I bought that tape off of Ebay and the package is still sealed... I forgot I even had it. That might be good for me to try over the weekend...
Mandy...The only thing that works for me is baby steps...
Star..Where are you?

Hi Everyone. Welcome to all the newbies.

Mandy and Metal - CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna be like you when I grow down!

Julie - Have a great time. I'll miss you!

Mzmar - Weekends and evenings are very tough for me. So far, this is how I deal with them. On weekends, I try to stay out of the house, finding something to do. I always have a bottle of water and a Lite in my bag. That way, if I find myself hungry, I have something to snack on. The other hint I can give you is that until you find yourself automatically making good choices on the weekends, maybe jot down your goals in the kitchen near the cabinets and the refrigerator. It helps me to have a visual reminder of what I am trying to accomplish. Hope it helps!

Buttons - I can only imagine what you are going through. Just keep the faith that he will return to you a more well rounded, disciplined young man, and we will all pray that he remains safe as he goes through the service. I'll bet there's a whole lotta pride mixed right in there with all those other emotions !

Well everybody, I thoroughly enjoyed my very long weekend off. I spent the majority of it cleaning house. I got up everyday and cleaned for at least 6 hours per day (most days more). Now I'm done and there is NOTHING left to be done. To top it all off, I sent the DSs to my DM and DDs for a full week. EXHALE! I spent the weekend OP. I didn't cheat at all, but I missed some servings (veggies) on Friday. I'm not going to sweat it though. WI is Wednesday. I am going to the COD and I'll see how I'm doing with the challenge. I've been walking about 6500 - 7500 steps per day, and I think that's pretty darn good so far.

Water Check - 32 oz down, 32(+) to go...how about you?

Great job Carmen for staying on plan, and thanks for responding! I'll try to stay out of the house and away from food!

As far as the easy steps, I used to do it, it's just not much of a workout for me anymore. I used to love the way it made my arms feel. Fortunately, I've worked my way up to doing a 3 mile walking or 2.5 mile walk/jog workout with Leslie Sansone, sometimes she really kicks my butt!

I'd be ok, if I could just get my eating in check.

If that tape isn't much of a workout, then it should be just right for me...

Just got back from COD - was down a tad. I'll take it!
Really busy at work today Check back later.....
Oh - One thing I did want to mention. I'm on Gold but really like 1 TLB of PB on my morning toast. I was thinking of going to Blue for the extra 1/2 Protein and an extra starch. The counslor altered my Gold plan by just adding 1/2 Protein, making us both happy

Hi, everyone -

Count me in as a weekend wimp! I have a really hard time staying OP then too. Mostly because I associate food with relaxing, hanging out, etc. So, it's more of a problem for me to be out of the house than in my house, where I have very little off-plan food since it's only me and the cats. However, I was very proud of myself yesterday for having just ONE slice of pizza as a CC. I could eat 1/2 the pie usually. I had a POP glitch on Saturday when I had an extra starch, at least it was an OP starch.

Anyway, my plan is like Carmen's I try to have something with me: lite, fruit, water, sometimes even a tupperware with lettuce and a pouch of tuna. Especially if I'm going to my DM or DS house. It's really about planning (which I'm not so good at).

Star - I like your counselor - an extra 1/2 protein is heaven on gold! Yes, that's my life folks, daydreaming about 1/2 a protein!

Julie - if you're out there: Have a good trip!

Congrats to all our losers, maintainers and those of us hangin' in there!

Melissa the videochick

Quick end-of-night post!

I love coming home and reading of all the successes! Thank you for the inspiration!

Got up this morning and put ona pair of my Sz 18 pants and looked in the mirror and thought "Boy those look pretty baggy!" Lo and behold, got out an older pair (same color) and the 16's fit! Not sure if all my 16's fit, but it sure felt good to have these ones fit. Went to the COD this afternoon, and by then was feeling full/bloated from lunch, snack etc....but I was down a tad again! I may just make the 20 LB mark by my birthday! This weekend is the weekend of all the company, but I may just live on veggies and water...(yeah right).

Star - I was switched down to the purple plan today and I lost my 1/2 P which was my 1.5 TB of P-nut Butter on my 1/2 English Muffin, so I can relate! I LOVE P-Nut butter!

I'll join the ranks of the weekend wimps. I am either away from home at the DBF and don't get in all my servings....or I am home and tasking and forget to get them in. Then I tend to "taste-test" things my daughter might have....and she is built like a stick!

Hope your Tuesdays are as good as today or better!

Solo-Congrats on the size 16's! Also congrats on being down a tad.

It's late right now, but I can't fall asleep for some reason. So I'm just checking out the boards. Cleaning off my desk etc.

I had a good OP day today. Also went to the grocery store and stalked up on some more apples. I get stuck on a certain food and if I don't have it then my day can go from being POP to Off plan in a snap. Well, I hope you all have a good morning. I'll probably still be sleeping when most of you log on in the morning.

Mandy

Good morning ladies!

Julie: Thinking of you and missing your posts already!

Button/Beth: Welcome to the board. I don't blame you for being emotional at this time when your DS is headed off into the service. You will find your balance.

Mzarlycia: Weekend are tough for all of us. Have you tried posting in your diary on the weekends? I kind of plan my day like any other day. I do get up and get out early Sat mornings, we have a local regional farmers market and I'm addicted to seeing what's the next fresh veggies that is available and there are so many bargains compared to the grocery store. The only thing that I do differently on the weekend is to have what DH is having. Saturday's are his day for grilling or cooking a good meal. I look forward to having that actually doesn't taste like chicken. I eat in moderation, still trying to stick to plan - and it's like a 'real' treat having something with flavor.

Carm: Great job at walking!

Video: Great job at stopping at 1 slice of pizza. I have to admit, I don't have it often - but when I do, I really enjoy it! I'm so choosey at my pizza choice since being on LA. It has to have 'real' yummy cheese and lots of veggies. If it doesn't look good or doesn't look worth eatting, I skip it all together. At work, this woman brings in pizza from a local shop - a frozen pizza looks and tastes better than that, so I don't even take a second look. I also like real yeasty type of dough. If I'm going to have a CC - it's got to be worth it!

Star: Great at being down. I'm going to the COD today, or that's my plan. I'm thinking we'll be going head-to-head on the weight. It's it too bad, I'll PM you the bad news. LOL!

Karen/RWF: Thanks for the greeting. I may be MIA lots this week as I'm working alone, coworker is away at training for 1 1/2 weeks. Congrats at sticking OP, and as long as you have exercise in your head - I'm proud of you as I know what a struggle it is for you. LOL!

Hugs to all, Sy

Hi chicks,

I did pretty well this weekend, but Sunday nights are a killer for me, so I did break down and have a bag of popcorn...will be glad when it's gone because I won't be buying anymore until I get to goal. Way too much temptation for me.

I'm on the second day of doing take off on my own. Was down 1.8 lbs this morning at home, so hope I will be down at WI tonight. I also bought the Body for Life meal replacement shakes and plan to use those the rest of the week for protein/starch at dinner. As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past I'm so desperate to get off these last 15lbs.

These are tips my successful friend used, so I'm going to give it a whirl. She said the last couple of months she used meal replacement shakes mon-thru, then ate the normal plan fri-sun, she also swapped her dinner and breakfast portions, eating basically her bar and veggies in the evening, so I'm taking her advice and trying a few things to shock the body into losing again...I'll let you know how it goes ;-)

Take care,
Jen

Good Morning Chicks,
Cathy...Congratulations on the size 16's...I just love going down in sizes. It sure helps the feelings..
Mandy...I have to have things on hand as well. If not, that's an excuse right there for me to blow it. I even keep eggs boiled and oatmeal made up and portioned out so all I have to do is pack my food for the day...
Sy...I've been working really hard at doing this exercising everyday. I really have to make myself do it..(and I'm only doing as little as possibe) well for now anyway until I get used to it and maybe even liking it. (as Star does)
Jen...I know what you mean about popcorn..I can have it on WW so I buy the 100 calorie snack size from Pop Secret. It only has 2 points in it and I have it every night..I like the tips your friend has used. I'll have to remember that when I get close to goal (long way from now)...
Star...I sure hope you will be posting more today...
Julie...Ditto what Sy said...

Hi Everyone!

Congrats on the losses. I am not sure if I have made a dent in what I did over Memorial Day weekend as of yet. Tomorrow will tell the tale. I must say though I did have a NSV. My boss, who is pretty much oblivious to a lot, told me yesterday that I looked fantastic. She and I have weekly status meetings every Thursday morning and I usually start out by giving her the news from my weigh ins on Wednesday nights. I once told her that I didn't notice any visible changes in my body and it seems hard to believe I had lost over 15 lbs. She said she never notices anything, but she is very encouraging and always asks how things are going with The Plan. So I was really shocked when out of the blue in the hallway she told me how great I looked. It was so totally unexpected that I actually said "Who me???" She laughed and said yes you! I see changes! So that gave me the confidence today to wear a short sleeve fitted shirt (which I never wear) and dress pants with sandals today and I must say I DO LOOK PRETTY HAWT. Normally I look admittedly sloppy because I am always wearing shirts that are too big. So I'm pretty happy about that.

Jen - I wondered about that as well. I wondered if my body would react better if I ate my heavier foods during the day and left the veggies for night time. I know that I have a problem eating late at night, and I am working on it. So I figured a good place to start would be to eat the veggies later on so that I have less on my stomach when bedtime arrived. I am also trying to get to bed earlier so I can get to work earlier now that the DSs are out of school. So far, so good.

I have a question for you ladies who are a bit further along than I am on this journey: What are/were some of your biggest pitfalls along the way, and how did you overcome them?

I don't know if this will help anyone or not, but every night for dinner, I have a plate of veggies, I measure out a cup of broccoli, cauliflower and caggage and put it on a plate and top it with onions. Then put alittle garlic powder, lite salt, pepper and butter spray on it. Then pop it in the microwave for about 8-10 (depending on how you like it) It is really filling. Then sometimes I measure out 3 or 4 ounces of chicken and put that in the chopper and dump it on top. Very good...

That sounds really good. I'm so tired of chicken. I have the cookbook and want to try something different, but time is limited. Maybe this weekend...

Hi...back from CA, had a great time but hard getting going today. Came home sunburned and with a stomach flu. Slept most of yesterday.

Saw Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake while in Bishop, CA! I was with my cousin's 12 yo daughter, who was so excited about seeing them.

I have gained, i can tell, not sure i want to go to WI this week. But i'm on plan today.