Good for you Ammi! You are back OP and that is the most important thing. Can't change the past, so don't waste your energy worrying about it when you can be planning an excellent future!! :hug:

Hi Ammi, glad u are feeling better now and completely understand how scary it is realising that to put on weight again would be so easy its really horrible, I remember a few years back I lost 60 pounds and putting it back on and realising that I could slip back was so horrendous as I was really thinking that I had it sorted and my problems were behind me. At least u are now more aware than ever of how easy it is to gain and that therefore u have to maintain your good work! Good luck with this week and I hope it goes really well for you....

I am feeling pumped up tonite with the urge and will to lose weight, eat better and keep it coming off...I am enjoying exercising and want to make this happen. I have decided to start counting cals again as for a while I have been following paul mkennas advice which is great but I have maintained not lost and feel it is just too gentle for me!! My metabolism has def been affected by going thro menopause at 32 and I just feel without keeping calories down it won't come off. Think I will go for 1,900 which is quite generous and see what happens this week.

I know the road ahead will be hard BUT I am up for it, I want it and I am prepared to do what it takes to get myself reconnected with my healthy body which I deserve and want.

Good luck to all of us on this journey to ourselves and all the hard work which we need to plough through....

hi Ammi glad to see you back. when do we get to see pictures of you in Voodoos jeans and tops?

Torister - well said! I shouldn't worry about the past. I can learn from it, but not focus on it. I have a wonderful future ahead of me, one where I will have total freedom to do what I want, all the things that my size have stopped me from doing in the past (like fitting on fair rides). So yes, I should, and will focus on my future :hug:

Em - I think the one good thing about how you maintained on Paul's plan is that you know you can fall back on that when you are at goal and ready to maintain your loss. Good for you for giving it a go, and now that you have decided to count calories again I wish you well and hope the FFM will pay you regular visits :yes:

Thanks for your comments on my falling off the wagon but getting back on it yesterday. That's what I love so much about this place, people like you are here and you know just how it feels to lose weight, or struggle with losing weight, or like recently with me, feeling scared at how easily you can fall back into old habits.

Patti - I have to give the jeans and tops a quick iron because they got creased with delivery, but once I have done that I will put them on again and get Daren to take pics. I will post them as long as Sharon promises not to post pics of herself in the same clothes, I know she will have looked much nicer in them than I do. I wish I was tall :rofl:

How is your leg these days. I forgot to congratulate you on your lb loss the other day when you had a sneaky peak, so :congrat: I am really happy for you :hug:

Lilion - how are you doing with being OP since I last wrote to you. Any closer to getting to the 100.....I hope so :crossed:

Take care all and bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi :grouphug:

Ammi i will look forward to seeing those pictures! my leg is doing better thank you...

Hi Everyone,
Hope all of you are well. I'm ok. I weighed in yesterday and lost 1 more pound. That means that even though I gained over Christmas, I've lost everything I gained then +. It also means I, for the first time in my adult life, I haven't gained any weight over the winter. I'm pretty excited about that......
actually the excitement has diminished, cuz of lots of crap going on with my step daughter, and grown up kids. (all different issues)
Ammi, Even though you gained a little over Christmas, you too have had a loss over the winter. We're both lighter than we were last fall!
Sorry no more personals, but I gotta get on the Gazelle. Maybe that'll cheer me up.
But, I can tell ya this, I am so sick of teen age lies and
meanness from one adult kid to the other, I can't hardly stand it.
Tomorrow MUST be better.

Patti - glad that your leg is OK, do you think it's the special DVD of exercises that you bought that has really helped?

Sandy - KIDS :mad: they really can bring you down can't they. You know where I am if you need to get it all off your chest!

On a lighter note :bravo: on your weight loss, try to keep that happy feeling, it's far more productive than feeling down :hug: You are right about my weight loss too, I have lost over the winter, not as much as I could have, but I am going to try to get things moving now :yes:

Take care all and goodnight, I am off to bed now.

Hugs,

Ammi :grouphug:

no Ammi i think my wrap helped more than anything... if i forget to put it on my leg will eventually go back to hurting but not near as bad as it ws.i am able to do my treadmill now thank goodness!

Ammi-I know exactly what you are talking about. I scared myself silly when I realized I was fast approaching 400 again. I think now and then it’s good to have a big slip that scares you than to just have a slow slide like I did the last year. At least you recognized your old self. That means your new self is really different. It is so important for all of us to remember that we have to be like Mad-Eye says, “Constant Vigilance.”

Lillion-Another couple of years, and you’ll be able to bring in people to train in your personal gymnasium. I think it was a great accomplishment just putting the thing together. I remember trying to bring a weight bench in from the car once. I couldn’t pick up the box, and had to open it and carry in each weight one at a time.

Sandy-Wow, not gaining weight over the winter. That’s huge. I wish I could say the same. After raising two, I am convinced that the teenage years are God’s gift to us to make the empty nest process easier. After dealing with all the drama, I was sooo ready for them to graduate and fly.

Hello ladies
OP today which is amazing considering my lack of will power dust of late :lol: my hands even feel like jelly right now from all the lifting I did today GEEZ my PT went hard on me. I don't think I can afford the $75 a week for one hour of training from now on, i just did this one-off promo thing which was good for what it was. Anywayz talk to y'all later and sorry if I missed anyone in personals today but love and willpower you all!!! :moo:

Ammi! Good to see you back in action girl, Going on roller coaster rides is a big thing for me too... :) I can totally relate. One day we'll get there!!! We must have been psychically connected last week, exactly the same thing happened to me and it just gets you down so much aye. Well, back on the horse for both of us! :lol:

Emilymay- keep the urge goin as long as possible! That's always when we're best to ourselves... stay motivated girl!

Annie - Yeah its a great tradition, makes us grateful for everything we have.. well it does to me anywho. I think the key is to give up something you have frequently that you love, not veggies!! :rofl: but not something you can't live without.... good luck, let me know what you decide and we can b*tch about it together :lol:

Lillion- me jealous!!! what the heck is a bowflex? Sounds good and tough!!

Catherine: I loved your informative post today. Thank you so much for taking the time to post it. I feel really good about #2 on the list. I have noticed that looking myself in the mirror and saying good job or well done is something I look forward to.

Ammi: The important thing is that you are back on track again. You said it girl. You will do just fine. Every day is a new day!

Sandy: Yipee on another -1 for you. Way to go. So sorry that your children and step children aren't getting along. That stinks. Take your anger out on your Gazelle and ride like the wind.

I had a great op day today. I made the WW zero point soup that is in their book and I must say I wasn't expecting it to be very good but, it was very good. Lots of veggies and filling. Hope you are all doing well and being good op girls.
Blessings,
Annie

Ammi -- I too, realize just how easily I could let it all slip and go back to bad habits. I think it would take a while to get all my bad eating habits back, but I know I could go back to not exercising. It still takes all my will some days to get me to exercise, and the food slips are just too easy as well...

I am convinced I will need to be vigilant forever to keep this weight off.

Well I've been reading everyone's posts but not felt like posting myself. It looks like I'm GAINING instead of losing, mood swings, hot flushes, vile! BUT I'm starting South Beach AGAIN & trying to get a 'positive' frame of mind.
Ammi, I'm sorry you had a bad week-end, but you put the brakes on & got back OP & exercising. I know it must have scared you but you are in control & a SMALL glitch is nothing compared to the amount of weight you've lost. As for being lighter than me, sob! I told you years of wearing too tight (2- sizes at least!! lol) jeans 'compressed' my fat bottom & thighs, though it's not something I'd reccommend! If I don't get my botty in gear you'll be sending me clothes, though it would be nice, I think Steve would kill me after having to buy loads of smaller clothes! I kNOW you can do it!!!xxxxxx
Sandy, sorry the 'kids' are being pains, it's amazing what joy they can bring, yet the upsets, sleepless nights, shouting/fights & general trouble they can cause often make me wonder whether it's better to get a couple of dogs or cats & not bother having kids at all! They all have good points & bad points but being a step-parent to a resentful adult/teen must be near impossible. You didn't get that initial 'bond' when they were small & the other 'mum' can often add fuel to an already 'hot' problem. Hugsxxxxx Hope things improve soon.
Valerie, I hope you are ok, busy rather than sad, AND how's your 'man', not hubby, Gabe? Did you get Cody (right name?) to canter yet or is he too old to be bothered?xxxxxxx
Xena, thanks for quoting me, I ought to take action on my words instead of spouting them!!!lol. I hope studying is going well, YOU are doing great, remember you might be a bit 'rusty', this was your FIRST test things could well improve & you get steady A's!!!!xxxxxxx
Lilion, Bowflex, does it use a bow as resistance, instead of weights? I expect it is a form of weights/strength machine? I hope you get lots of use from it & of course, enjoy it!xxxxxx
Nancy, sorry the B&B woman was not very nice to you. I hope you get an apartment soon, or get your bf sorted, whichever makes you happy.xxxxx
Emily, ANY LOSS IS GOOD!!! Though I think watching your calories is a good idea, Paul MacKenna is great BUT his programes seem to be aimed at people who need to lose 2-3 stone, we need a slightly different approach. I have his weight loss hynosis dvd & must start using it again, it did work. I stopped because of depression & you're not supposed to use it then, BUt as Ammi said it certainly helps you sleep at night, though with your busy life you probably don't need it! Can I ask if your memory was affected when you went through your op & menopause? Mine is so bad, I look at my BA & wonder how I got it!!!!xxxxxxx
Annie, you are doing so well, I really must get on my bike, Ammi keeps mentioning it, but there's no room downstairs... any excuse, lol. I hope you 'beat' hubby on your 'virtual' race, how many miles have you done now?
Catherine, great on ADDING for Lent, rather than giving something up. Tour De France? Hhhmmmm I would struggle to get around the Arc De Triumphe lolxxxxxxx
Well I hope everyone else is well Wezi, how ru & the 'bump'? Keep it up everyone, you really help me keep on without giving up.xxxxx
xxxsharon

Hello All,

Well it's a beautiful sunny day, it's amazing how a bit of sunshine can make the day seem so much nicer. Mind you, having said that, I didn't sleep well last night, so after breakfast this morning I went back to bed. So a lot of the lovely sunshine had to be hidden by my curtains :rofl: But I am awake now, catching up on posts, and I will be going to exercise as soon as I am done here.

I made THE phone call this morning, the one to the gym to make appts for mine and Daren's induction. We have appts for 9 am tomorrow! Talk about taking the bull by the horns. So we'll have the inductions and that means we can start using the gym any time we want after that :woohoo: No excuses now!! I am pretty excited about it all.

Patti - it's a shame that the DVD wasn't the reason your leg has improved, you could have written to them to become a living testament of the wonders of that particular kind of exercise :lol: Still it's great that the wrap has done the job for you and that you are able to exercise on your treadmill again now. How are you doing with the Wii, can you put more effort into the games now that your knee has improved?

Catherine - yes in a way I am glad that I got that scare, but I wasn't strong enough to get on the scales to see what damage I had done. I knew after a bottle of wine and a Chinese meal that it wouldn't be wise to weigh. I just hope that by Monday any damage I had done will be reversed and I will at least still weigh what I did pre pig out.

How are you doing these days, are you managing to get through the whole day now on track? I guess one good thing about only falling down in the evening with what you eat is that at least you haven't spent the whole day eating for the sake of it. So even if you are only staying strong in the day, that's still an accomplishment :yes:

Chimi - is Luna Park still going in Sydney? What about Australia's Wonderland? You should get a pic of one or two of the coasters there, put it on your fridge and let that be an incentive for those times when there must be a hole in the will power dust bag :D I really want to go to a theme park with Daren to celebrate his 40th in November, I am determined I will be able to fit any ride I want to go on by then. It's a great incentive!!

Annie - I am a bit naughty when it comes to that WW Zero point soup. If it's the same recipe I have where there's lots of tomatoes and no potatoes well I get rid of the former and add the latter :rofl: I also add parsnips which have to be counted too, and sometimes I'll add meat. So it doesn't stay Zero points for long. Oh well it's still low in points and very filling. Daren and the kids are getting fed up of it now though, so I shall be making some just for me until the weather gets warmer :yes:

Look at you, just about hitting your exercise goal already. WOW you are doing so great :cp: You are definitely an inspiration.

Heather - sometimes it does get a bit overwhelming when you realise that you really do have to watch what you eat for the rest of your life. But if the rewards are being healthy and having the freedom that being slim brings then it is definitely worth it. I figure I'll be like I was at Christmas. Choosing times when I know I want to not watch what I eat, and being committed to losing whatever I gain ASAP. Hopefully that way I don't end up resentful of dieting forever, and I won't end up putting back on all the weight I have lost :yes:

Sharon - I am saying it here and I am saying it loudly....I REFUSE to ever send you my 'big' clothes :dizzy: Not because I'm a :moo: but because I am determined that you are going to keep losing weight and you are always going to remain smaller than me! You have faith in my ability to keep going, and I have the same faith in YOU. It's great you are starting SB again, I really hope you see the same great results you were seeing before :yes:

As for that exercise bike of yours, are you sure you can't move something from downstairs so you can make room to put the bike down there? Maybe you can get a Gazelle so that you can fold it away like I do when it's not in use. That's the main reason I bought the thing, it's the only piece of equipment that I could find that would fit in my living room and then store away.

Ok time for a quick email or two before I go to exercise. Take care all and I'll be back later.

Hugs,

Ammi :grouphug: