I just posted some recent (taken today) photos on the pics page. It was kinda one of those "I think I look OK" days, so I figured that I would get some "now" pics. They actually came out pretty well, but I can see a difference from earlier (161lbs) pics. Mind you, that could all be in my head as well.

I am off now to read posts and type some responses in Word. See... I can learn from other people's mistakes.LOL

Catch you soon.

Take care,

Zelma

Zelma – What a fantastic weight loss you have there, wow I am so impressed that must have took a lot of hard work! Anti-depressants do cause weight gain, been there got the t-shirt! Have a good weekend!

Carol – Yummy for the Chinese, I am looking forward to one as a treat in March when I visit my friend since she has the best Chinese Takeaway near her house….

Johnnie – Glad you are feeling okay again, I can really feel that pain for you, I was in agony with mine ended up with two weeks off work it was so bad!

Anne – I really need to invest in some new walking shoes or a decent pair of trainers, I think that is on my list for next month!

Kimmie – Have a good weekend!

BattleAx – I can’t wait till I can head out and buy some new clothes in a smaller size!

Heather – I have to hide the scales otherwise I would be too tempted to jump on them every day…. I put them in the attic so I have to get the ladders out on a Monday to get them out!

Debbie – I’ve already stocked up on mags for the weekend! Great news for you on getting out of the 300’s! Well done girl!

Annie – Well done on getting to under 300lb you must be so proud of yourself! Keep it up! Doesn’t it feel good to get into those jeans! Friends like you I find such an inspiration to keep going!

Got something to really be aiming for now, we have some family members coming over from Australia in May for a few weeks so it’s going to be a big reunion, I’ve met two of them before when they where last here in 2000 but the other two I’ve never met, they are coming over to celebrate there Diamond Wedding Anniversary they have never been back to the UK since they went in the 60’s so I think they are in for a shock as to how this place has changed. They are stopping off in Singapore, Paris, Ireland and finally Manchester!

It’s going to spur me on to look and feel good come the end of May when we get to meet up again!

Off this afternoon to see Sweeney Todd at the cinema, I won’t be snacking on cinema food though!

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking back on posting the latest photos and I was wondering whether it would frustrate people that I was showing photos when I was smaller and I know how frustrating it can sometimes be when other people complain that they have to lose 15 or so pounds when I had almost 200 pounds to lose. I was considering taking the photos off the page and stopping my ‘whining’ about feeling upset at gaining a few pounds. Then I thought... It is JUST as important to show people the struggles that they may have to face for many years to come and perhaps for life. Yes, I may not look enormous in my photos, but my head is in such a ‘screwy’ place that I still feel huge and blobby at times. I have a feeling that this could be something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life, and simply knowing that somehow makes it easier to cope with. So... I’m keeping the photos up and I will still let you know when I am battling to stay on track, but I will also try to let you know when it is easier to stay on track and the continued benefits of this healthier lifestyle. Because, believe me, there are MANY more days when it seems easier to stay on track, and MANY occasions when I see the benefits of being healthier, fitter and smaller than I was for so many years.

Anyway, just throwing my thoughts around, such as they are. I am still working on those replies, but I had this epiphany in the shower earlier (some of my best thoughts are there and in the bathroom) and I wanted to get my thoughts down before they were even more muddled than they are at the moment.

Take care,

Zelma

Heather – I often find it SO reassuring to read your posts about struggling with similar things that I do. I sometimes feel as though I am weakening in my resolve and this sends me into a mild panic, until I realise that it is perfectly natural to feel this way and then I simply face facts and work out what I need to do to get back on the straight and narrow. I sometimes wonder whether I am simply too happy with where I am at, which is fine, but I also don’t want to get lax about the whole thing, so I must stay vigilant.

Catherine – I had to chuckle at your story about keeping the alligator in the bath tub. The funny thing was that I wouldn’t have been really surprised if it had been true. You are such an amazing character and you seem so strong and independent and you can do so many incredible things, that having an alligator in your bath tub and then having to butcher it yourself just didn’t seem to be out of your league. I think you should take it as a compliment that so many people didn’t think you were kidding.

Ammi – It can be SO hard to resist food when others around you are having something that you know is delicious. I was very lucky and Neil didn’t eat anything that I couldn’t for a long time when I started, but after a while it didn’t bother me that he was eating other stuff, as I was used to having my own yummy stuff instead.
I am SO glad that your skin disease seems to have settled and I truly hope that you have seen the last of it.

Battle – It is great to hear that you thought you looked so much better on TV this time. I was really worried the first time I appeared on TV, because I had heard SO many times that it adds 10lbs to people. Well, after expecting to see me much bigger, it was quite a pleasant surprise when the show actually aired. When I see your avatar, I simply couldn’t believe that you would look bad anyway.

Nancy – I can understand that you still have some ‘favourite’ tops, but unless you plan on flashing a lot of people (that COULD be a tactic for finding a new partner, but I’m not sure that is the way you want to go) then you may have to pass them on to someone else you needs/wants them.

Donna – Did you end up getting the gazelle unearthed? If so, I hope you have found some time to try it out and see how long you can do on it. If I have too long a break from the Cross Trainer I find that it is quite difficult to get back to doing any length of time on it. It just seems to use different muscles to anything else I do.

Heather DW – How did you go with the Walk Away the Pounds DVD? Did you end up managing it? I only got her DVDs later last year. The only one we could find for a long time was the Walk/Jog, Walk/Kick double pack. Then hubby found me the 5 mile one. I really enjoy using it as I can go at any pace I feel like really. If I am tired, I just do the movements fairly mildly, but if I have more energy, I stretch out and move MUCH more.

Debbie – I used to be a member of the “Big Bold Boobies” committee, but I think I have joined you in the “Itty, Bitty, Titty” committee since losing weight. I now have what I fondly refer to as my “socks with walnuts in the ends”. Still, they tuck into a bra OK, so I’m not too worried at the moment. I don’t plan on doing any full-frontal calendar work in the near future.
If your size 24 jeans fit, then I would imagine that you would need braces for your 28s. Yes... it is time to wish them farewell.

Alison – Where are your relatives from in Australia? I would imagine it would be the east coast, as we have a much smaller population on the west coast, but you never know, “it is a small world”, as they say. I hope you have a lovely time with them while they are here.
I hope you feel simply wonderful in your jeans today. You should take a pic to show us.

Carol – I am still so VERY envious of your snow!!! I really am going to have to go on a trip to somewhere ‘snowy’ one year. Just for the experience. It sounds so beautiful.
Thank you for your lovely comments about my latest weight dilemma. I am glad that I can still ‘teach’ people something through my ups AND my downs, both physically and emotionally speaking.
Sorry to hear that the after-effects of the Chinese meal weren’t that great. I think that is one of the best ways to keep away from that type of food though. I just KNOW that my stomach will protest too much if I make it deal with too much fatty or salty stuff, so I try to avoid it as much as I can. I have almost convinced myself that I am ‘allergic’ to food like that, as it makes me sick.
It was funny to hear you say that you used to tell people that you just weren’t a “jeans person”. I used to do that about a LOT of things, but it is surprising the number of things that I want to do and wear that I was simply avoiding because of my size and I had convinced myself that I just didn’t ‘like’ them.

Kayley – Sorry that you are not feeling that great TOM is visiting. I’ve been waiting for it for a few days now, as I could have eaten Neil’s arm off on Wednesday as we were driving home from Mum’s place in the country. A three hour drive is a LONG wait when hubby’s arm looks like a chicken wing! It STILL hasn’t arrived, but I have high hopes for the next day or so.
How long is your training for your work? Hopefully you get paid while you are training. Are you still at school as well? I can’t remember what you decided to do about school.

Kimmie – You put a huge smile on my face as I read about your little niece’s surgery. It never ceases to amaze me what medical procedures can be done nowadays. I hope she continues to improve in leaps and bounds.

Annie – Thank you for the reassurance about the weight of the extra skin. Sometimes I wish there was some way to measure just how much my loose skin (on my stomach, bottom, hips, thighs and tops of arms) weighed.
CONGRATULATIONS on reaching those 2s!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know what a wonderful feeling that must have given you.


Well, that is it from me for the moment. Off to bed to read.

Take care,

Zelma

Zelma -- I could have written that! I feel exactly the same way reading about your struggles! Not that I'm happy you're struggling, but I feel more normal about my own!! I think virtually every day is a struggle in one way or another. I know one day of bad eating won't put back more than 100 pounds, but I've learned the hard way that I do need to be vigilant.

And I feel exactly the same about being happy! I haven't lost weight in a year because I love being this weight (compared to before). At the same time, I can see that I am still overweight and am starting to have fitness goals I could more easily achieve if I were smaller. If I do lose more, I am going to have to change that mindset.

I'm glad you decided to keep the pics up. I agree that we all need to see the struggles at all ends of the journey. I think it would be disengenous to make people think it's all roses and sunshine in Onederland. On the other hand, the choices I do make everyday to be healthy are completely worth it!

And this whole post is a plug for the maintainers' forum. I don't post there a lot, but I do read there (everyone is welcome to do both) and I have learned so much from the combined experience of these people who are keeping off the weight. I encourage everyone to check it out!!!!

Heather and Zelma - first I want to say I am sorry you are struggling, just as I would to any one of us not anywhere close to a "goal" weight. But more importantly I want to applaud you both for the change that has taken place - you are addressing this now! We all have lost weight - personally to gain it back and more. We are all making life changes and as we continue to evolve it is not always a smooth path but a little jagged at times. You both are such inspirations to me. Thank you for that.

Debbie - I can't believe I missed your post about achieving the under 300 goal. Extra cheers for you! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

Zelma - I'm not glad that you struggle, but I'm happy that you share your struggles (and successes)...even if they are just 15lb struggles. This week you have reminded me to be careful in how I lose the weight (change my lifestyle rather than look at what I'm doing as a diet), and it validates my own previous experience. I think I looked at my previous weight loss as a destination. When I got there, I gradually replaced all the good habits with bad ones. Before I knew it, the weight was back on plus some. So keep sharing your experiences and photos.

BattleAx - Soon I hope to have your discipline when facing a tempting array of food laid out before me. I do think I'll get there.


Kimmie

I know I shouldn't have done it gals, but since this is Friday, I hopped on that crappy scale again. I did it first thing in the morning after hitting the bathroom. It gave me 332, 332, and 330. I'm throwing out the 330 (as it may be too optimistic) but if it gave me 332 twice in a row, that would mean I lost 2 pounds. Woot! HUbby swears I've lost more, but I'll take it!
:carrot:

eep..I can't figure out how to update this ticker. I click on it and it brings me to 3fc. Argh, I don't wanna make a new one each time I have to change it

Zelma - I just looked at your pictures! Wow, you look amazing!! I love reading your posts - your so positive and down to earth - and caring of everyone's thoughts and feelings! You are just an awesome person!:hug:

Debbie - hows that ddr going? My daughter does it faithfully every single night. She added a 1 mile walk in as well. She has lost 12# since we started 1/1/08! I use it a couple of days a week. It's hard for me!?!?!?! I have started the resistant bands and back to walking though! Also - Congrats on dropping out of the 300's! Yay! You go girl!

Hi everyone! I am sorry I don't have time for more - but I wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you and hoping you are all having a great week and are preparing for a great w/e! Stay OP!

Hi Ladies, may I join the conversation?

My name is Tina and by my calculations I should weight -30 pounds as I have lost 300 pounds several times over my life time. ;) Seriously I am 35 years old and have the medical record of a 70 year old. Currently have high blood pressure etc etc etc. I have tried to lose weight so many times. I finally decided a few years I was just happy with who I was and well that didnt work to well as my health suffered. A few weeks ago I decided to quietly just start WW on my own. I was not going to announce yet another diet to my family and proclaim I would do it this time. About 3 days ago my family notcied and said how proud they were of me.

I have to live that is my mission just to live and be healthy. I have 2 children my son 10 is disabled and will always need me, and my daughter is following in my terrible footsteps. I just want to be able to be there for all things and I wont if I dont take care of myself.

I loved finding this board. I have all the WW items from previous attempts and right now I am just doing it from home and weighing at the Dr.s office.
Thank you for listening.
:carrot:

Welcome Babybear - you've found a great place for support. Post often - there is so much this group offers.

You know you are a redneck when people think you keep gators in your tub. Of course where I come from, we call them goat ropers, not rednecks.

I'm not in a posting mood today, but I did want to say something about goal weights. This isn't the first time I've lost over 100 pounds, but I have never reached a goal weight before. I get within 25-50 pounds of goal, and just get excited and start celebrating (with food of course), but worse than all, I start relaxing. I start thinking that I'm finally done, I'm normal, I can go about my life like everyone else does. I know now that is wrong. I will never be like other normal people. My metabolism will never be the same. My relationship with food will probably never be right. To quote Madeye Moody, we have to be eternally vigil.

Good Morning everyone.

I am about to head to an all day meeting and wanted to say hey to everyone. Thanks to all of you for the congrats on getting under 300 pounds. I really appreciate all of your cheers and congrats.

Debbie: I think that 275 is a wonderful next goal. Sorry about Sadie's back. Poor baby.

Zelma and Heather: I am so blessed to have you both here to cheer us on, support us and also to let us know about your struggles along the path to health. Please don't stop posting on this forum including pics. I personally rejoice with you both in all the positives you have and feel sad for you in the negatives. Hugs.

HeatherDW: Congrats on the 2 pounds lost!

Jeannie: I love your beautiful smiling avatar picture!

Babybear: Welcome. This is such a lovely place to be and the people here are so encouraging and really help you brainstorm new ideas to a healthy lifestyle.

Catherine: Hugs and hugs.

Well, Meeting is so close and I need to take a potty break before it happens. Hugs to all.

Blessings,
Annie

CONGRATULATIONS ANNIE!!!!!!!

I've been gone all week and things have been crazy. Briefly: Horse show went great. Had to help friend with colicy horse that had to be put down. Fought City Hall and won, to prevent a rediculous new parking ordinance. Made it to the 4H advisors meeting so back on track there. Rejoined Curves officially so that I have a SPECIFIC exercise program instead of just ignoring the coat rack/treadmill in the living room.

And very sadly, my friend Bene died yesterday, after a brief but hard struggle with pancreatic cancer. The world was a better place each day that she spent in it. Her only risk factor was obesity.

Good morning everyone,

I think it is time for me to reduce my calorie intake a bit. I have been toying with this idea for about a month. My weight loss has slowed considerably, and I'd like to see it go a little faster..not too much faster, because I'm not interested in starving or doing anything that doesn't completely support long-term change, but it's too early in the game for me to be slowing down this much.

I'm a little nervous because I'm pretty comfortable the way things are now, but maybe it won't be too hard to shave off 100 or 150 calories.

On the plus side, I am very pleased with the way I'm looking lately. These last few pounds have made a huge difference in my appearance. It's funny how sometimes there is a suddenly very noticeable change. Last night at dinner, my friends snapped a few pics of us at the restaurant, and I was, for the first time, pleasantly surpised at how much slimmer I looked. I don't think there is any time in the last 20 years I can say that about a picture of myself. It is such a change from the shame and recrimination I used to feel when looking at pics.

Another NSV that happened yesterday: I went to the grocery store across from my office to pick up some lunch. As I was heading to the checkout I realized that I had gravitated immediately to ingredients for a salad. It was what I wanted, not what I talked myself into purchasing. As much as there used to be no thought in gravitating to the greasy, giant portioned deli and frozen foods, there was no thought in gravitating toward healthy and delicious salad ingredients. That is HUGE! I'm sure there will be days in the future where it's a fight again, but every day like this is a day to celebrate.

Annie: Holy smokes, big big congratulations on getting to 299. You must be floating on a cloud. How far you've come. Wow!

Valerie: I'm so sorry about your loss. Many hugs to you.

Zelma: I love reading your posts and looking at your pics. Please keep posting both. I have so much respect for what you have done, and you are such a warm and caring person. Selfishly, I get a lot out of reading yours and others stories and struggles about losing large amounts of weight and keeping the weight down. I read the maintainers forum all the time. I have learned from you and others that the work is never done.

Hi and hugs to everyone else. Gotta run.

Thank everyone for your feedback and ideas on my lower back problems. I am definitely going to try the stretching exercises and invest in a good pair of walking shoes.

Heather & Zelma - You are both an inspiration to me. I've always been able to lose weight when I put my mind and willpower to it, but I've never learned the "maintenance" part. You two are teaching me how to maintain and be vigilant, even when the going gets rocky. Please continue to post, I think you inspire us all.

Debbie - :yay: you on the 299 and the smaller jeans NSV. So sorry about your doggies. Hope they all feel better soon. As far as your erratic TOM, during menopause my TOM became lighter and less frequent, not more often and until finally stopping altogether. However, about 2 years ago when I lost about 50 lbs (for the umpteenth time), I had a brief TOM after going through menopause 5 years before. Saw the doctor and he found nothing wrong, he thought it was probably due to the weight loss changes in my body, but it has not happened again. If it continues you might consult your doctor, because I know it can be so annoying.

Battle - Hope your dinner out went well. I am always impressed by your discipline and choices when you have to participate in so many events featuring food. I don't know that I could do it, it is easier for me because I stay home and prepare all of my meals, eating out maybe once a month. Congrats on your NSV with the salad today also and on seeing a photo and liking it, I think that is huge!! With the discipline and choices you've been making I think you will be able to shave that 100 - 150 calories without feeling deprived.

Annie - Wonderful WI ... I just knew you would be out of the 3s this week :cheer:

Moosegirl - Sounds like a great reunion coming up. Please let me know what you think of Sweeney Todd, I'm still trying to decide if it is something I would like ... I don't like horror, bloody or gory so I'm thinking it might not be for me.

Heather_dw - Congrats on the 2 lb loss :yay: But I agree with several others that you need to hide that scale if you can't resist it. I have the same impulse to weigh all the time, but I find I stay more positive and happy when I weigh once a week because I usually show a loss as opposed to weighing once or more every day when the scale can go up and cause me to lose a positive attitude which can result in destructive eating behavior for me. I see my doctor on a regular basis for my weight loss program so I try to weigh at the same time of day I see him and wearing basically the same clothes and shoes. While this may add a few pounds, it keeps me from having any nasty little surprises at his office that will set off a depressive mood. If you think your scale is not working correctly, Wal-Mart has several, including WW scales, that are very reasonable. I recently bought a Health-o-Meter that weighs to 400 and registers the same weight as my doctor's scale so I think it is accurate. It cost about $30.

babybear - :welcome3:

Val - Wow, you have been busy. Good luck with your renewed Curves exercise program. Condolences on the loss of your friend Bene. :hug:

OK – I have been coming to the site fairly often, getting caught up in other posts and not posting here on the main thread – my home! How crazy is that!

Tina – Welcome! Definitely join in! I did the same thing as you. I decided I must be incapable of losing weight, decided to accept myself as I was and it just didn’t work out when I started to hardly be able to make it up a flight of stairs.

Jeanne – I love your new avatar! You are just adorable!

Kimmie – For a long time I looked at weight loss as a destination too – one where my life would be perfect and wonderful and everyone would love me. :lol: I think finally realizing that isn’t the case has helped a lot in being able to finally make progress.

Heather_dw – Congrats on the 2 pounds! Not put that scale away!!! :)

Heather – I think it is so important to talk about how the struggle never goes away. I do think many people think that once they get to their goal weight they will be “cured” but it just isn’t the case. Being able to understand and accept this from the outset helps to build the skills we will need to actually maintain once we get there.

Zelma – Personally I think you look great in your photos. You may have put on a bit in the mid section and perhaps you want to work on getting that off, but you glow with health and look really radiant. Thank you for your honesty about thinking about pulling your post. I am definitely struggling still with having a harder time with my self-image now than I did when I was at my highest, which confuses the heck out of me and makes me realize that it will probably only get worse before it gets better. The loose tops are definitely not a tactic to try and find romance because it mostly happens at work and there is definitely no one here I am interested in! :)

Moosegirl – It is great to have something to work towards, as long as you don’t set such a hard and fast goal that you end up disappointed with yourself if you don’t make it.

Anne – I recently bought that same scale at Costco, and I notice that if I keep it on the same place on the floor it is pretty consistent.

Debbie – I also didn’t congratulate you on getting into the 200’s, so :cheer2: congratulations!!! Go change your ticker!

Carol – Some days there is just too much going on to cook, but being able to stay on plan even when that is the case is definitely an accomplishment. The exercise thing is tricky. I flaked myself on Wednesday when my teacher didn’t show up to class. I was going to go home and do a dvd and when I got there I didn’t.

Annie - :woohoo: Congratulations on getting into the 200’s!!!! That is so fantastic!!

Battle – Vietnamese is not a bad cuisine choice for some reasonable options. I love those cold rice paper spring rolls. Hope it went well.

Johnnie – First of all, please don’t compare yourself with anyone else. We all have to start where we start. I can do a lot now, but I was a mess when I started. I had multiple pain issues – my knees, feet and back were all issues for me. Building up your core will definitely help. Here is a site with some good info. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-exercises/SM00071
The slide shows show a bunch of different things you can do, although some are more on the advanced side. Choose a few things you think you can do and start with those. Build up your strength a little at a time. Perhaps because of your RA you could also get your insurance to cover a session or two with a physical therapist? It doesn’t hurt to try.

I feel really stupid right now. I am really hungry and I was about to go get some lunch, when I realized I have a 1:00 appointment. So I ate a granola bar to tide me over. Oh well. I am really happy it is the weekend. With being sick last weekend it didn’t feel much like one and there are a bunch of things I want to get done around the house.

As many people know, I don’t cook very much. I get home late, I live alone and I don’t really enjoy cooking, so I don’t do much of it. I get a lot of my stuff at Trader Joe’s and I wanted to tell you about one of the items. It is the Thai curry with Tuna, which is really excellent. I can’t remember the calorie count off the top of my head, but for the packet it is really reasonable. I was going to heat up some brown rice (that I do cook in large batches and freeze in one cup servings) when I decided instead to put it over a sweet potato. It was really good. It worked especially well with the Thai curry since that has a bit of sweetness. Anyone else have any fun food discoveries lately?

Hey chickies! Sorry I have been MIA this past week. I come back and then disappear! Shame on me. I had a really annoying week. Heh. Short version, I was in a friends wedding in the beginning of December and she had been snotty to me since at least October, but I went to her wedding because I was the "maid of honor" and it was in Miami. Apparently "I" did something while we were there and blahblahblah shes mad at me now. Which is fine because I am mad at her, but shes decided that the friendship is over...and we didn't even have the fight yet. Heh. :?: Anyway that was stressful, and then to add on top of that another friend of mine was supposed to visit me from Michigan and he bailed so I was feeling expendable and worthless and yada yada yada. AND its TOM. *shakes head* So I emotionally ate. However I kept it within my point range. So I consider that a tiny NSV. I mean its still not right but I figure hey I kind of let myself eat whatever I wanted but I kept it within my point range. At least I was conscious of it. :) And I lost a lb this week. And its still TOM. :dizzy: Sometimes I don't get the human body I swear.

I didn't want to come here and whine so I didn't post anything. I did lurk though! Haha. And serious congrats to Annie and Debbie!! WHOOHOO!! Getting into to the twos is awesome! Saying goodbye to the 3's forever is always call for celebration! :carrot::carrot:

Zelma – The live in Adelaide apparently right by the beach how lucky… I live in awe of them telling us how they have Christmas on the sand! ;)

I think you should leave your photos up, I looked earlier and I find photos of people who have lost a similar amount to what I am aiming for helps me realise that it’s not impossible to do it!

Tina – Welcome to the forum, I am sure you are going to love it! I only came here myself this week and have been made to feel so welcome!

Johnnie – Didn’t get to see Sweeney Todd, realise it was NOT on today at the cinema but next week… grrrrrrrr I was really looking forward to seeing that! Still next week will be fine!

Nancy – I am not a fan of cooking either, the simpler the better for me right now… but I am beginning to experiment a little more these days!

Chrissy – I have an ex friend like that, she started to ignore me for sometime so in the end I decided she was not worth the bother… I have so many other good people in my life… her loss!

Quiet weekend planned, some housework to get through! I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend!

There was an article in today's Reuters news about the ability of protein to supress hunger. This has certainly been true for me. I eat a ton of protein.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080118/hl_nm/diets_dc

Study explains how protein keeps hunger at bay By Julie Steenhuysen
Thu Jan 17, 7:20 PM ET



CHICAGO (Reuters) - Diets high in protein may be the best way to keep hunger in check, U.S. researchers said on Thursday in a study that offers insight into how diets work.

They found that protein does the best job at keeping a hunger hormone in check, while carbohydrates and fats may well deserve their current nasty reputation.

The study, which will appear in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, looked at the effectiveness of different nutrients at suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite.

"Suppression of ghrelin is one of the ways that you lose your appetite as you begin to eat and become sated," said Dr. David Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle, who worked on the study.

The researchers gave 16 people three different beverages, each with varying levels of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They took blood samples before the first beverage, then every 20 minutes for six hours afterward, measuring ghrelin levels in each sample.

"The interesting findings were that fats suppress ghrelin quite poorly," Cummings said in a telephone interview. They fared the poorest overall.

"Proteins were the best suppressor of ghrelin in terms of the combination of the depth and duration of suppression," he said. "That is truly satisfying because high proteins are essentially common to almost all of the popular diets."

They also found that eating carbohydrates resulted in a strong ghrelin suppression at first, but ghrelin levels rebounded with a vengeance, rising to an even higher level.

Basically, the carbohydrates eventually made people even hungrier than before they had eaten.

Cummings said the findings may aid in future research on the effectiveness of different diets.

And the study likely means that nightly bowl of ice cream is out. "That is a bad idea no matter what," he said.

Battle - That is a really interesting article, and certainly makes sense to me. I have heard other things about ghrelin, specifically that it is released into our systems if we don't get enough sleep as a signal for the body to compensate for energy requirements not met in sleep by eating more.

Here's something from another article:
The rest of which is here (although it is pretty short): http://www.nbc6.net/news/13728795/detail.html

I have recently gotten really interested in these any other types of hormone balance questions, mostly from listening to Jillian Michaels. It is such an interesting topic.

G'evening all!

w00h00 to Debbie and Annie for saying g'bye to the 300's forEVEH! Go girls!

HeatherDW, the weight watcher scale I have is very reliable and doesn't change it's number if you step on or off. It was about $35 if I recall.

Debbie, sorry your pup sprained something while chasing a llama. Silly pup. EEeep, not TOM again?!? Geesh, poor woman.

Zed, your pictures still show how beautiful you are! Our journey is a continuous one. I know I'll have to monitor my food intake for the rest of my life. Yes, it's VERY important to me for you to show that this is an ongoing struggle. Don't you dare feel less than because of a few pounds. I'll beat you with my bat arms if you do! hehe.

Val, my you've had a heavy week. I'm sorry at the loss of your friend's horse and the loss of your friend to pancreatic cancer. I'm glad you had some joy in the middle with a successful fight with city hall. How are your boys??

Hugs for Nancy, Catherine (hope the pukeiness is gone or better), Moosegirl, Donna, GGG, Alison, Carol, Crissy, Johnnie, Battle, Ammi, Sharon and all my other loverly lurkers.

Welcome babybear and anyone else that is new.. so hard to keep up with everyone. Post often so my thick brain gets your name right.

Luv,
Ratkity

We're off to another "party" - I will be so glad when we are done with this circuit - silly me though - I have planned an 80th birthday party for my mom - I'm a glutton - in more ways than one.

Enjoy your evening, move your bodies, drink your water and SMILE.

Hugs,
Carol

Alison, How was the show? Glad to hear you got your mags and now you can enjoy your weekend with some sugar free cocoa and a good magazine. Thanks for the congrats on my 2town arrival!!
What a great motivator to want to look and feel better for your relatives. I know you can do it, just remember though, you're doing it for you.

Zelma, don't you dare take those pics off. You and others who are so close to goal are the inspiration we need to know that it CAN be done. I love looking at before and after pics. It's so gratifying to see people reach for their dreams and get there. And it does help to know that even though we get close to goal, that it's still a struggle to stay there. We are here for ya!!
I had to laugh at your Big Bold Boobie club and now you're in my committee. :rofl: I often describe mine as scrambled eggs on my chest.

Carol, I totally agree with what you said to Zelma and Heather. Thank goodness for them!!! It helps so much to see it from all angles of this journey and just cuz we get to a goal, that it's all going to be just happy times. It's a life long commitment.
How's the snow? We are suppose to get down to a wind chill in the single digits over the next two days with chances of a bit of snow. Yippeee!!! I sure hope so!!!

Kimmie, thank you so much!

Heather Dw, you're scale is doing the same thing mine did. Get rid of it because you will be so frustrated. I know I was. I love this new scale we have. And it was well worth spending the 20 some dollars on it. You have to look at it as part of your lifestyle change. It's a tool that we need to get thru this. On the ticker, do you go to User CP and then change signature?

Jar, you're avatar is just so cute!! What a lovely lady! I try to do the DDR every day but the days I don't, I've been doing WATP or walking outside or both. It IS hard, but we've graduated to the basic level now. When we first started, we took off the gimmicks, the hand controllers, and the freeze step. Then as we got better, we added them in til we could move up to Basic. Now we've done the same thing there, just concentrating on our feet first and will add the others in slowly. Just keep at it, you'll get there. Tell your daughter that she is doing fantastic!!! :woohoo: Twelve pounds in less than a month is wonderful news!! Your not doin' so bad yourself, ya know. Here's to ya!:cp:

Babybear, :welcome: We're so happy to have you here. Post often. You have three good reasons to lose this weight. You, and your two children. Yes, they need you lots!! You can do this and it sounds as if you're off to a good start.

Catherine, you are so right!

Val, so sorry to hear about your friend. Bless her heart.
Glad to hear that you're going to Curves. It looks like alot of fun. Sounds like you've been super busy!!

Battle, YAY for the NSV's!!!!

Johnnie, thanks for the advice on menopause and TOM. I was thinking it could be from the weight change too, so I'll just hang on and see what happens. If it gets worse, I'll check in with the doc.

Nancy, glad to see you back! We miss ya when you aren't around. I hope you get all the work you want done around your house this weekend. Being sick on a weekend is the pits. Thanks for the congrats on my being in the 2's now and yes I changed my ticker. :lol:

Chrissy, sorry to hear you're having some trouble with your friends. Hope it all gets straightened out though. TOM doesn't help either, but don't worry, it will pass. Good NSV too!!

Thank you to all of you commenting on my 2town arrival!! It means alot to me.
I had another NSV today. We went to Walmart and we kept searching and searching for a place close to park. I told Jim not to worry, park out further, we could use the walk. I almost fell on the floor realizing I said that. Before I wanted close or just let me off at the door. I used to sit on the couch and think, Geeze, the dogs need to go out again!! I felt so lazy, and tired, that it was too much effort to get up. Now, I look for opportunities to get a little more exercise in. It feels great!!! I even went in and put some makeup on. WOW!! I'm starting to feel more like a woman each day, instead of a blob of fat walking around. I can't tell you how much better I feel just losing the weight that I have. I asked JIm if he thought he could keep up with me when I lose it ALL He didn't know what to say because he's so proud of me.
I did get down to 298 today. My official WI day. Sure felt good.
Have a great evening,
Debbie

Debbie -- I missed you are out of the 300's!!! :woohoo:

hmmm... thought I had time for a longer post, but the dog says something else is more urgent!

Val: So very sorry to hear about your dear friend Bene. Hugs to you sweetie.

Battle: What a wonderful feeling you must be having to not hate your picture anymore. Super for you!

Nancy: Have a nice weekend.

Chrissy: Sorry your friends are not being such good friends.

Debbie: Congrats on 298! way to go.

Storey: Feel better soon.

Heather: Hi

Well, it is almost 1 a.m. I am so silly for staying up this late after getting up so early. I was catching up on some tv programs that totally could have waited. Duh. I get a "prize" for reaching my goal tomorrow. I am going to a reflexologist for an hour session on my feet. I can't wait and I'm nervous all at the same time. lol. I went to the Dr. tonight for my hip pain and she thinks I'll be okay with some water therapy. oh, darn, more time in the pool and this time it is prescribed so my insurance will pay for it. lol. I am so happy. Now, I just need to find the time to do it during the day. Wish me luck.

Blessings all,
Annie

:hug:Another quickie post here....SORRY
ANNIE WTG!!!! :celebrate:I can't believe how far you've come, and to think you had so many worries about the surgery! It has given you a new life! I wish I lived near you so I could give you a hug and throw a (low calorie, lol)party for you!:balloons:xxxxxxx
Debbie, WTG, :congrat:ditto party for you too & of course a BIG HUG. Sorry about your dog, I hope he's better soon.xxxxxxx
Valerie I'm so sorry about your friend, I don't know what else to say except some people are taken WAY too soon. I hope you're getting hugs from hubby & kisses from Gabe.:hug:xxxxxxx
Battle, a tv star? I'm so happy for you, I smiled as I read about your photo NSV and the good food choices, without even having to 'fight yourself';) too!xxxxx
Zelma, I agree with what everyone else said, we all struggle, it's just that you are ALMOST 'home', people like me are lost from the dieting path.:joker: But I do think you are right to put another effort in to lose that few pounds, better losing 5-10lbs than 100! NEVER STOP POSTING!!! or you might get a nasty letter from me!:club:lolxxxxxxx
I started the diet yesterday, really enjoyed it, eating BREAD, gasp (after SB it is a luxury) wholemeal, of course! Then I got a nerve problem with my hip, it flares up whenever I'm a bit 'off colour' the pain is unbearable and runs around my hip, down my leg and under my foot, it's like an electric shock or open cut :((being rubbed with salt) so I had 2 glasses of port and two cans of beer to wash down some painkillers; it works better in this combination, the tabs on their own don't touch it. So today is ANOTHER fresh start, sigh... but at least I know I can do it, AND I'm not getting any more booze:doh: so that stops that weakness!
Hugs to everyone, IDRIL- I had a friend like that too, shame she never actually told you what you did, seems very childish of her, like she wanted an excuse to 'drop you'. I'm sure you have lots of other friends who are grown -ups too!xxxxxxxx
xxxxsharon:grouphug:

Dietician Help on 3fc!
 

Did you know that we have a dietitian here at 3fc until the end of March to help answer any of your dieting questions..... her name is Molly Gee, RD (sponsored by the Biggest Loser and Wrigley's gum).

Give it a whirl....

Post your questions on the OPEN STICKY ask a dietitian thread.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=184

Good Morning Peeps - well last night didn't go as planned - normally I stay away from alcohol because I tend to lose my way and overeat - and the same thing happened last night. I feel really sluggish this morning - not from the alcohol but from too much food. We live in a very small community that is surrounded completely by the big city. This event last night was city sponsored for it's board members - so everyone was from our little world - many of us travel out of it for work and play. It was wonderful to see everyone - not to mention it was at the best restaurant in town. I made good choices but simply ate too much - OK - yesterday is over.

This morning I'm off to yoga and then to the kitchen - today will be chicken tortilla soup (minus the tortillas for me). YUMMMMMMMM.

Move you bodies, drink your water and SMILE - really smile - enjoy the journey we are on.

Hugs,
Carol

Hi everyone. What a week I have had. All I want to do is sleep. Lots of overtime at work plus school on top of it. I ended up skipping 3 days of my 5:30AM bootcamp simply because I could not fit it all it and get a few hours sleep too. Two days this week I went to work at 6AM, stayed til 6PM, left in just enough time to make it to my 7PM classes, and then got home at 10:30PM. Needless to say this hectic schedule wrought havoc on my eating and exercising. I will try to do better next week but due to the cyclical nature of my job there really isn't much I can do to avoid the long hours at this time. I just need to figure out how to manage myself better. All I know is I need good sleep every day or I am useless and all I want to do is eat everything in sight.

Just wanted to send a big :congrat: to Annie and Debbie on getting out of the 3's and into the 2's. Yay!

OK, I am off to do errands. My treat for today will be a pedicure once I have all the things done I need to do.

Take care all! :)

WOW as usual I miss a few days and the thread keeps rolling..lol

Just wanted to say hello to all and hope everyone is doing fine. I have been doing my walk and kick video and loving it...now I have to take it back to the library :( think I might rent it again though...

Eating..well I have not changed anything yet...trying to get a feel for how many calories I tak in to get a baseline for it.

Well will write more later..

Good afternoon everyone!

I just finished my one mile WATP for the 6th day in a row! yay! I had a 6 inch lowfat sandwich from Subway for lunch and a fat free yogurt, so I'm pretty much at my usual calorie count for the day. Now on sodium that's another story. Ugh. Good thing I don't do the Subway thing often but it is a nice little treat every once in a while.

Hubby wants to take me to the CheeseCake Factory for my birthday this week. I always say I want to try their cheesecake. I'm annoyed because I honestly don't know how I will fit a birthday dinner into my healthy plan I've been working hard at for the last few weeks :?:

This afternoon things got quiet for a bit, so I took the time to look at the photo pages for this group (I'm so visual; it helps me when I can put faces to names). I'm so inspired by the before and after pictures. I'd name names, but I'm afraid to leave anybody out.

Thanks to all of you who have posted pictures - you are amazing.

Kimmie

Story, sorry to hear about the troubles you're having right now. I would be scared too. Just take care of yourself, think positive and things will be fine. I wish there was something better to say to comfort you. Just know that you're in my prayers. :hug:

Hi Heather, and thanks :lol:

Ok Annie, you're suppose to be getting rid of pain along with the weight, not the opposite. Good thing on the pool though. I know you just hate that. :rofl: Have fun with the reflexologist!

Sharon, hope your nerves settle down to where you can get back to you life journey. Take care. :hug:

Carol, ya gotta pat yourself on the back for at least making good food choices even if you did indulge a little too much. Don't be hard on yourself. I hate the sluggish feeling afterwards too.

Xena, wow, you are busy!! Just make sure you take time for yourself which it sounds like you will be with your pedicure. Some day I hope to get one of those. I never have. Will your job settle down to where you can get back to normal?

Heather dw, it is so hard to go out and make the right food choices. So good luck on that. I just try to pick the least of all the evils on the menu. I want to wish you a happy Birthday now, because I suck at remembering stuff like that....so:hat::bday2you:

We did more DDR last night, and I'm thinking of getting the dust off of the treadmill just for a change of pace.
We've had a little snow, but nothing sticks...darn it.
I have to say, I'm going to eat a big no-no for dinner. I've been craving fried chicken. I will be making it skinless, soaked in buttermilk dressing and then floured...but I'm still only having my 4 oz. and have worked it into my calorie intake for the day. It's totally planned, I just miss something fried. I'll have it with salad and a veggie.
We usually stay away from the fried goodies, so this will be a treat.
Other than that, I sat thru my husband eating trail mix (which I love) and chips last night. I was so proud of myself. So I think or should say, I KNOW I'm in this for the long haul.
Drink that water, move, move, move!!
Debbie

I was able to keep some mini-wheats down today but I had to wait until after 2:30 in the afternoon to eat breakfast. I'll bet my bust has gone up 2 sizes. None of my bras are the right size, and it's not like I can go bra-less anymore. If they didn't hurt so bad, I'd stuff them into a too-small bra. I think I'm going to have to wear one of his undershirts instead. I'm trying not to feel bad about putting on weight right now.

Heather DW, if it's your birthday why are you going somewhere you don't want to go??? For my bd I might pick a nice fish restaurant... someplace I can get something nice I don't always get but not break the calorie bank!!

Debbie -- That chicken sounds great! What makes it a no-no???? :shrug:

Catherine -- :hug:

Sharon: Sorry your hip is hurting you. Hugs.

Carol: Hope you had a great meal out.

Xena: Please look after yourself with all that working you are doing.

Cyn: Sounds like you really liked that one video.

HeatherDW: Maybe you guys could go someplace else for your birthday like Applebees or someplace that has a healthier choice? Happy Birthday to you sweetie.

Debbie: The reflexology was awesome. I loved, loved the chair. It was one of those zero gravity type chairs. I was just about upside down and she really worked over my feet. I learned a lot too and made a new friend. She invited me to come play Bunko with them.

Catherine: Hugs. Sorry you are hurting so much right now.

Well, it is snowing again and looks beautiful. I am hoping to be able to stay inside tomorrow and do laundry and watch the football playoff games. I love football and the Chargers are probably going to loose but it's a great dream while they are still in it. lol.

Blessings all,
Annie

I checked my myspace page a bit ago. I had written a blog entry about how I lost 2 pounds and I was trying to be healthy. This comment I got from a person on my friendlist included a little something like this: "oh, I used this diet drug called _____ (I can't remember, it was something with an A. I've have to go look at it again) and I lost 90 pounds. It was such an awesome drug. I had 3 kids though, so now it's all back"
Uhh.. what??? I guess she's trying to be nice by telling me about some diet drug that her doctor gave her, but what happened to people encouraging health and not just popping pills?
:?: