Red - Yes I got my workout in. Thanks to my DH he looked over at me (I must of looked pitiful laying in bed hugging the empty bottle of midol ) and said lets go see if we can't find something to make you feel better. ( I'm thinking ice cream!!) We go to Sears and he looking all the treadmills and tells me to try them. So off I go walking on this and walking on that. He would say go try that again and while I was walking on these he would chat with the Salesman about it. LOL I got 25 minutes of walking in, at various speed because if it wasn't the saleman turning it up while I was walking it was my husband! I thought I was going to fall off once! LOL I was so caught up in playing with all the new buttons and listening to them chat I almost didn't feel those cramps. (notice the -m- I have to be careful) On the drive home my husband turns and smiles at me and says I got your workout in for you! You walked 25 minutes! LOL He also said he's figuring out on to save some money so I can get the one I really liked. He can be such a sweetie somedays. Other day I could kick him! LOL
Apple Blossom - Hey a gasping air smiley would be an awesome one that I would use regualy! Congrats on Day 4
curlylocks - Congrats on day 16 like red said to me once it's all down hill from there!
vanessa - I'm a slow loser I'm hoping some day to pick up.. Congrats on the awesome weight loss and day 2 on your challenge!
Chaps - I wish I had your will power as far as no free day. I fear I may break soon!
gray eyed girl - Oh I hear you with chocolate and TOM! I'm a totally different person. I can break out in tears for no reason and were talking hard sobs. Or I can be a complete umm B (meanie) or just sit there completely lifeless. My poor husband use to ask me what he could do I would answer feed me chocolate lots and lots of chocolate! He never did and darn it I MENT IT!! LOL He just made sure that I had a large stock in midol!
redballoon - You sound like you are feeling better, which is great. I definitely understand getting down on yourself when you have a bad eating day. I think your comparison to alcoholism is a scarily accurate assessment of how some of us view food. I know that for me, it can never be, just a little taste, or, just one helping. I always snowball, so it's better for me to have no dessert, or whatever "cheating" thing it may be. It's a bit scary to think of it as an addiction, but it follows that pattern. Yikes.
carla - I'm so impressed that you are up to day 15 while you have guests. That's such an easy way to give yourself excuses, so congratulations.
Day 5 finished! Now I feel like I'm making progress! It's always nice to have that sense of accomplishment, it can have a snowball effect too. Maybe I'll start eating a bit more sensibly now.
I really came close to forgetting last night. I had alot of cleaning to do including mopping the floors. (Exercise in it's self!) but fortunately the step is in the middle of the family room as a reminder.....
Good morning, all! It's Thursday, here. Interrupted sleep last night...but I'll get through this morning. Up at 4. Hard having farmer's hours and trying to work with people who do most of their work at night. Talked to a translation company yesterday and was expecting work, when I remembered my fax was broken, so I went out and bought a new one, then the work was cancelled anyhow. But at least I'm ready now.
Challenge was okay yesterday but I didn't exercise, except for quite a bit of walking. Was waiting for that work to come through so didn't want to be at the gym. Darn. Still, being home did NOT entice me to clean....
Apple -- on Day 5 done! You ARE making progress! You've got five days behind you. And good for you for doing the stepping after the cleaning. For me, that would have been enough torture in itself!
Chaps -- Thanks. Yes, I'm feeling better. I mean, no sense in crying too long over spilt milk, eh? Yes, I think it is an addiction and it makes no more sense to try to preach willpower and control to an alcoholic than it does to me. It's a chemical thing I think and it just makes my body go into a trance or something. It's no doubt psychologically linked as well, but who needs analysis?! Just keep me away from the stuff! I really don't need it! Good going on four days down! (in addition to the ones you'd already put in!!)
mez -- I loved your tale of the treadmill. What a great husband yours can be, eh? Getting out and doing something new, even if it is only walking on store models can be fun! I have to remind myself to get out the door these days, even if I don't have money to spend, I can window shop, pretend that I do. Keep going, mez and I do hope you feel better soon!
carla -- Good work on Day 15. You're almost home!
vanessa -- How are you doing? You sound like you've got some momentum going now. Keep it up! We're all rooting for you!
Others?!!? Come in and post! Things are looking a bit sparse around here!
ok just got home from my workout... I have to say i do feel much better not drinking diet soda.. and my skin looks so good!! hope everyone is doing well... and hanging tuff!!
Red - Sorry to hear the job, but like you said your ready now! I to need the cleaning bug to hit me. The dust bunnies are taking over!! I really hate TOM I need to eat healthy but seem to pick other things to waste my points. Nothing really bad but I could make better choices.
curlylocks - Your doing great! It won't be long and you'll be on day 21!
vanessa - Congrats on Day 3! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful workout.
Today I got a good workout. My sisters and I are still trying new things with weights and walking. I coudn't work my abs they were still sore from Mondays workout but I should be fine for fridays workout. Right now were are just doing 1 mile on the treadmill. While 1 is doing that the others are lifting weights. So Day 10 was a sucess used activity pts and workout. I'm not totally sure what I'm doing with the weights mostly working my arms. I want to help firm that flabby underarm stuff. I call them my bat wings. I also read somewhere that if you lift be prepared for a gain. Not from fat but muscle. I'm ready for that!
Hey i just wanted to let you guys know that the few mins i mentioned up above turned out to be a few hours until i finally brought myslef to my workout. I just didn't want to at all but i finally did and the whole time i was doing it i wanted to stop but i never..When i was done i felt really good and i'm glad i did it.
Congratulations everyone you're all doing soo great!!! i hope everyone sticks to the challenge!
Red, I'm in nursing school. I have a couple more years to go.
Mez, I am the same way. TOM is seriously about as mean and whiny and emotional as I possibly get. That's ALWAYS when my temper and mouth get me into trouble. I'm actually a sane person for most of the month, but those 4-5 days are just awful and I'm a completely different person. It's bad. My husband knows that chocolate makes it all better for me - I know I should have a better "treatment" than that, but that's just what works. It's comforting for me. Of course, that isn't all that helpful right now. At least it's over for the month.
Way to go Vanessa! That's the way to do it, I think, especially when you don't want to - just promise yourself you'll go for 15 minutes and then once you've done that, it seems so much easier to go longer. (Says the girl who hasn't been to the gym for a real workout in a month now! I'm ashamed )
Day 16 in the bag. In spite of lovely guests who never try to tempt me, and a short cocktail party where I drank water. (Insert sad, deprived face here.) I made up for it with munchies, but they're not part of the challenge, so...
I may just make it thru without starting over. I still have a free day for the visit to my stepmother (theme of the visit: kill me now). I am so going to have some yummy chocs and crisp, cold white wine when the 21 days are over, And then after a few days of debauchery, it'll be back for round 3 - with 3 free days! By the way Red, on round Four do you go back to one free day or stick at three?
Gotta go. The plumber will be here at the crack of dawn (long story) and it's getting late. I'm sacrificing my beauty sleep for you gals!
Day 2 down for water and exercise, day 7 down for no soda!
Curlylocks-I notice also that I feel better not drinking diet soda. I heard before that drinking any soda makes you crave more sugar- more soda, candy, sweet stuff, etc. I think its true, I haven't been eating as much sweets the last few days. I also feel better drinking more water, I think thats what makes your skin feel better-even my husband commented on my skin! and its only been 7 days!
Anybody have any tips on drinking something else besides water? Now that I'm not drinking a 6 pack of diet soda everyday, I'm drinking a gallon of water-but nothing else. Should I drink something else? I'm not real big on milk, I eat lots of lf cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and such, but I don't drink much milk. Thanks for any tips!
Well, as always, I gotta be somewhere else! Have a great night!
I have been reading the book Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone. I have seen the DVD's mentioned alot lately but I have never checked them out. Yesterday I was at the book store and this book caught my attention. I am looking forward to trying the exercises. It also comes with a DVD. Have any of you done these exercise tapes before???
Day 6 done! I didn't do the video but I stepped for about 20 minutes while I was watching a movie. I have Restless Leg Syndrome (yes, it's a real condition!) and I have trouble sitting still, especially if I'm tired. So the step comes in handy in that situation.
This is what I've decided to do about my beer situation: I'm going to have a mini challenge, no beer for a week. Each day I go with out, I get a
I won't lose any weight if I don't stop drinking beer!!!
Fancy- I suggest keeping several different alternatives on hand, so you don't get tired of one thing. Try lemon or lime in your water too. Have you tried bubbly water with fruit juice added? Kind of like a spritzer. Crystal Gyser makes them. Don't know if you'd consider it soda. There are all kinds of tasty juice blends out there too, like my personal favorite, apple rasberry. You just have to pay attention to calories, because they add up quickly.
Congrats to everyone who moved forward a day!!
Just a quick message here as I've got to get a move on it. Amazingly, I wrapped up Day 12! I was really going to blow it off again and take my last pause day and then I didn't. Hurrah for me! More later!
) and said lets go see if we can't find something to make you feel better. ( I'm thinking ice cream!!) We go to Sears 
and he looking all the treadmills and tells me to try them. So off I go walking on this and walking on that. He would say go try that again and while I was walking on these he would chat with the Salesman about it. LOL I got 25 minutes of walking in, at various speed because if it wasn't the saleman turning it up while I was walking it was my husband! I thought I was going to fall off once! LOL I was so caught up in playing with all the new buttons and listening to them chat I almost didn't feel those cramps. (notice the -m- I have to be careful) On the drive home my husband turns and smiles at me and says I got your workout in for you! You walked 25 minutes! LOL He also said he's figuring out on to save some money so I can get the one I really liked. He can be such a sweetie somedays. Other day I could kick him! LOL 
starting Day 12....
on Day 5 done! You ARE making progress! You've got five days behind you. 
And good for you for doing the stepping after the cleaning. For me, that would have been enough torture in itself! 
I really don't need it! 
Good going on four days down! (in addition to the ones you'd already put in!!)
)
and its only been 7 days!
