Well shoot. I had too much sodium yesterday I think. I am up a little 245.2. But that will hopefully be gone tomorrow and then some. lol

Niki there is a sticky thread somewhere about the tickers, but if I remember you have to wait so many days and have so many posts before the ticker option becomes available.

Pixicat I'm sorry you are having such a stressful time.

Sue I need to get walking again. The cold just makes it so hard to get going. Hopefully we will all be moving soon. :)

Good day everyone :coffee:

I was watching the national news last night and of the 48 continental states in the U.S., 42 have snow cover and 6 do not, with GA and FL being two of them! Well, we may not have snow cover but the temperatures dropped from a chilly high 60s on Friday and dropped 20 degrees everyday since then. Right now, it is the upper 30s and that is very cold for this time of year here. :brr:

I did get the tree up but we want to add some more lights. We priced them and they have really gone up but we found some cheaper ones at Big Lots so we are going to get one string. This tree has ones strung throughout the branches but we feel they were kind of "skimpy". I have had this tree for 10 years and although we prefer live (yes, the smell) but not this year. I have these icicles that are green that are pine-smelling. I bought them about 5 years ago and they give off a pine scent as well. It is very convincing.

Well, I am afraid my weight is all over the map. I too had some cookies on Sunday and then pizza on Monday so my "good work" from before got undone. I can't say why. I have no good reason. I have decided though that until a much further date (maybe months for all I know) I am not going to have pizza or hot dogs. Both are relatively cheap and quick to fix when we are busy (as we have been in the past couple of days) but then all of my hard work from before gets unraveled and that's 'no good'.:(

I hate to say this but I have been stuck way too long in the 240s (since June) and I just plain have to quit allowing things interfere with the good progress that I was seeing last spring. I managed to work out yesterday but I am finding that this really cold weather makes me restless and yet I hate going out in it. Since we are moving in 2014 (just don't know when), I gave our notice to our community garden that we won't be renewing. We have until Friday to clean it up and turn it over. I have snow peas and brussel sprouts that I will "harvest".

I am sad about that because we have been a part of this for three year-round seasons and I have learned so much from the workshops they have as well as the community spirit but we are moving to another county and so we would no longer qualify. I am especially proud that our extras goes to our local food pantry as well. Not many food banks can boast of having organic fresh produce to give to those people they serve. I put up my gardening tools yesterday and swept up our porch for winter. I have a little bird who loves to sit atop a grapevine star wreath I have on my baker's rack. I felt like my little friend was watching me sweep.

At this point, I am just praying that I will break 240s for the New Year's. This month is just plain going so fast. Nikitanix, a Major Congrats :woohoo: for making 239 lbs. As much as I would hate to see you go, I still want you to join the 230s thread when you are ready to go.:wave: That is what progress is all about....when you feel ready to fly the coop, fly.:angel: As for setting up a ticker. On the upper left side on the 3FC forum page (where it gives a directory of all of the different threads to read or join) there is a tab "User CP". Click on that then Click on the tab that says Edit Signature. That page will bring up a "how to" on creating a ticker. You can also go directly to the website www.tickerfactory.com and their coding is compatible with 3FCs. Once you have created it then you C/P it to fit in your signature blank page. You can add as many as you want. Good luck!

mara: That body flow class sounds right up my alley. I do all three but separately. I have a lot of dvds that I have gotten over the years. Sometimes, I wonder if I have too many choices to choose from but yoga is recommended for arthritis and, yes, it does make a difference. The stretches involved in both Pilates and yoga lengthen the muscles that support the joints. I also follow a regimen devised by a physical therapist and I have been doing that faithfully since March and what a difference it makes. Keep with the Pilates. It will come. I promise you. I can do things that I never thought I would ever be able to do.

pixiekat: I had one of my favorite "store bought" cookies: chocolate fudge mint wafers. The whole package has 15 cookies and I think it equals 1500 calories alone but I have never tasted any cookie that is as good. I have them about once every two or three months. At least, this time I ate them slowly so I could enjoy every bite. I have decided that I am going to buy one package for Christmas this year and that is it for baked goods for me. I love mixed nuts too so that might be my one other "indulgence".

sue: Good Luck on the walking with your friend. Sometimes, we do need some kind of incentive to keep us going. That is really nice of you to offer your support and you will get in shape to boot. It is a Win-Win situation!

Well, I'd better get busy on getting ready to go grocery shopping. I have a list of things that we are out of and things that I think we can afford to get. Anyone else do this kind of shopping? Oh, well, at least, we can get some of the things on my list. At least, we haven't resorted to using corn cobs yet! ;):rofl: Now, that is the kind of problems I want to avoid.

Take care all, Pam :comp:

Thanks pixikat, Pam and Mara for tips with the ticker, I’m not quite at 20 days yet so I have to have a little patience but when I make it I can use your helpful advice, thank you so much!

Hey Sue, that’s great you have a walking buddy, the extra exercise and the time you’ll spend with him will be a real help for both of you and it sounds like fun too. I certainly will keep the door open in the next thread, you’ll all be there soon enough!! I’m counting on it!

Pam, that’s real sad about you leaving your garden and little birdy behind, what will your new place be like? I will miss your nice long posts with lots of colorful characters when I go, and yours too Sue! I kind of feel it’s very soon to be leaving this thread, I think my losses will slow though and I’ll be knocking around the 230s for a while. Well, I don’t want to lose weight too quickly so I may play around with my calorie allowance. The appetite suppressing effects have lessened a lot since the start and I find myself hungry a lot more than the first days so I don’t know if 1200 is enough, or if I should eat more fiber and protein as I’ve heard they’re filling. I’m drinking a lot more water now but it does make me a little cold so I think I’ll try out some mandarin green tea I saw at the store the other day as that doesn’t sound like it goes too well with cookies…I hope!!

Morning!

Pam I am sorry about your garden and your bird friend too. :(

Niki I think playing around with your calorie goal is a good idea. Everyone is different. I am not expert, but from reading things here on 3FC everyone says don't start off too low because then you will have no where to go as you loose weight and need to drop your calorie intake.

I am back down today, 244.0. :) Hoping to see 243ish tomorrow. Ready for the next decade!!!

Good sunny day :sunny:everyone!:coffee:

This is the first really bright and sunny day we have had in almost an entire week but from what I hear it is not going to last long. This coming weekend, when I want to attend a Christmas concert about 25 miles from here, it is both supposed to be cold again as well raining the entire weekend.:rain: I am so bummed. :(. It is so hard to get in and out of cars, buildings, etc. when it is pouring down. :tantrum: without getting wet and/or stepping into a puddle. I got sick last year in this same kind of weather and I was sick for the entire month of December and part of January. That sucked:mad:

Niki: Don't hang around here on account of me. :coffee2: You deserve to move on and be where you can get some good vibes :goodvibes and support in the next leg of your weight loss journey :goodscale:

I can only blame myself for not being there soon myself. :nono::rollpin: However, I have cleared the deck of some of the "offenders" that I know that I "should have" removed from my food plan long before now but didn't. I am still holding out hope that I will break 240s by New Year's Eve. My strategy includes no holiday baking this year, no summer sausages (which I so love) and just having a simple meal and "maybe" one glass of champagne for New Year's Eve :xcheer: So, you may not see me "over yonder" this month but, if I have anything to do with it (which I hope that I do), I will be starting out 2014 in the 230s! :newyear:

I also agree with mara that it probably is not the wisest choice to start out so low since you really have no where to go from there. I used to belong to another paid site three years ago and I was given a food plan including a calorie range that was between 1800-2100 calories per day until I lost 25 lbs then it went down to 1500-1800 calories per day. Then, I belonged to another free site for six months this past year and I joined a "Diabetes Weight Loss" challenge run by their site team. Their approach was similar but they also took into account my activity level so I actually have three different calorie ranges depending on what kind of activity that I do that day: 1530-1880 cals. on non-aerobic days, 1781-2031 cals. on days I do my strength work outs with free weights, 2032-2382 cals for days I do 30 minutes of cardio (more calories if I extend that to 60 minutes).

I realize that sounds shocking to a lot of people who routinely are on a "semi-starvation" diet but this is based on metabolic physiology and it was created by registered dieticians. It allows me to lose 2 lbs a week. As I have been told, the more I work out, the more I can eat. Not that I necessarily want to but it does mean that my extra calories are fueling my workouts. They are not laying dormant on my body and turning back to fat. However, I must emphasize it is based on working out at least 4-5x a week with cardio being especially "key" in losing weight. If I decide to not work out then I need to follow the lower calories or I will stay the same.

As I said, it has been a crazy and stressful past 7 1/2 months. I have struggled to make sure that we can afford to eat healthy in spite of some tough financial choices that I have had to make. If I want to continue to lose weight, working out is absolutely paramount. I can not fudge on this as when I was heavier when just less calories was enough to see the numbers on the scales go down. I suspect that as I get closer to my end goal weight, it will actually be "harder" because you have to run a much tighter ship than when you can stop eating junk food and that will be enough.

I have been sloppy in the past couple of months or I would have been in the 230s by now. I accept my own part in that. I also am determined to get back to the level of fitness and sticking to my food plan that I was doing last spring when I really was seeing those numbers go down every week.

mara Glad to hear that things are going down for you as well. Keep up the good work, GF. You can do this too!:goodluck:

Well, we had a very busy day yesterday doing a lot of running around in heavy traffic. I hope to get cracking on some things around here later this afternoon. I just took my NSAIDS so I can make myself "sore" all over again. :D :lol:

Take care Pam :comp:

Hey guys!!! Today I have been very productive. Fall cleaning so to speak. About mid-semester I get bogged down with school and cleaning goes mostly out the window. So since I am out of class and had the day off work I have been cleaning the apartment, putting up a canvas print I ordered, and hanging a shelving unit. Hopefully I am burning a fair amount of calories while I go.

Morning! I got to work and we had no power. :(

On a good note I was 242.8 this morning! I hope it is not a trick and continues to go down. :D

Hope everyone else is having a good day.

Good day all :coffee:

Mara great job on getting those numbers to go down. Not much farther to go for you! :woohoo:

Pixiekat: I too have been doing a lot more cleaning and rearranging of furniture these past few days. I have had to up my NSAIDS because "all of me" hurt :lol: but again it feels so good to clear the path for "Santa".:hohoho:

Of all of us, I may be the "last one standing" here in this thread and since it seems like it is not a 10 lbs. decade that is heavily populated, I may be posting to myself for myself. :?: Well, I accept full responsibility for my inability to stay on track. It is not so much overeating as making poor food choices that either stall my weight or cause me to regain because of the high sodium. I have since decided to cease eating those "offenders" and now I am working on getting things back to where they were "not that long ago". So, I changed my ticker again this morning. I hated to because I have been changing it more backwards than forwards and I know that is a "red flag" for me.

On a more positive note, I have had a couple of really good days with my food plan so I will keep doing what I know works and look forward to the future. I will see you all in the 230s thread in January. I just don't know when in January. :snow4:

Take care Pam :comp:

Think Believe Act
 

I guess, I am either the first to post today or everyone is out shopping. I just wanted to say that I had a couple of really good days and I quickly changed my ticker down. :D

Late yesterday I turned over my garden plot to the next "tenant". I left my strawberry plants. They were nearly buried by the falling leaves so I covered them up so they will be ready for late spring in 2014 as a 'surprise' for the next person who toils my soil. I had also added 10 lbs of organic soil and mixed in some organic nitrogen meal so the soil is ready to grow some great veggies.:carrot::broc:

I journaled awhile yesterday and then shared it with my DH about why I think that I am stuck. It dawned on me that for the longest time (about 10 years between 1983-1993 I was this weight) and then my weight started to climb up in the late 1990s to 260s with my highest weight being just over 300 lbs in 2009. I have been obese for so long that, quite honestly, I don't know of anything else but once I got to this weight range, it was the one that I felt the most comfortable in. Plus, I was so thrilled to get down to the 240s again after 30 years of being "somewhere else", that I think I "forgot" I can set my sights even higher (or lower in the case of weight loss). I don't have to "settle" for this interim weight, no matter how comfortable it feels.

I started this past year wanting to lose weight but deep down inside I didn't believe that I could. I felt that other people could but not me. Then, when I started to lose weight again, I couldn't believe that it was happening. Well, I am at the same place again where it is hard to believe that I can make this happen and continue to lose weight and break the 240s, for starters, but even move beyond that.

However, I have a food plan that works. I like to work out even with my physical limitations. Both combined together are a winning combination. I have seen what kind of results I can get when I work both consistently. Now, I just need to do the "footwork" and let my body respond to my efforts.

Think. Believe. Act.

Take care, Pam :comp:

Hey Everyone,

I know it's been several weeks since I've been on. Time flies by. I kept working hard at loosing weight, even when Thanksgiving hit. I've cut back on going to the gym a bit because of the limited hours as winter break approaches my university. I wanted to enjoy some food during the holidays but way less than I had before and I'm having it in moderation. I was thinking okay if I can maintain what I have lost for the holidays and keep trying to loose after January that will be great... but the last few days I've been going down to 241... which is great but I think it's from stress I've been under at work (my boss even made me cry today). Taking it one day at a time.

Keep up the good work Pamtaga! I've stalled a bit in the 240s myself but I'm taking it one day at a time, one choice at a time. I too got excited because I haven't been this small in several years so I can relate.

Good day everyone and anyone who decides to read and/or 'stop by'. Glad to have 'y'all'. :coffee:

:welcome2: peachesncream. Yes, I do remember you, how could I not with such a cute username as that? ;) Thanks for checking in at a very busy time of the year for you. I am sorry to hear that your boss made you cry. I have some bad memories myself of certain bosses. They can make working a real bummer at times. :(

So, it sounds like you are both working and going to school. That is a lot to have on your plate right now. Is there an end in sight for the schooling? I can only imagine how difficult it would be to eat healthy on most school campuses. I never ate nachos and cheese until I went to college and they became my favorite between class snack. :fr: :lol:

Glad to hear that you are so close to breaking through the 240s. :carrot: I am sorry though that stress seems to be playing a big role in that.

How long is your winter break then? A month? Will you be staying there or going home for the holidays?:xcheer: My plan for the holidays in terms of eating is to allow myself two of my favorite foods but only a single serving per day between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I will make sure that I only buy enough to last so there are no leftovers for January.

I have been having a couple of good days in a row, which I am happy about. Yesterday, my DH brought home some leftovers from one of his Christmas parties that he goes to (his organization so I wasn't invited---no spouses are). I ate it slowly and mindfully, one of my new Beck Diet Skills that I am practicing. I ate one single serving of dark chocolate later as well; which is four mini squares.

Today has been good so far. I want to finish decorating my Christmas tree. :tree:My back has been sore the past couple of days so I have been sitting on this but I want to put the ornaments on tonight and then I will be ready in terms of decorating for the holidays. I have an artificial tree so it will stay up to epiphany; January 5th--the 12th day of Christmas.

Again, thanks for dropping in and telling us how you are doing on your end.

Take care, Pam :comp:

Very good for you Pam! :)

Peaches.. you are doing your best and that is what matters and I am so sorry your boss was so mean that you cried. I am so sorry... Brighter days ahead!

I am not posting any weighings until after Christmas.. I was so off plan starting Saturday (YIKES office dinner... all you could drink and REAL Italian food... We sat at the table for 5 hours!! talking drinking and eating.. it was so much fun.. but oh the Cannolli's ahhhhhh Tiramasu! ahhhhhhh bread, oil sauce Well you understand and of course I had leftovers and leftovers from dinner last night and cookies and crumb cake that was sent to me.. YIKES!... sooooo after Christmas is when I will post a weight again.. Otherwise I will try and be good and stay away from Sugar, bread, potatos UGH! :)

Happy Monday all!

Morning Guys!

Pam I am trying to eat slower and enjoy my food. Instead of wolfing it down. How is your back feeling?

Peachesandcream I think trying to maintain during the holidays is a good idea. I too am sorry your boss made you cry. I hate that. It makes me feel like I am giving them too much power over me.

Sue I would not have been able to resist. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water and stomach growl. lol

I am up a little from Friday, 243.8. Indulged in a few Christmas cookies. :)

Hey everyone! This is my final post in this thread...I've just read through all the last posts that I've missed and I loved hearing all your updates, I hope the next group down is as fun!

Thanks for your advice Mara, I did actually up my calorie limit over the weekend - I had the girls round for food yesterday and needed the extra room for sure as we all cooked way too much but I ate less than usual, practiced either eating or talking - never both at the same time for once!! and sent all the skinnier ones home with leftovers - man was I sad to see that seasoned chicken leave!! So I kinda expected to not lose too much today although I went to the gym 5 times last week, including Friday night (!) but I was ecstatic to see I'm down to 236.2!!

So, it's not goodbye but see you later, I'll be in the next thread waiting for y'all, so hurry down now!!

Oh, and I got a fancy new ticker too!!

Good morning and day everyone: :wave:

Nikitanix: I am not sure if you will read this since you are probably now safe and secure in the 230s thread but we are so happy for you to see you "move on down" :bravo: Yes, look for me sometime in January. I am being extra diligent. I am just trying to focus on the non-food aspects of all of the holiday blur:gift2::rudolph::hohoho: that is swirling around me. That is my "from here until New Year's Day" plan. Keep the blinders on so I don't see all of those :mcd::m::jeno::cookie::chef: :lol: I think you get the picture by now.
:D

P.S. Don't you love the ticker choices? I have a hard time deciding what I want. I am always changing mine.

Mara: yes, I am too practicing eating slowly and mindfully. I am allowing myself 1 single serving of dark chocolate per day but NO MORE! :chockiss: I caught myself last night really wanting another single serving but I stood my ground and fought off the desire to have more. :ziplip: Great Job on the ticker going down...down is down in my book:book2:, no matter how much or how little. :mag:

My back is really being tested. I had a "project" left over from last Christmas that I decided now was a good time to tackle it. I have collected a ton of ornaments and decorations over decades and I just wanted to thin them out so since I was decorating the tree, I have brought a plastic bin, sat it between my legs and gone through it while watching Christmas programs on t.v. Of course, this also involves doing a lot of lifting and carrying so my back was really smarting by Sunday morning. I took more meds and then slept until noon. I want to make sure than when we do move in 2014, I am packing no more than I want to take with me.

sue(wannaskip): Your Italian meal sounded super! As a person who is married to someone who doesn't particularly like Italian food, if I have it at all it is spaghetti and sauce made at home. It would have been very tough for me not to fight down the crowd for some of those goodies. :hun: I know me. :D

I totally understand about wanting to just wait things out. However, I hope that you do check in once in awhile during the next couple of weeks. They will fly by as they always do. I can easily regain 10 lbs during the holidays. In fact, that has been as much of a tradition as me buying a fruit cake and eating it all by myself, since it seems like I am the only one who likes it. This year, I just don't want to keep flipping back and forth since I did plenty of that already this past fall. I have decided to start a "new tradition" and that means only a few choice goodies and that is all!:nono::lol:

Well, I have more of the "same old same" today so I will check in tomorrow. My ticker went down 0.2 lbs but I am going to wait and change it again when it is a little more. I am always hopeful. ;)

Take care all, Pam :comp: