FM: CONGRATS ON THE WEIGHT LOSS AND MEETING YOUR GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:cp: :cp: :cb: :cb:

I usually hate these graphics but I am in a weird mood today :dance:

Re Nutrasweet: Like I said- your choice. I read all the links and I looked into the backgrounds of the people involved in research on both sides. I believe it is harmful- you don't have to. I posted the link for your information- I could care less whether you drink diet coke or not. It's not my business. So no need to get snippy about it- there are always two side to every story it's all a matter of whom, you choose to believe.

On to bigger and better things: I haven't lost any weight today...actually, it looks like I gained a pound. I decided to go ahead and still eat dairy, but try to gradually ease it out of my diet (not doing so good at that). My foot is *still* too swollen for me to get any meaningful walking in.

Tankgirl

Hey -

Congratulations to everyone - it sounds like you are all doing pretty well - it is a lot of motivation, believe me!!

This week has been pretty good, eating wise - in fact, i have been darn right proud of myself:strong:

Made it to the gym Sunday - we went to a pizza buffet for dinner, but I ate a ton of salad to fill the ton-of-pizza-void.

Monday, I ate really well and ran 4 miles at the gym - I hadn't run in about a week, so I was still getting back into it.:flow2:

Tuesday - ate well - but we went out for Italian - I love pasta!! I only ate 2 of my 3 manicotti, so i didn't feel too bad.

Last night I ate fairly well - had a big lunch and just a snack for dinner before I left work - my exercise was a double header for a slowpitch softball. That was a lot of fun!

Anyway, that brings me to today - taking a day of vacation to spend with my sister who is in town this week. I am going to the gym in about 30 minutes - my goal is to run 7-8 miles at a fairly slow pace - trying to work on endurance as opposed to increasing speed. Going to have an "unofficial" weigh-in just to see where I am at.

One good thing about my job is i am about to get a lot busier, which helps me stay away from the vending machine at work. I think if I could go 2-3 weeks straight from venturing over to the vending machines, i would be okay, since my body would be more use to it. The funny thing is I purposely plan my work food so that if I slip up, it won't be that bad. some might say i am setting myself up for failure, but I know myself pretty well, and i say, better safe than sorry!:chin:

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Emily, but you guys can call me :m: (ha ha, but that really is my nickname! - Em)

p.s. I love the little Smilies!! they are too cute!!:dancer:

Happy Friday everyone!

First off, thank you so much for your support! It is wonderful to read all the encouraging posts. You guys are too sweet!

I feel like I've had a mini-vacation all week. Except for Tuesday, I only did the elliptical trainer for 20-30 minutes at the gym and then came in to work early. That meant leaving around 3:30. And yesterday I worked a little extra so I get to leave at 3 today! Whoo hooo! And do chores! Whoo. Hoo.

I really have to talk to the friend about a weight routine. I also have to do abs every day, I was really starting to get definition with the classes (both classes did abs so that was 4x a week) and I don't want to lose it!

Eating is going well, although the weekends tend to be my downfall. I had my "anti-stress" day yesterday which included Boston Market again. I can't decide if that's a good thing (keeps me more on an even keel for the weekend) or a bad thing (just starts the splurge early). Last week was weird because DH was out of town, and I was PMSing. So, I will have to hold on to the reigns and see what tomorrow brings!

I REALLY want to see another loss next week. Of course, I always want to see a loss, but I feel it's important to see myself getting off the "scale bounce" so to speak.

Jenn - we are reversed. I am the non-fish eater. Perhaps because I grew up in the mid-west? I will eat seafood fried, because you could beer-batter a shoe and I would think it tasted good, but otherwise I don't like it. And I really try, because I know it's so good for me. I found that I like swordfish because the first time I had it, it tasted exactly like steak (not that I remember too well what steak tastes like, but that's another tangent...).

I hope your feet are feeling better. Good idea about giving them a break.

Monique - the job sounds wonderful! My great aunt was the first reference librarian at the University of Chicago's Regenstein (sp) library. It was a big deal at the time, I don't think many women made it that high in the field then.

BTW - silly thing, do you like the Music Man? (Just thought of Marian the Librarian - I personally love it, but I love all musicals)

And congrats on your loss!

Tanya - how's the pottery class going? I get jealous every time I think about it. How long is your hair? I have long hair and always managed to "personalize" my work while leaning over it.

Tankgirl - so sorry about your foot. I know it is frustrating to get laid up. And don't worry about that gain, you are bound to see flucuations as you adjust your eating ways. It will go away as your body adjusts.

Em - You have been busy! I'm tired just reading about all that running. And I do the same thing with eating at work as you do - I know that I am going to want to eat more later on, so I am very frugal in my choices for breakfast and lunch. I think it's a smart thing to do if it doesn't send you binging later on.

Well guys, not sure if I'll be back before Monday, so have a good weekend!

Monique - Be sure to let us know how the new job is. It sounds interesting. I am sure you will do great even if you are not an expert in every subject.

FM: Pottery is going well. My hair is just below my shoulders so it isnt too long. I do have to pull it back. Right now we are still doing hand building.. which is a pain. Its very slow going and can be difficult to get symmetry. We should start wheel throwing ina couple of weeks. This class takes up too much time though :)

So tonight we are celebrating my boyfriends birthday. I made two cakes (yeah I know.. bad bad) and we are having a large group of people. I hope they eat all the cake or I am sending it home with them!

Do not think I will make goal this month.. but who knows.

-Tanya

WOW!!!
 

Monique- I am SOOOOO excited for you!! That is awesome! I do not ever remember weighing 133.. of course I dont think I really weighed myself til high school and I was way past that :)

I plan to have only one slice of cake.. and then to make sure the rest gets eaten. Hopefully that will happen :)
My boyfriend will be 24 (same as me). I'm only 3 months older and he likes to tease me about being the older woman.

TGIF!

-Tanya

Hello all -

well i made my 8 miles yesterday!!! i think that if i post something like that, it helps keep me more accountable -

Also on the plus side - the scale at the gym said 177 - even with clothes on (but no shoes!) - i'm not counting it as my official weigh-in until Sunday or Monday, but it was still good for me to see that!

feel like i've been eating a lot today, but i probably won't eat much for dinner - we are going to a Texas Rangers baseball game - it should be pretty fun!

going to try to make it to the gym here in the next hour or so before my fiance and i help one of his friends move some stuff.

hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Emily - 8 miles??!!!?? Wow.. I do not think I could ever do that.. not even if I was at a perfect weight.. wow. Impressive.

Monique - For the most part.. I agree. Baseball on tv is pretty dull. Its almost as bad as golf. But seeing a game live is much much much better. But then again.. I think basketball is dull no matter if its in person or on tv. Weird huh?

-Tanya

hey everyone!
only 2.5 hours of work to go, and then the weekend (finally) thank God!
my bf is again interested in buying a truck. tonight we were going to go look at trucks, but it is raining out. granted my work is about 30 miles from home, but i bet it's raining at home too. hopefully it will let up so we can go out this evening.

emily, 8 miles is fantastic. good for you! keep it up!

monique-congrats on 133! :) :) :) I don't remember being 133 either. i remember being 125 up until about 10th grade, then gaining 50 pounds, it seemed as though it happened overnight! i remember in 7th grade being 110 & all the other girls were like 90 or 95, and i felt so fat. nevermind that i was probably a little taller than they were....

i have to admit on wednesday i went a little overboard with food, but thursday i calmed down a bit. last night for dinner, i had tortilla chips w/salsa, and 1/2 a pb & banana sandwich (weird i know). my bf & i were playing a playstation game, and boy the time flew by. i hardly thought about eating! i guess i'll have to start playing more often!!

last night i went to the gym for the cardio kick class. the instructor did something kind of different-every 10 minutes we had to stop the cardio kick and go the "stations" where she set up different activities-for example, jump rope, squats, tricep dips, etc. we did each activity for a minute & moved on to the next station, then went back to the cardio. it was fun-something different ya know?

anyway i better get going. have a nice w-e!

on the topic of sports~
i think baseball is the most boring sport ever, unless it's the world series.
my fave sports are ice hockey & football (american style, of course)
go Pens!
go Steelers!

Okay, Okay guys I get the point!! Y'all don't like baseball - and that's okay :)

I guess I'm a little biased since I played fastpitch softball for about 15 years (and in college), so I tend to enjoy watching a few games more than the typical female...plus there are cute guys in tight pants - enough said...as long as I don't have to watch them spit or adjust their crotch it's all good for me...:dizzy:

Hope everyone is great!!

Em

:doh: p.s. I love the Simpsons and I do a great Cartman impression from South Park (actually my fiance and I both do a great imitation of him and often have conversations using the voice for our own silly amusement!! - maybe a little too much information... :cloud9: )

Emily-
my bf & i love south park. My bf loves Cartman! he is the best character on the show!

"screw you guys, i'm goin home"

emily will get that one!

my bf also really likes the simpsons. at one point he was taping every new episode, no commercials. he hasn't done that lately, but we still watch the show whenever it's on.

we also like the spinoff "futurama". do you watch it? it's not always on when it is supposed to be (sunday at 7 here) but when it is it is very funny.

Jenn

I love that first episode of South Park when Cartman uses that line in the Swimming Pool...unfortunately we don't get to watch it all that much anymore since we don't have cable - but I guess if we really wanted to, we could always go down to the video store and rent some...

I used to watch Futurama, but it is hardly on anymore - don't know if it got cancelled or what, but it is funny also...

We also like King of the Hill - great Southern humor - gives the rest of the nation that Texas is full of rednecks -- granted, there are quite a few, but i've never seen anyone riding their horse to the mall or anything...maybe to 7-11 for some milk (LOL)...hahaha

I don't watch the Simpsons nearly as much as I used to, but I like watching the reruns in the evening when they come on - it's great - it's one of those shows where you don't have to think...

anyway, that's about all from me

have a good one!

Em

Emily: NO no.. I like baseball!!! I also played softball for like 8 years or something. I really miss that

Jenn - Kick cardio.. is that like kick boxing?.. I have always wanted to do that.. sounds fun!!

So the weekend has been crazy. I still have cake left :( Oh well.. my bf can eat it all. Yesterday I went on a day trip to a friends hometown (and the capital of Illinois) and we saw the Dana Thomas house. Plus we went to the best Thai place I have ever been. The food was so hot and delicious!! I wish I could go there every weekened :)

Well now its homework time!

Hmm...sports...don't like any of them myself- well except maybe ice skating.

Anyhow, I figured out why I gained a pound last week- PMS (which also explains the p*ss poor mood I was in)! Yeah so anyways, I dropped 2 lbs since then so I am below the 165 mark.

My foot feels alot better, although I still woudn't try to run a marathon or anything. The vegetarian thing is going well except that I am now craving one of those border bowls from Taco Bell (and they don't even taste that good!). I just tell myself how awful I would feel afterwards (because I definitely would).

Anyhow, I have to go now- am very busy...planning a wedding sure takes alot of time and energy :(

Tankgirl

okay, even though i gave up dieting half way through the month-i'll go over my goals anyway.
1. drink 8 glasses water a day-every single day! (so far so good!)
no problem here
2. cardio 5x a week at least 40 minutes
due to the fact that i was sick for a while, plus a lot of stuff going on, didn't do this every week. i'd say i averaged about 30 min 4x week
3. weights 3x a week using heavier weights this month
averaged about 2x a week
4. stick to my points/calories (toughest) put a stop to the binging!
well i've definitely cut down on binging but threw the points/calories out the window!`
5. cut out the soda/koolaid (maybe once per week).
yes, i've done this!
6. eat more fresh fruits/veggies!
done this too!
7. think positive!!!!!!!!!!
done this too!

i went to pilates on saturday. i think it will definitely be beneficial. we are still in the beginner stages. after this saturday, we will move to more intermediate moves. i may have to find another class to go to after this one. seems kind of silly to only go for a while & then stop. although i could do the moves on my own, i don't necessarily need a class.


better go,

jenn

Oh yeah- I *am* getting married. I thought I mentioned that, but I have been so incredibly busy that I may not have. The date originally was May 30, 2003, BUT we recently changed it to December 22, 2002 so I am working double time now! It's been hectic- thankfully the only things still left to work on are the cake, the photographer, and the Groom's attire. Since we are doing a medieval wedding at our house I have no idea what to get him to wear (he will not go for tights). He may just end up in a plain old suit, heh.

Ahhh, but my goals. Hmm..I forgot what they were (and I don't really have time to go looking for them right now)! I haven't been eating meat at all, I am still working on my foot healing, but I went for a mile long walk today anyhow- and it felt good except that I waited so long that I was dripping sweat when I got back! So I guess one goal for next month is to remeber my goals *lol*

Tankgirl

This will be a quickie (for me). I had a car accident this morning (my fault too, kinda - couldn't stop in time...) so DH is going to be calling soon to arrange dropping my car at the dealership...

My Semptember Goals:
1) Do the "long" version of my walk once a week. - Did this 100% for the 1st two weeks of September. Then I switched from walking to going to the gym.

2) Get 20 minutes of aerboic exercise on the days I weight train. - Did this 100% every day, even those my other workouts changed. I took a 20 minute walk at lunch every day. It makes me feel so good!

3) Only get on the scale 3x a week. - Did this 99%. I stepped on the scale once when I wasn't supposed to. It was a little scary at first, but for the best. Especially when the scale wasn't moving in the direction I wanted, not hopping on every day made it less of a frustration.

4) Buy a stationary bike. - Nope. Decided to go back to the gym. Husband and I have to discuss the many big buys we keep mentioning and decide on an action plan. I'm not ruling it out as a Christmas gift to myself.

5) Lose 2.5 lbs. - Did this 100%. Lost 3 lbs to be exact.

BTW - I am phsyically fine as is the other person who's car I hit. She was very nice and even hugged me when we were done. My car has seen better days, and the jarring of the accident didn't do my back any favors, but I am very thankful that it was a minor one as far as accidents go.

Take care!

results
 

Well, I believe my goal was to lose about 5 pounds, drink more water, and add kickboxing to my workout, adn while I didn't lose much weight (I didn't weigh myself, I can't bear to do it) I didn't gain any either and I did make some progress on my goals. But I still don't drink as much water as I would like, I just can't force myself to drink all that much. I DID do a class or a tai bow video once a week in additino to my walking and eliptical trainer,a dn I've been going to the gym in the mornings now, which I like.

This week, however, I think I'm going to take a week off. I like to do this every few months or so, and I know when I need to because I don't LOOK forward to working out, which I usually do. I come back refreshed and more motivated than ever.

I've been doing really well with my nutrition and calories lately, so I'm optomostic for october...hope everyone is is as well!

Re: Sept. Goals
 

Here were my goals and my results:

1) Work out 4 days a week. (aerobic 45 mintues, weight lift arms/legs, changed to 30 mins): Hmm.. this happened maybe 2/4 weeks. I need a good kick in the butt.

2) Lose a total of 5 pounds.
I only lost 2 pounds. *sigh*

3) Drink 6 glasses of water per day
Didnt accomplish ever.

4) Only eat ice cream 4 times this month.
I ate it about 7 times. bad bad.

5) Eat a mixture of low-carb/low-fat. (if this doesnt work, I am gonna try low-carb either next month or halfway through Sept.)
Didnt do.

Maybe october will be better... *sigh*