, hope it was great. I went to see Lost in Translation. Very nice.

Hi Ladies,

Only 2pts for me yesterday..i went shopping so did'nt get the water in and i'm not giving myself an exercise pt because i only did 15mins :( but today i'm aiming to get 4 too :D i've just started on my first pint of water and i'm going to exercise in a minute :)

Faye , I emailed you to let you know I finally got the email, Thanks.
Just got in from work, just wanted to check in .
Will try to post later this evening.
Donna

Hey girls I am back.

First I want to say I really wanted to join in thew chat last night, but I just really find it hard to find extra time in the evening. Especially now, I am really trying to put in some time towards the graphic design...I would like to start up small business set up at home( for extra cash). So far I have set Sundays, while Andy is working to work on my stuff. Boy, I wish I had more time :dizzy: . Anyway hope it was a good chat for you girls.

Second, I would like to tell all of us that 1- we shouldn't give up on ourselves.
2-Let's not beat ourselves over the bad days, but instead try to make the next day a good one. Even if you do go a bit overboard in the afternoon, try and stay op during the evening. We all have bad days and after the holidays its been hard for all of us to get back on track, but let's focus and take it baby step at a time if we have to. Let's think of the before and after results. Once again I'll mention that myvirtualmodel.com website it was great for me to create a virtual me, print it out and tape it right on my refridgerator door. Each time I go for something I see the the "starting me", the current me", and the "final goal me"...and its helped me a lot turn away from overeating, etc.

Hope this has helped.

As far as exercise....grrrr that's been my big downfall. I get home at 6pm or so and then I cook dinner( I don't let Andy do it anymore becuase I'm afraid he mess up on the points and I'll "overeat" without realizing it), then I sit with him eat and talk, watch a bit of tv, then go to bed. Now I know I could fit in 30 min of exercise somewhere in there, but I guess I don't want to sacrifice "our together time" and also because I've never liked to exercise :( . What I do do is walk during my lunch break, window shopping or if I go out with him we'll walk a lot instead of taking the train...like 10-20 blocks, more in the summer. I don't know maybe I'm just being lazy.

Okay girls gotta run, but take care and I'll check in tomorrow.

Wrap up points:

Cathy :dancer:

Dorothy: Great idea about the virtual model. I will have to check that out!

Keep your chin up ladies and try hard to work at your program today! I know you can do this!

Faye :)

I was just seaching the 3FC forums looking for someplace more I can post. I need all the encouragement and fun I can get! This group looks awesome and seems like a LOT of fun!

I'm a SAHM (with two parttime businesses) to two wonderful children, 14 and 6. I'm very fortunate to have a super supportive husband, but I need to lose some more weight. My highest was over 235, my lowest in ten years has been 185. I've been hovering back at 200 again, and want to get down at least 20 lbs initially, 40 ideally. I have hypothyroid and PCOS which makes the struggle even more frustrating and slow.

So that's me.....I hope you don't mine me jumping in and riding your shirttails for a bit!

Talk soon!

4 points for me today! Looking forward to tomorrow!

Hello Friends,

Bet you think that I dropped off the face of the earth, eh??????????? Well I didnt, just feeling ashamed for having to come back in with the proverbial tail tucked in between the proverbial legs.............. :dizzy: I gained 3 lbs, since Christmas day, and the motivation, the desire, the strong will and resolve that I had previously just flew out the window!!!!!!!!!! :o

But, I am back, and I have decided to post no matter what comes my way. Faye, I thank you my friend for your loving and kind words, and the friendship that you have always shown me since I started posting here.


To all the rest of you gals, I love you too!! and to the newbies, Welcome, these ladies are some of the best friends that you will ever have.

Talk more later, hopefully at a decent hour. It is 1:30 in the morning my time.

Nighty night ;)

WEDNESDAY: Today is Wednesday's Woes, so let us have it girls. What is troubling you, how can we help?

Kimmy: I will do your smiley/points that didn't get posted yesterday with today's totals.

LisaZ: We have another Lisa that may or may not be able to come back and post, so we will call you LisaZ. We want to welcome you to the group. Please participate as much or as little as you like. The first post of every thread contains the info on all our topics, point system, challenges etc. Just jump in and feel free to ask any questions. I am available all the time by pm and also e-mail. Below is some stats on a few of us:


Hi, my name is Faye, I am 50, have been married 31 years to a wonderful and totally supportive man, have two grown children, Jack, who is 30 and getting married April 10, and Kelly, who is 26, married and has given me an adorable grandson, Thomas who is 3 1/2. I have a Yorkie named Fortune and a cat named Butterscotch. I am not working right now, but have been looking. I exercise at least an hour 7 days a week and my stats are at the bottom of my posts. I have a website: www.freewebs.com\trexnonny/ Please visit it and let me know what you think!


Julie

35 year old, stay-at-home mom of 3 (9,8,and 4). I live in Maine with my husband and the kids. My highest weight ever was 265 (I was pregnant at the time). I started at 3FC at 241, am currently around 238, and my goal is to be in the low 160s. I am working toward a smaller goal of being under 200 pounds by the end of the year.

Carri ( Satine ) - Hi! I am a 30 year old female, married to my high school sweetheart for 9 1/2 years, no kids but one adorable little westie dog named Les. Have lived in Indiana all of my life. Started to gain my weight right after I was married, I got comfortable and lazy...anyhow have been doing a great job lately, focused and need to lose about 90 pounds for goal. Great to meet you!!!

Hi my name is Amanda. I am 30 years old and live in Sheffield, which is in the north of England, although I am hoping to move to Ireland soon. I have a long term partner, Nigel and a cat called Marley.I am a qualified social worker,currently unemployed. I am a Christian and a vegetarian. My hobbies are reading, especially thrillers, watching comedy on T.V and making cards. I also enjoy going to the gym, although I feel it is too early to call that a hobby!

I have just over 100lbs to lose, but seeing all the successes on these forums is a great inspiration and I know I will do it - and you can too!

Hope you can join us

43 years old-lived in the South all my life...and love it! I live with my partner Jane of 8 years. We have a booth at local antique mall, and we enjoy going on treasure hunts to find more....I enjoy reading, mostly books by Southern authors, but will read most anything except Science Fiction, or Harlequin Romances...I enjoy writing, cross-stitching, and other crafts. I love to cook....and now I love to exercise!!! (well I don't really love it....but I feel so much better, so I do it whether I want to or not, and it makes me feel great!) I am ever so thankful that I am able to do it now. I spend a lot of time with my mother, sister and my 2 beautiful neices, Nikki and Angie (21 and 19), they are the joys in my life. I currently work as a Switchboard Operator at an answering service where I have been for the last 2 1/2 yrs. Next fall I plan on returning to college (have to exercise this old mind too!) to obtain my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology...I graduated from Athens State University....waaaaaaay back in 1985!! Well, ladies that's me in a nutshell!! I am loving life these days, and so very grateful to have found this forum and all of you wonderful gals!! Couldn't do this without you. Together we are a united force! Pam

single mommy of one lovey soon to be 7 yr old son going on 30. Lost over 40 lbs back in 2001 weight came back in 2002 when i discovered that I had endo. the pain meds and the lupron helped with that matter. restarted my weight loss on 2/6/3 date of hyst. sw 213 cw 177 goal 150. i am realistic in my goal i know with a large bone structure i will look awful if i go lower. i do ww bbut since june when i found out that richard was leaving i have just been aiming ot eat right, i am now able to get it back on tract and the workouts are in the process of getting to where they need to be but it is hard working 2 jobs and being a mommy to get it all in. Sandy/Gigglez

Hello,my name is Joy Lee,and I currently live in Sylvester,Georgia. I am 46 years young and I weigh 258 lbs at this time..I have been working out and watching what eat ,keeping it low fat and healthy as possible..I started out at 329 lbs,which was my highest weight ever...I have lost down to where I am now in about 8 months..mainly by the exercise and healthy eating..I do a lot of walking and strength training ,sometimes adding an exercise video..I am very active,as I have 5 children ,ages 27 to 7 years old,and a 2 year old grandchild{ girl}...I have 2 boys and 3 girls,2 of which are still at home...we do a lot of family activities,sports,family hikes and theme parks,so I really stay on the go and stay very busy. I have a goal weight of 180,which I hope to be there by summer of 2004 . I am looking for all the support I can get,and be able to give all that I can.

My name is Sandy, and i am 40 years old. I have been married to my best friend for going on 11 years. We have 3 beautiful kidlets... a 10 year old daughter and 2 sons 7 and 4. I like to read and play on this machine... but my passion these days is painting and redocorating... i think i have painted almost every piece of furniture in my home...lol I only have a couple more to do... and i have to redo my kitchen table as my daughter and her friend decided to "do" their nails on it... so there are a few bald spots...Oh well... I am determinded to loose this weight and come out of my shell. I wish everyone the same ...


JUDY: I am 43 yr old single mom of Billy, my 13 year old wonderful son.
I have weighed as much as 308 when pregnant, and have gained and lost the same 50 pounds of the last few years. I was slowly and steadily losing weight until my husband died last March. At that time I had so many other things to take care of, I kind of got lost in the shuffle, and now I am back up to 298. things have settled down now, so I can take care of me again.

I am a Real Estate secretary, so I sit most all day.


My name is Susan and I've grown up in the North West. I'm a sophomore at (transfering for winter term) the University of Oregon. I love Music, theater, and being silly with my friends. I have no significant other, but a large family the imediate of wich includes my parents and 4 siblings, all about 10 years older, but we are still close and I love them all dearly.
I've bee a chubby girl for as long as I can remeber and the time has come to stop my bad habbits. I'm not quite sure what my all time high was because I wasn't weighing myself at the time, but this July I weighed in at 218 wich is the highest I've ever seen the scale. I'm now at 194 as of last friday and am working toward 150 by my 21st birthday in January 2005. I drink water and go to the campus gym 3-4 days a week. On other days I still have to ride my bike and walk around campus. I want to drop the weight so that I can FEEL young and be the 20-something I know I can be.


BETH :I am 40 divorced for the past 4 years, no kids and at the moment no pets although I am a big dog lover. I am going to school full time at a private university in Florida. I have a degree in accounting which I don't use and instead work for myself pretty much part time at home. Currently I am majoring in writing - drama. I would like to go to Brown to get my Masters when I finish in writing drama as well. A relationship with someone I loved dearly ended last week and I am trying to move on but the circumstances that caused the ending is making that a bit hard. I have a week and a half of school left before Christmas break and then six weeks off. I plan to use that time just for myself. Putting me first and spending my time on ingraining a healthier life style. My long term goal is to be in much better shape and at a much lower weight by the time I start graduate school which is about a year and a half from now.

I like the normal things, movies, tennis, bike riding, photography and art in general. I'm looking forward to being part of your group.


Donna: Married for 21 years . I have two sons ; oldest is 29 lives in Kansas
Then there is my youngest who is 20 lives with his girlfriend.
My oldest is going to make me a Grandma for the first time in April
[ I am so excited]
I reached my all time highest weight last month 242.5lbs.
My current weight is 238 as of this morning.
This time I am going to lose this weight for ME.

Hi, my name is Dorothy and I am 25 years old. I live in New York City and work as an operations manager in an advertising agency. I also do graphic design on the side. I have a tiny black chihuahua, Gizmo and 2 cats, Kit & Nemo(Seriously, they're lik emy kids). I love animals, going out to eat, the movies, scrabble, computers, and other board games(recent interest discovered-lol). I started weight watchers at home on 9/22/03 at 175lbs and hope to reach my goal weight of 115-120lbs by end of 2004!

About me: I am Kim; 26 years old, and just started
Nursing School. I have a degree from the University of
Oregon in biology (2001). I currently live with my
b.f., who will be leaving me to go back to work in
March (which I am scared of!) He works overseas as a
performing artist-comedian-juggler, and for the past 4
years I have been spoiled enough to have lived with
him half-time in Europe. It has been a terrific
adventure (but not cost-effective), and since I am in
school now, I can not go back for a while. I have
struggled with weight for a while, I have about 21
pounds to lose now to reach my goal weight of 158 lbs.
But who's counting? I am on a very lax plan now
focusing on exersize and eating awareness, not eating
control, and plan not to weigh myself for the next 16
weeks, as long as I stick to my plan. I have two
kitties on loan until march, and they are making life
very fun. I also have 2 goldfish, Beaky and Spot.

BTW: If you don't see any stats for yourself, pm me and give me the info you want included and I will include it on the the stats we have currently.

Lisa (if you can visit, we miss you), Joy, Judy, SandyB, Sangy/Giggle, Amanda and Susan. Some haven't been here in quite awhile and you get an personal e-mail to check up on you and the others we haven't seen in a few days so I just want you to know we miss you.

TODAY IS SANDY/GIGGLE'S BIRTHDAY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SANDY AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY! :hb: :cp: :hat: :dance: :gift: :flow2: :grouphug:

Later, Faye :)

Happy Birthday Sandy! :hb: :gift:

Well, I was all set to have a 4 pointer yesterday and then I ended up only having water points. :( Not really sure what happened, I had a ton of errands to run and I think I just ran out of day before I exercised. (GOT to do it in the morning!!) and then I polished off a couple of servings of mint chip ice cream after dinner. I normally don't have "bad" stuff in the house, but this was my "birthday ice cream" from last weekend and I felt like I wanted to eat it. I asked for that instead of a cake because I enjoy it more. I DID think about whether I wanted to eat it or not before I did......so, that makes me feel like I was in control. Plus, there wasn't much left in the box (thankfully) so I couldn't really binge.

But today is another day. I've been running across a lot of threads lately about excuses. I realize that alot of my moodiness lately has been about me making excuses for not doing what I need to do and then feeling crappy cuz I get no results! Someone wrote on another forum "If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse." That hit me right in the gut, cuz it's so true. I'm gonna quit with all the excuses right now and "just do it". Do what needs to be done to reach my goals........and not just the weight related ones! One step at a time, one step at a time....I keep wanting to just leap over the hard parts and magically show up at the end and that just ain't gonna happen!

Welcome back Pammie!!! We miss you.......and don't worry, you can jump back in anytime anywhere.......You are doing this thing, what's a few weeks in the grand scheme of things anyway??? When you look back and say "Yeah, I lost a ton of weight." You're not even going to remember the little setbacks because you always get back on the horse and charge through them!

That goes for all of us, too!!

Welcome LisaZ! you're gonna love it here......


Nice peptalk Dorothy! Thanks...........

Well, gotta fly.......I'll try to check in later.

Julie

Hey Carrie.......
I notice that our weights are very similar, too. In fact, I had CW envy a while back when you were losing and I wasn't. Don't worry about the past, Christmas etc....it's over. Hop back up on that horse and get your butt down here with me! THen we can race to the finish together!

Julie

About me: I am Kim; 26 years old, and just started Nursing School. I have a degree from the University of Oregon in biology (2001). I currently live with my b.f., who will be leaving me to go back to work in March (which I am scared of!) He works overseas as a performing artist-comedian-juggler, and for the past 4 years I have been spoiled enough to have lived with him half-time in Europe. It has been a terrific adventure (but not cost-effective), and since I am in school now, I can not go back for a while. I have struggled with weight for a while, I have about 21 pounds to lose now to reach my goal weight of 158 lbs. But who's counting? I am on a very lax plan now focusing on exersize and eating awareness, not eating control, and plan not to weigh myself for the next 16 weeks, as long as I stick to my plan. I have two kitties on loan until march, and they are making life very fun. I also have 2 goldfish, Beaky and Spot.

Faye, I will email this bio to you. Good morning everyone!

Good Morning!
I am here, sort of. I have been sleeping so poorly at night that when I get home from work, I am so very tired that it is a fight to keep from dozing off every time I sit down. My son woke me up last night, I had fallen asleep sitting at the computer table! I don't know why I am not sleeping at night---well that's not right either, I haven't slept well since my husband died in March. I just would have thought that by now, it would be better.
Points - 2, water and food.
Wednesday's woes---boy I need to be careful or the floodgates will open. My woe is that I am so tired of fighting. I fight with the money, I fight with my weight, I fight with my diabetes, I fight with my hormones, (this peri-menopausal stuff is the pits). I need a vacation! or re-inforcements. At the very least a new battle strategy!
Well, today is another day, another chance to make the fight go my way.
Hope everybody has a wonderful day!
Judy :dizzy:

UGH! I just typed up a long post and then lost it when I went to PM Faye. I figured the PM would come up in a separate window! (Note to self: Hit shift before doing that again!).

Faye - I PMed my profile/stats to you.

Editted to complete my profile: I'm a SAHM (with two parttime businesses) to two wonderful children, 14 and 6. I'm very fortunate to have a super supportive husband, but I need to lose some more weight. My highest was over 235, my lowest in ten years has been 185. I've been hovering back at 200 again, and want to get down at least 20 lbs initially, 40 ideally. I have hypothyroid and PCOS which makes the struggle even more frustrating and slow. My username Zookeeper16 came from a friend of mine. I have 2 dogs, an inside cat, a bird, a guinea pig and fish. Outside, we have 4 horses, 11 cats, 6 rabbits, 6 guinea hens, 2 peacocks, a pheasant and a bunch of chickens. Hence the zoo! It keeps me busy! I also do a lot of volunteer things for school/church and 4H, as well as serving on the Board of Education.

I'm doing good today. Got lunch in the crockpot, the kids on their respective buses, did my Tae Bo Live Basic workout and have been through the shower. Working on my second 24 ounce water bottle already too. I read this morning that in order to figure out your ideal water intake, take your body weight and divide it by two. This gives you how many ounces you should be drinking. I've been falling short of my 100 ounces....getting anywhere from 72-96 in, so I'll work on that.

Guess that's all for today! Will check back in with my points tonight.

LisaZ: geez Louise Lisa, I pee all the time now! If I had to drink 160 oz of water, I would never leave the bathroom and that is without the extra for exercise I suppose!

Judy: My sweet friend, YOU HAVE TO GIVE YOURSELF TIME! I know being alone now to raise your son and pay all the bills on your salary etc etc is very stressful, but you are still not over grieving even if it has taken a different form. Give yourself some space for goodness sakes. Listen, sounds like you could just use a good nights sleep to rejuvenate you. Have you ever taken sleeping meds of any kind? I read where you shouldn't take Tylenol PM unless you have pain because the Tylenol is not good for you, but the doctor that wrote the article said that you should just take Benadryl, which is what the PM part is and it is harmless, you won't become addicted, it won't cause any trouble down the road and he wrote this in answer to someone who was in the 70's and taking TylenolPM all the time so I am sure it is safe. I take a couple every once in awhile when I have had a lot of peri-menopausal insomnia problems and it will drop me like a rock. You sleep sound, but if your son would need you, you can be awakened unlike prescription meds. I will say an extra prayer for you and your son as soon as I get finished here. You have to allow yourself time and not think you are out of control just because things seem to get to you fairly easily! I would also highly suggest something like pilates or Yoga to help you exercise AND relax you.

Ok now for points:

Kim: :bravo: for Monday
Me :bravo:
Julie :flow2:
Judy :dancer:

I have to go. I haven't eaten any breakfast yet and need to get out and walk.

Faye ;)

Hello

Sorry I've been gone for a while. I things have been weird on my end, not bad, just weird. Anyway...WELCOME LISAZ!!!

I noticed that the welcome message says I'm going to the university of Oregon...I forgot about that! I was so dead set on transfering, and suddenly changed my mind! (which all worked out very well in the end) Faye, do you think I could change my little message?

Hey Susan welcome back!

Pam welcome...we missed you!

Welcome LisaZ hope you like it here and find the support helpful.

Happy B-day SandyG :hb: :gift: :hat: :queen: :balloons: hope you have a great one!

I got 3 pts for yesterday. Okay kinda busy here today so i gotta run but take care girls and stay warm.

oh by the way i peeked at the scale last night and it said 156.5!! Very happy, but going to wait until Sunday to log in my loss...I am crossing my fingers to accomplish my Jan. minigoal...figured I have my own little challenges each month like that...keep me motivated and hyped up.

Faye- are we supposed to let you know on a weekly basis how much we're losing or just at the end of the challenge?????

:cb: Happy Birthday Sandy!!!! :cb:



P.S. :lol: I love how the Bananas dance along to my avatar!

Hi Pam and Welcome back! Good to see you here again :)

I got 2 pts yesterday for OP, but I did not exercise due to an aching back and I came in short on my water.

I have had some kind of tummy thing.. my stomach feels just awful. Its more in my abdomen but its kind of making me feel sick if I eat. Been this way since last Thursday on and off.

Hoping today is better. My Weds Woes is I have the usual winter time blues. Today has been very blue.. as well as the last few days. At least the sun is shining today. I have all the shades up and curtains open to let in as much sunlight as I can. I am going to try to find something to do today that will pick me up and doesnt involve food.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day... did I see someone has/had a birthday? If so.. then :balloons: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :balloons:

Have a big slice of cyber :hb: since its no cals here!

Susan: either send me a pm or an e-mail with your new bio typed out and I will replace it no problem.

That goes for everyone else too! If there are changes to make on them just let me know.

Dorothy: I only need the exact amount you weigh either April 30 or May 1 at the latest, nothing til then.

I went and walked 50 minutes with my dog and woo he can tire you out. I am not kidding he is a yorkie and that little bugger can move. I must have tired him out though because I got in and took his leash off and he went straight to his water bowl!

The sister in Ca had to give her little shih tze (sp) to one of our friends when she moved to Ca and she called last night and said Mandy had died and she is only about 2 years old. She was having all these seizures and stuff since Christmas I guess. I told her I thought maybe she got into some poisonous plant out in our friend's yard or something for it to come out of the blue like it did. I feel sorry for my sister and for Becky who had her. I guess they buried her in Becky's backyard and I will take her a chewy or something as we are staying with Becky when I go to Indiana for the shower. Pets effect us greatly.

Well, I need to go get my soup and have lunch. Later girls!

Faye ;)

I guess my Weds woe would be that since I have gotten back on the diet track and really taking care of what I eat I have been getting these annoying little headaches, most likely from the caffiene withdrawal ( or fat withdrawal )
I was having like 4-6 pepsis a day...well but my eye sight is also bad so I have a eye dr appt next week...I have glasses but have not been to the eye dr in about 6 years, and I can barely see the TV from a distance so that is probably it, eye strain... however I am very proud that I am doing so well ( for now ) and hope to encourage any of you ( as you did me ) to stay OP....
Lets do it!!!!

Julie - Thanks for the encouragement, I hope 6 months from now we both are
sitting at or around 170 or less, can we do it??? YEAH!!! I want to get as far away from 200 as possible.... :)

Judy - Sorry to hear that you are having a rough time of it right now....I am with Faye, there is no harm in taking something to get some good sleep.

Happy Birthday Sandy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Faye - sorry to hear about your sisters dog, we do get so attached to them and yet so annoyed at other times :lol: at least I do but I would be so sad if anything happened to my little Les

Pam - Great to hear from you Girl!!!

Hi to all !!!!!!

Hi Friends,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDY G !!! :hb: :gift: :hat:

I have to get something off my chest - I AM STRUGGLING!!

I am finding it really hard to take the first step - I think about dieting and exercising all the time, but can't seem to find the 'passion' for it that I once had. I think the problem is that I have been feeling a bit depressed over the past month or so - so motivation and passion for anything is hard to come by. I do really want this though - I'm just finding it hard to make the first move. I know that exercising regularly will really improve my outlook and attitude, but I struggle even to get out of the house. Today I was up nice and early, but then went back to bed and slept all day! I know these are all symptoms of depression and I have an appointment to see my GP next week, but it really comes down to helping MYSELF. I know from experience that the only way I can get out of this is to reach deep within and pull myself up and out of this. I know I will get there - I just thought that I would share my struggles with you as I know you all understand and support me through this bad patch.

Tomorrow is another day, and I will try again!

Love Amanda xxxxxxxxxx

Amanda - Girl I know exactly where you are...I had that problem from about the first of November till right after Christmas...I blamed it on holiday eating but it was me, I couldnt find the excitement for it that i once had and if I couldnt eat what I wanted then what was the point?
I was on an anti-depressant for many years ( stopped taking them last Christmas 2002 ) and there is no shame in taking something if you need it...let the dr assess ( sp? ) you and see what he/she says....you can come out of this and things will get better!! I know... you can get back on the band wagon ( band wagon? that sounds funny ) it is just going to take some time, do not stress yourself out over this, it will come.......it will.
Take care!!

wrap up points:

Dorothy :cp:
Debbie :dancer:

I was hoping the challenge might light a fire under us all, but it hasn't. Everyone has to understand that one of the things that is hard about dieting in winter is lots less sun, lots less warmth, we are limited much of the time by what we can do. You need to kind of create an artificial summer for yourself to give your spirits a lift. Get up first thing in the morning, shower and dress with LOTS OF COLOR. I know many of you work so you do this anyhow, but fix your hair and your makeup even if you are staying around the house. Look in the mirror and notice how nice you look, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE even for a little while. Being trapped in the house gives you an opportunity to eateat eat! If the weather is such, go for a walk, even a stroll as you need to lift your spirits not exercise right now. Exercise will however make you feel better so that should be a priority. Drink some OJ! There is nothing like orange juice to make you think of sun! I know some of you are diabetic and this may not be possible. Call a friend and go shopping even window shopping. If you don't work and can't seem to get back into the market, DO SOME VOLUNTEERING! There is nothing like helping someone else to make you feel better!

Those of you who have been here awhile have seen my poem about weight loss, but I want to post it again, just to give you a little smile. THIS IS NOT HOW I FEEL, but how I perceive most women feel about losing weight. I received my coffee table book with my poem in it today so I am pretty jazzed about that. I was even given the very first page in the book. Anyway, here it is:

Blissful Ignorance

This fat on me is like an armor coat,
It smothers me exactly like a hug,
Surrounding me just like a castle moat,
And choking me just like a grave fresh dug.

Oh not to have these rolls and rolls of mass,
And freedom from constraints it holds on me,
If ever to be thin of breast and ***,
Would certainly provide for me much glee.

But only now the truth to me has come,
To rid myself of such a glob as this,
Means exercise and food reduced by some,
To **** with that I'll just die in fat bliss!

NOW INSTEAD OF THINKING THAT WAY, THINK POSITIVELY AND KNOW THAT YOU CAN WIN THE BATTLE!

Faye ;)

wednesday woes: I have stayed op , drank my water, I even added exercise everyday since monday [4 points 4me] but I have not lost a single pound,
I am going thru menopause right now, things got so bad emotionally for me that I had to start taking an antidepressant, they help so much, I do not set around and cry anymore, Judy if I was going thru what you are I would be a total wreck. I have to give you credit for being able to even consider a weight loss plan with what you are going thru, I would be eating everything in site.
You evidently have a lot more strength than you give yourself credit for. AND you know sometimes we all need to just go have a good cry, if that is what you need , go run yourself a hot bubble bath . get in and just have yourself a good cry. or come here and tell us how you are feeling,
we will be here to listen and help however we can.
REMEMBER you are not alone, you have all of us here. and all us here have each other, i am sure any of us here would be glad for you to email us or pm if you need to just have a one on one talk with any of us. or post it here and maybe one of us can say something that will make our days easier or just give one another a little lift or say something that will brighten our day.

Faye, everytime I take Sissie [pekengese dog] on a walk, she gives me a real work-out too, she goes so fast I can barely keep up with her, then when we get half way done with our walk, she stops, lays down, will NOt get up, then I have to carry her home, lol
EVERYONE have a good day and hopefully a better tomorrow,
Donna

Donna: All I can say is hang in there and the weight will start coming off. I have a lot of menopausal issues also that disturb my well-being also and it is very tough. I have insomnia, night sweats (those just started), hot flashes, body aches and on and on. I just don't let them control me, I control them! Sometimes, I do get sick with some of the stuff, but I really try even when my joints are killing me to go and walk. I am not fully into menopause so I am still having periods and am there right now and cramping and such, but I FORCE myself to get out and walk. I think the older women in this group have to take a stand against what is happening with our bodies and instead of dreading it, embrace it as another stage in our lives! BTW: You get :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: for all your OP days! I am very very proud of you! You are doing great!

All of you ladies have a great night and I will talk to you tomorrow!

Faye :)

Just checking back in today to post my points. Now that I'm getting the hang of all this, I can say I earned my 4 yesterday and 4 again today. I don't follow any particular program, so I consider watching my portions, controlling my snacking, lowering my carbs and getting my fruits/veggies in "my program."

On to another day!

Goodnight everyone!

3pts for me..i can never get the water in unless i stay home :lol: i only managed 1 pint today..i'm not worried about it..i was watching 'the view' the other day and a doctor was on and he said its a load of codswallop and he does'nt know where it comes from :shrug: he said there is water in everything we eat and we don't need 8 glasses a day :shrug: who know's? I know that i get enough fluids because i'm always drinking tea :lol:

Hello Serious Funners! I get 4 pts today, if I write my stuff down now, which I will...There, I did it. Good day for me but...

WOES!

I am totally overwhelmed and disorganised with school, every day I find out one more thing that I did not do when I was supposed to. I exersized today in sacrifice of sleep. I DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT. I want to be on top of everything. I need to succeed. And I am not a natural. So that is my biggest complaint of the day. I gotta go to bed. @%@#$^@%^

Good Morning Beautifuls!

Wow, quite the woeful day yesterday huh? Isn't it nice to know you're not alone feeling down or not losing weight despite your efforts. I love coming here because inevitably someone will say something that cheers me up.

SO, I guess it's my turn to do the cheering! IT"S WINTER BABIES!!!!! ALL of nature is resting, sleeping, storing fat, trying its best to stay warm. WE, on the other hand, are trying desperately to exercise, stay awake, lose fat, and be coooolllllllllll...............You can't fool mother nature! Our bodies know it's "down time", and the more we fight it with our heads, the worse we can feel sometimes. I used to roll my eyes at all the dirt-munchin' granola heads that spouted on about nature and rhythms and our bodies having a natural intuition. But now that I'm older and wiser(?), I'm learning that there is something to be said for following nature's cues. Eating seasonally, and understanding the rhythms of life.

Now, that doesn't mean that you should stuff your face and go hibernate! Though living up here, that's exactly what I WANT to do! It got UP to -20 F yesterday. It's better now, though....I think it's supposed to be 3 today :rolleyes: Faye is right about pretending it's summer.......even if you can't trick your body, it will lift your spirits for a while. One of the hosts of a cooking show I like says she sometimes will turn the heat wayyyy up and put on beach music and cook summery foods just to chase away some winter blues.

I'm rambling now, but the point I think I'm trying to make is to be nice to yourself right now! It's not the "weight losing" season, it's the fat storing season. Your body knows that. Which is probably why you can't get "passionate" about losing weight. If you are doing "everything right" and still not losing, be PROUD that you're creating good habits that will carry you through your whole life and eventually your body will let go of the weight when it is time. I know that's what I'm struggling with right now. I've been eating less, moving more, and not losing at all! And it's frustrating and depressing, but I know this is how I want to live the rest of my life and I just have to keep going.

For those of you going through menopause......this is a season, too. Be gentle with yourself. Which is not to say that you should use menopause as an excuse not to be healthy. You can be tough on food and exercise, but be gentle with your self-talk. Tell yourself that all the symptoms WILL get better, that you are NOT the same person you were five or ten years ago and that's ok. Remember how hard it was going through puberty? How you felt, how you acted, how you spoke to yourself.........I do. I hated myself, hated my body, did everything I could to rebel against the changes that were happening. Well, all that effort didn't stop my body.....You're wiser this time, so give yourself a hug. I'm watching my oldest daughter start to go through all this puberty stuff, and I'm doing my best to help her understand what's going on so she will come out of it STRONG and CONFIDENT instead of hating herself.

Well, I"ve certainly gone on like Oprah today! :lol: I hope something I said will cheer you ladies. I'm mostly saying it for myself. Today I'm 36 and am starting to feel "old".....which is stupid, because I actually feel more young and alive now than I have for the past decade!!! I guess I just feel like I've wasted the past 10 years in my food coma. So, Now it's time to come the **** out of it and make sure my children don't fall into the same trap I did!!

Oh yeah, I got 4 points yesterday. And I finally decided to just move my home gym stuff inside the house until spring. It took forever to heat up the garage enough to exercise, and by the time I did, I had lost the motivation to workout at all. So, hopefully now I'll have an easier time.

Everyone have a :flow1: :flow2: day today! And STAY WARM

I love you all
Julie

Well friends, the Lord works in mysterious ways, but I'll take it any way I can get it!

I got up this morning at 5, ate my smoothie, did my pilates ;) , and just to be sure, checked the time of my class today. :o What?!?! 3pm?!?!? :cool: !!!

So now I am up, energized, and have HOURS and HOURS to go to the library and get the stupid code I need to do the reading for the class, and I can show up looking like I had it together ( :dizzy: yeah right!) all along. As well as organize my desk, where I toss everything the second I get home. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but OK!! :lol: Feelin' good.

THURSDAY: Today is Time for us Thursday. Do something special for yourself today!


POINTS POINTS POINTS POINTS POINTS!

Kim :bravo:
LisaZ :bravo: :bravo:
Cathy :cp:
Me :bravo:

I have already been out shopping this morning and spent $155 and haven't even gotten groceries yet. Man when you buy water filters, carpet shampoo, a tax program you find out real fast the money slips right through your fingers. Oh well, nothing can be done about it, I needed new filters, the carpets need shampooing and we want our tax refund as soon as our W2's get here!

I am doing really well again and feeling good about all of it.

I need to go shopping again and pick up a few more things. DH and I are going to the commissary when he gets off work, FUN FUN FUN!

Faye :)

Good Morning!
I am feeling somewhat better today. I went to Jeff's house last night. He was a super friend--he rubbed my back and let me pour out all my troubles, all my woes, fears, everything. He listened to everything, his hand never stopped moving over my back, and then just held me while I cried. He never said anything, he just listened and touched. I never realized how much I missed being touched. Anyway, he said we would work on all that was bothering me, together, one thing at a time. I slept better last night. I will try the Benadryl tonight, didn't make it to the grocery store yesterday.
Between you wonderful ladies, Jeff and myself--I might just make it!

I did get a point for water yesterday. I have been weaning myself off the diet soda and drinking more water these past few days. I have noticed that the swelling in my feet and ankles is increasing, not decreasing. I noticed that the last time I drank nothing but water too. My ankles stay closer to normal size when I load up on the soda. Nothing else has changed in my day, I am still stuck sitting most of the day at work. Does this happen to anyone else?

I am going to be nice to myself, not today, but Saturday. Billy (son) goes to his Dad's so I am going to get my hair trimmed up and get my nails done! Then I am going window shopping for spring styles.
Thank you ladies for being there and listening to me.
Have a great day!
Judy

GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFULS... WELCOME TO LISAZ AND A GREAT BIG HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO JULIE!!!! I am going thru he same stuff... just no motivation... i am not overeating... but i am NOT exercising either... it seems like it taking forever to get back into my preholiday routine... i finally have my house all in order... Now its time to get mydlef back on track. Altho i must admit that these days i just cant seem to find a reason.... hubby is traveling so much for work that i rarely get to "talk " to him let alone anything else...and when he is home he wants to do his thing... which these days is playstation... which just makes me feel all the more attractive and wanted. I guess i need to find something to get my energy and creativity going... but i am at a loss to where to even start. i was up at 5:15 today to spend some adult time with hubby before he left for the airport... and did not even attempt to do my yoga... i will see if i can get it in after i send sawyer to school... or possibly before then. I am ususally an upbeat and optomistic person so when i get the blues like this and cant seem to pull myself out of them i cant stand it... so i try harder and that does nothign but frustrate me... does anyone know what i am talking about?? LOL or am i really losing my mind... hahahahahaha
ok i am feeling better some... i will check back later dears... i love u all... remember to take care of U

Sandy

Hi Friends!

Thanks to you Julie for your words - they were really thoughtful and helpful. I've been on anti-depressants for the past 18 months - I'm wondering whether I need to change them, or maybe it is the nicotine withdrawal that is having a big effect on my mood - I'll talk to my doctor about it.

Last night I sat down and tried to put some kind of plan together to lose weight. I have decided to go easy on myself and take it slowly for the first few weeks whilst I get used to it. I have set myself some targets for my first week (today - next Weds):

1) Eat no takeaways.

2) Drink at least 4 glasses of water per day.

3) Exercise at least 3 times this week - either gym, exercise bike at home or a half hour walk.

4) Write down everything I eat.

Thats it for week one - I think that is a good start and not too overwhelming.

I've got a sort of job interview tomorrow - just for a local job through an agency, a 6 month contract - the job sounds quite good and I really thik that going out to work is the best thing for me at the moment. I'll let you know how it goes.

Love Amanda xxx

Hi Ladies,

My day is just starting really..internet first :rolleyes: post on threads, check mail have breakfast and then exercise..today i think i'll do the stability ball workout although yesterday i did my Tony Little Upper Body Workout and he said at the end of the tape "tomorrow its Lower Body" :lol: so i might have to do that.

Amanda, Good Luck with the job interview :crossed: i think your goals are very do-able :D

Hi All

Amanda - Good luck on the job interview, yes it could be the no smoking...my dh is a great man but he just quit smoking at New Years, and he has been unbearable alot lately...his mood is up and down...nicotine is horrible on you...
Sounds like you are heading in the right direction, baby step it at first, on the first week of me getting back I just stopped having soft drinks, then the next week I took away something else, just go slowly...

Judy - boy you really got some extra attention last night huh? Good for you...enjoy!!! Glad to hear you are feeling better

Faye - The money thing is frightening really, scary how fast it goes, I get my check tomorrow and 3/4's of it is spoken for...sad....

I am doing well this week, I am now down to 224 so I get to change my signature yeah!!!!

Julie, Sandy, Dorothy, Lisa and Lisa, Susan, Pam, newbies and to anyone I
missed have a great day....

Ok, I know it's not "Sunny thoughts saturday" , but I just read this.......

If a man says something in the woods, and there are no women around to hear it.........is he still wrong?

YES!! :rofl: :rofl:




Just had to share that! :lol:
Julie

POINTS:

Julie :bravo:
Judy :flow2:

Oh my gosh, Julie, that was great, I laughed right out loud!

I wasn't going to talk about this, but I feel I must as it is going to turn my life around I think. First let me explain a few things. When I was 16 my stepfather got mad at me one night, threw hot coffee on me, kicked me and slapped my glasses off my face. We were living in a garage in the country at the time and it was pitch black, but I took my two younger siblings and walked about a mile to the next house and called a relative who came and got us. My mother's parents took us in and became our guardians. So now this is what happened to me yesterday watching Dr Phil on tv. BTW, My mother has been dead for 7 years and I have NO contact with him at all except I did send him a get well card when he had heart surgery last year and included a picture of my grandson in it. Most of you who have been here awhile know also that I have serious Obsessive Compulsive issues with cleaning.

You know those light bulb moments Oprah talks about. Well, I had a serious one yesterday. Dr Phil had this young married woman who was 26 and wanted help with her anger problem. She has a little boy under 2 and he sees her throwing stuff and breaking stuff etc and her stress and frustration level is very high. He asked her why and she said because everything in her world had to be perfect, perfect kid, perfect house, perfect everything. He started talking to her about when she was 5 how her parents divorced and she was sent to her grandparents to live temporarily but the parents never took her back, either one of them. He talked with her about how she was manifesting her anger and hurt over her parents abandonment and her guilt over her grandparents being saddled with her into how she acted and the expectations she put on her self, her husband and her son.. God, I was sitting there sobbing thinking, my God that is me. Though I forgave the two of them years and years and years ago, I guess I never dealt with the fact that I felt abandoned by mom when I was thrown out, she never fought to keep us, he was more important than her children, that I was embarrassed living in the tiny town of 1600 people where I had spent most of my life. My grandparents neighbors had been my neighbors my whole life and they now knew what she had done, that she didn't want us, that we had been mistreated by her and her husbandetc. On top of that I felt guilt we were saddling grandma and grandpa with the three of us when they were in their 70's and 80's. Jack and I have talked at length why I am so obsessive compulsive about the house and freaking out everytime he is a little late, or checking in the middle of the night to see if he is still breathing etc and now I see it is because it is the way I can control my world. If my environment is perfect than no one can make fun of me or judge me for not being what I should be, I don't have to be embarrassed and I am worthy of love. If I know where and what is going on with Jack then I know I am not going to be abandoned again by something happening to him that would be totally out of my control like his heart attack. As for my obesity. I have hidden behind the fat all these years. It was a way of verifying what I believed people thought of me, worthless, lazy, an embarrassment. I am working on trying to not be so perfect now and not worrying about things that I have no control over. I know now that my weight loss will definitely be much more successful and my life with Jack will take a turn for the better.

Thank you for lett me talk about it. It was the most amazing thing in the world to happen to me!

Faye :)

you are beautiful Faye :grouphug:

Faye - I don't even know you but from what I've read so far, you are a wonderful person. Just remember, no one is perfect! I'm so glad you had your lightbulb moment - that is truly a life-changing event! Take it and run with it - like you are doing right now, just by typing that post. Kinda feels like two cement blocks of of your shoulders, doesn't it?

Cathy - "load of codswallop" I'm still chuckling over this one! I have never heard that phrase before!

July - you guys out there on the east coast are sure getting hit with the cold. I have a friend/aquaintance in Rockford (?) and have been wondering how he's doing. But knowing him, he's getting ready for his two trips - one to Jamaica and one to the Swiss Alps. Then in March he's coming back to Wisconsin. Must be nice! And thank you too for such an uplifting post!

Amanda - Great goals; simple and very manageable. My whole "program" pretty much evolves around that philosophy "simple & manageable." I eat smaller portions, drink my water, at least one smoothie per day and exercise daily. I think it will eventually evolve into more, but for now, you do what works, right!?

Satine - Congrats on the loss!

Well, I splurged today and we went to Culvers. We had GCs to use up so DH and I ate there for under $3.00. Not that I made the best food choices, but my supper will be my smoothie and that should help balance things out. I'm guessing fast food is not necessarily OP for anyone, so I'll be earning only 2 points today for my water and exercise.

Gotta run! Take care and keep it up gals! Special thoughts to Faye.

Wow Faye - that is alot to swallow ( literally ) ... I think that it is great that you realized this and can now deal with it...Good for you and good luck !!!!!
:cp: :grouphug:

Afternoon Chicksters,

I am here, as promised, but, honestly, I AM EATING, EATING, EATING!! :devil: JUST WENT TO MCDONALDS, CAME HOME AND KEPT RIGHT ON EATING, FIDDLE FADDLE AND COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:devil: :devil:
I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED SOME HELP...I KNOW I AM SPIRALING AND SPIRALING, AND SPIRALING. I KNOW (INTELLIGENTLY, RATIONALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, I CANNOT DO THIS!!! BUT I KEEP RIGHT ON EATING LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW. INSTEAD OF DOING WHAT I KNOW WORKED. INSTEAD OF LOOKING BACK AT MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND MY AMAZING LOSS SINCE JUNE OF LAST YEAR, AND REALIZING ALL THE BLESSINGS I RECEIVED, THROUGH THE DISCIPLINE OF STAYING ON A PROGRAM, I EAT!! INSTEAD OF LOVING MYSELF, AND TAKING CARE OF MYSELF I EAT!! INSTEAD OF FEELING WORTHY OF A HEALTHY BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT, I EAT.................well you get it I am sure.
I love you all, and I WILL BE HERE TOMORROW. I PROMISE. :)

Faye - :grouphug: I understand. I think this revelation will be good for you and could mark a new chapter in your journey. To us you ARE PERFECT!!

PAM - Oh Pam sweetie - I understand where you are 100%!!. I have been in exactly the same place - it just seems impossible to get back on that horse and start again. I've been waiting for the motivation and passion to come and it just hasn't, so I've decided to act anyway! I've set myself some very small targets for ONE WEEK, just so I can get used to discipling myself again, but nothing too overwhelming. After one week, I will review my targets again. Today I had my first on programme day in months and I drank more than my water target. I suggest you give it a go - just small targets, such as 'I will only eat at mealtimes', or whatever. (see my previous post today for my targets). I'm hoping that the more I get used to disciplining myself, the more motivation and passion I will get as I go along. Thats the plan anyway!
You have been our star slimmer for so long and have made wonderful achievements - so don't feel guilty - you've taken the first step by posting here. Set yourself ONE target for tomorrow and take it from there!

Take care!

Love Amanda xxx

Just wanted to check in , I have not felt very good today, having a bad period , first one since September, I sure was hoping I was thru having them, guess not.
Tomorrow is a new day and for those of us, including me, I hope we wake up with more will power than we had today and hope life is a little more happier too.
Faye , I will say a special prayer for you. Facing your problems is the first step to coming to terms with them.
Hope everyone has a good night and a better tomorrow, Donna

Evening ladies!

Pam: I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt you can pick yourself up and get back to where you were. YOU MUST SIT IN A CHAIR QUIETLY and look at what is causing you to be out of control again. It can be a lot of things, you know. We were all dumb bunnies and gave ourselves permission to eat like pigs over the holidays and now our bodies don't want to go back to being good but we HAVE TO MAKE IT! Maybe you have some issues with Jane, issues with work or stress in either of those areas, maybe you are not getting enough sleep and so eating is comforting to you, but try and make your comfort zone that one where you are back on track exercising, eating right and then your body is humming right along. I told Jack tonight I can always tell when I am on track because I just FEEL good. I have been dong well for nearly 2 weeks now and my body knows it. I am able to sleep well again (except for getting up and peeing 400 times during the night! :lol: ) My soul is more joyful and I am deeply contented. Part of that is what happened yesterday, but it is also the fact that I have de-yucked my body again.

We are a like a flock of birds. Birds fly in a certain formation and stay together. They don't travel their own way here and there, they travel in unison and starting tomorrow that is what WE ARE ALL GOING TO DO! We are not going to mess up the formation by continuing to eat badly, not exercise and not get in that water. This group of birds is going to heal themselves as a group so I want you to commit to doing this. Commit to being part of the group and that means that everyone of us has to do our individual part by taking care of ourselves properly! This one is not up for discussion, we are just GOING TO DO IT! I told the very first group that started this thread with me that I HATE whining and excuses. We are not going to whine about what we are doing wrong and not excuse the fact that we are too preoccupied to get on that treadmill or whatever. We are going to look this in the eye and say, I am going to defeat you, I am going to get healthy, I am going to get into an exercise routine and learn to love it and I am going to feed my body properly with good food and plenty of water! I am not going to hide, I am not going to gripe, I am not going to excuse myself. I am going to be proud, stick my chin out and GO FOR IT! You are all incredible women with incredible spirits and I know that you can overcome anything and the time is NOW to overcome!

**I WANT EVERYONE TO READ THESE LYRICS. THEY ARE THE OLD SPIRITUAL THAT THE BLACKS IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE MADE THEIR ANTHEM, BUT THIS SHOULD BE OUR ANTHEM TOO! I CHANGED ONE WORD FROM SOME DAY TO TODAY. SO PRINT THIS PUPPY OUT, PUT IT ON YOUR MIRROR OR YOUR FRIDGE, YOUR TV OR YOUR TREADMILL BECAUSE THIS SAYS IS ALL! **

1. We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today


2. We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today


3. We shall all be free
We shall all be free
We shall all be free today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today

4. We are not afraid
We are not afraid
We are not afraid today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today

5. We are not alone
We are not alone
We are not alone today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today

6. The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today

7. We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome today
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome today


I Love you all and look forward to this journey together!

Faye ;)

Faye, once again you amaze me and affirm that I am in the right place. Seriously. Thank you for being brave enough to call some shots, and for having the right focus.

EVERYBODY: I want to get to know you more. I am going to make an effort to attend the chat next week.

4 points for me today, just tooling along. Felt sick today, it took a lot of umph to get out and walk. Getting used to a new schedule and such. Have some health concerns, need to make an appointment. Ok!, the end for today. Good job everyone!

Kim

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