hi Xena...how are you dear? Glad to see you posting again. WOW...KUDOS on the econ....class...I am soooo with you there, it was one of my least favorite classes in college! Hang in there, you'll get thqt test aced!
As for the journaling...I am keeping a food journal...a spreadsheet, that I enter in the daily meals, and nutritional values and then it calculates my daily totals, and percentages of fat, carbs, fiber, sugar and protein. It is my lifesaver right now. I weigh and measure most everything as a precaution. I have read where people don't, and then are shocked with their idea of a particular portion amount. I like being exact. Plus, I can copy and paste a new daily menu fast from previous weeks. And sometimes I just forget about a good lift I might have had, and it reminds me. I can also print out the coming weeks menu to stick to.
I also started a little scrapbook journal. I love to read magazines and get old ones from family or the charity shops, and cut out little inspirational pictures and glue them to a colored scrap book paper, and put them into my notebook. Sometimes...its a page about being active and to get moving...on that page I cut out someone biking on a mountain, someone scuba diving, snorkling, a couple riding motorbikes scooters, a couple lounging by the ocean at sunset...and I wrote little snippets along the edges...Be inspired by Nature....Be active and get moving, Laugh out loud, Plan a Cruise....
on another one, a pink page, I cut out some pics of a knight and a princess, a box of chocolates, the sunrise over the ocean, a penguin, and a little pink monkey....and wrote...Just Be Yourself, Learning to love the me that I am, I am a strong woman...Be passionate about life...and I found some words and cut them out...march to the beat of a different drum, think outside the box, swim against the tide, push the envelope, break the mold, dare to be different. On another page I did a Remembering the good times...and I have pics out of a magazine of London and Paris from my trip there, and from colorado, and missouri when I went on the riverboat cruise in st louis...of a motorhome, for when I went camping along the oregon coast, etc...and it helps me remember my trips.
I do this for several reasons, 1. It keeps me busy if I feel like I want to go OP...I can work on a page. 2. It helps me remember to be grateful for all the things I have and have done and will do. 3. I love scrapbooking! 4. It helps me use up my old magazines. 5. I have something tangible to look back over, because I date them, and its nice to go back and follow my month page by page...and see what I was thinking about that day.
Maybe that could help you. I like to make a nice cup of GreenPeach Tea and work on a page. On one page, I put a princess with a tiara and wrote be the queen of your own heart...SEE YOURSELF as you desire to be, Visualize it and it will come to pass.

and I put things I'd like to do one day, like go kayaking, go visit Bora Bora and belize, take another cruise. etc...

One page has pics of new foods I have tried and loved! Like roasted veggies...and Green Tea. Now when I read a magazine, I am like oh....that will make a good page in my journal! haha

anyway, hope that helps you in some small way.
cheeriooo
rainbowsmiles

Hi everyone! I am new to 3FC and in particular this thread, but I have been reading your posts and am encouraged and amazed by the support and dedication I have seen. I have had a very difficult couple of weeks and am trying to keep my spirits up and power through. I am kind of stuck right now and not sure what I am doing wrong, but I am determined to keep at it. It is nice to know that many of you share my problems.

Battle- I am stuck in the 260's (i gained one pound this week, which makes no sense to me). I am encouraged that you broke through your plateau! :bravo:

I hope to make it in earlier on next weeks thread and I am planning on posting on the exercise goal as well. Currently I am working out 5 days a week for at least an hour (300 mins/week 1200/month). :strong: It was my promise for Lent. So far so good. I hope you ladies have a great weekend!:sunny:

I want to thank you all for your supportive comments about the jerk who made the comments about me on the TV show. I know logically that they were words on a screen from some nameless faceless person who I would not know even if I hit them with my car (not that I am suggesting that)...

But yeah words hurt and words suck...because a person can change but sadly those are the things that stick around. I know it's in my head and that I'm the one who chooses to be upset over it...but that is a part of who I am and it's one of my obstacles to overcome. Several years back when DH and I were just dating, we were at his aunt's hosue for a family thing. I had gotten what I thought was a cute new outfit...a purple skirt and a 2-tone purple striped polo top. I was excited becaue they were from the GAP and I fit into them. His mom opened her mouth and said "stripes aren't the best look for you" and TO THIS DAY I hear it in my head every time I see a cute top with stripes on it. For a while it actually did deter me from buying stripes...and then recently I stopped caring and bought some really cute striped sweaters.

Words do damage because they can't be taken back. Once they are out there...they are there to stay...and sometimes it's hard for us to take our own personal triumphs and knock the words aside.

On another note...I have realized how much I missed posting on here and connecting with you all. I am grateful to be in the company of such beautiful strangers who have become beautiful confidantes and friends.

DMPLS...I LOVE Luna bars and am trying to figure out how to get them back into my daily plan. They are all about 3 points each and if you look at the labels they are significantly lower in calories and other stuff than most other full size bars. Some flavors are way better than others...but when you ant a decent chocolate fix, Nuts Over Chocolate and Smores are delish. I also love the Lemon Zest and the Chai Tea flavors. Out here at some stores I can also find the Luna Tea Cakes as well which are also nice healthy snacks.

Sometimes I like the Pria 110 calorie bars...especially the Mint Chocolate ones...but I have found that all of their bars have a slightly odd fruity (?) aftertaste that I can't always stomach...so I stopped eating those. Nutrition bars are so tricky....they get marketed as such wonderful snacks...but it all depends on what you want. Lots of them claim to be low carb and high-protein...which for someone very athletic and less calorie-conscious can be great...but often higher protein translates into higher fat content as well.

I got the most INTERESTING book yesterday...I wasn't oing to buy it but then I thought what the heck (plus I had lots of Bordes coupons). It is calld "Eat This Not That" and it is by David Zinczenko. He is the editor of Men's Health magazine. This book has a lot of photos in it and what it dos is it deconstructs restaurants, menus and the grocery store and shows you what types of food swaps can help to cut calories and fat. He will give suggestions on "guilty pleasures" and "weapons of mass destruction" and will give a number of suggestions and options for each category. I think I also saw this book featured in a magazine this week as well. **NOTE...it's not total genius and I disagreed with a lot of his suggestions. I found a lot of my faves on his "NOT THAT" pages and also found a few items listed as "not thats" that were lower in fat and calories than other things that were suggested....but nonetheless it was interesting. In the back of the book he also gives food suggestions for things to eat based on certain scenarios... when you are happy, sad, trying to conceive, tired, and so forth.

My suggestion...the next time you are at your local bookstore...flip through it and see what you think. This guy has also developed a diet plan as well called "The Abs Diet" but not once does he hawk that program in the book.

I am off and running...I'm thinking of cooking dinner tonight...I have a nice lower-calorie recipie for Chikken Tikka (although I don't have a grill) and want to pair it with some spiced brown rice and a veggie...so it's off to the grocery.

Shalom Chaverim (farewell friends...)

~Julee

juleee...i love luna bars too...nigel and i play lots of cards and board games...and we used to always make little nibble snacks to have while playing cards...well...i take a luna bar, for example the lemon zest (yum) and cut it first int 3 long strips...then cut those strips into 8 tiny squares for a total of 24 little nibble bites...then i take them and put them into a little plastic container with a lid, and add 1 tsp powdered sugar...and shake! the powdered sugar coats just enough to make me feel like i am indulging in a delicious sweet treat! :)
it gives me some finger nibble foods while playing cards, with NO guilt!
and i get in good proteintat the same time!
hugs
rainbowsmiles
ps...have you found the luna fruit chews?? i can't seem to find anyone that sells them.

Good afternoon all,

It's after lunch and I'm psyching myself up to do more time on the treadmill, at least 30 mins. I put in the exercise DVD from **** this morning and managed to go through the 30 mins in just a little over. I'm still pausing it during the push-up phase. I'll have to look at the old post, but I think I did more today. I did the 8 in the first section, 10 in the second section, and I did the 7-7-7 in the last section. I also did more full push-ups, mostly because my knees don't do well with the other kind. I followed it up with a nice 30 mins on the treadmill and then stopped for lunch. I'll have to push myself later to do more on the treadmill.

The weather here is cold, but sunny. I can always put up with the cold weather as long as the sun is shining. Strangely I think we actually do get a lot of sun in the winter, which helps. I'm planning to take a drive to Vineland next week (about 30 mins away) which in the summer is always a beautiful trip. We're actually running out of canned fruit, probably because I'm using it more (instead of junk). The place we buy our pitted cherries from during the summer also sells frozen during the rest of the year. I called them this week and they do have some so we'll stock up on sour and sweet cherries. I'll have to check the price on peaches, since the canned ones we get at Costco are pretty cheap. However, they're the only part of the fruit salad I make that has added sugar. Although one out of five fruits isn't bad.

Annie - sorry to hear about your company losing the contract. I suppose the only good thing about it is that you're not having the weekend training. It's rough when companies are so sure of things that fall through. I agree with you though, asking for a review when you're fourth isn't likely going to yield anything.

Carol - that's probably a good decision about the chocolate. I ended up getting one foil-wrapped heart from a neighbour. She was going to buy me something else, but my mother stopped her. I know I'm not at that place (and my never be) where a box of chocolates isn't an excuse to eat them all within 24-hours. The rock was a very cool present.

Heatherdw - glad you had a good dinner out. I wouldn't worry too much. Your rapid loss during your illness was likely a little dehydration, so it may take a week or so to settle out and find your real loss. I once lost 20 pounds in 17 days during a hospital stay. Once home I tried valiantly to hold onto the loss, but a month later I'd only kept about 5 of it off. It's more important that you're feeling better.

Torister - water does seem to find it's way in doesn't it. We have so much piled up snow here that I'm not looking forward to spring. No, hang on, I'll mop up the water if it comes, let Spring come!

Dmpls - very nice picture of you with the dog. I hope your husband is doing better (I've still got a page of thread to go so maybe you've already said). Sorry you're not doing well yourself. That's the one good thing this winter, I've avoiding getting sick. I probably shouldn't have said that out loud. Also, if the ice cream was rich it could just be a shock to your system. I was amazed the first time that happened to me. I don't remember a lot about my father when he was first diagnosed with diabetes, but my mother said when she put him on the recommended diet that she lost weight as well. My father didn't deal well with it and cheated constantly. Doctor visits are so important though. My father used to avoid going as his sugar was always up (he should have been on insulin much earlier than he was, since he could not control it with diet and pills). Hopefully the fact that you had already started changing your eating that this will make the transition easier.

Julee - I'm sorry about the comments. The internet has one good thing and it's also a bad thing - you can say anything. It means you can bare your soul or be an idiot. Don't let the idiot get you down... remember you have the 50,000 win! The book sounds interesting. I try and do some of that with my favourites. I like lasagne, but my regular recipe was somewhere in the 800 calorie range. I worked with turkey and light cheeses and came up with a 500 calorie option, for the same serving size.

CatherineM - sounds like you had a good dinner. Group dinners, no matter how good, are often more bland. I suppose they cook to the more common palate. And I agree, a lot of Canadians like a British style of cooking. I'm lucky that my mother never did (even though she's British). I'm very envious of the swimming, and I made myself a promise - that when we open our pool in April that I'll use it for exercising, not just a little light swimming. And I hate to say that I kind of share your bias from someone trying to lose 30 or 40 pounds. It doesn't make what they have to say less valid, but I sometimes feel that they don't get it. I've had this same issue with my mother at times, who at her heaviest was only 40 or so pounds over her ideal weight. Even now when she's just at the high side of a normal BMI she can eat candy along with her usual food. It's just that she can buy 3 or 4 bags a week and portion it out. She may still not understand that I'm just not that way.

Debbie - congrats on the loss. I'm slightly optimistic that I might have stopped my pause, but only slightly. I'm sorry you feel that your son is willing to cut himself off. I will just say that you never know. It might be a while, but it may change for the better.

Rainbowsmiles - it sounds like you had a lovely Valentine's Day. On the tracking of the exercise, I just log it in FitDay. I used to keep a spreadsheet though (as I used to do most of it away from the house). The only thing I really try and watch is that I'm getting my heart rate high enough with the treadmill. You get used to a specific routine and suddenly you find your heart rate isn't up as high as it was. Of course, if more honest, there's no sweat dripping down my back either. Maybe once the pool is open I'll have to set up a chart, for what I'm going to do each day, but for now it's just 60-90 mins on the treadmill, and 15 (sometimes 30) of something else. Sunday is the rest day. Although when I look at the things I've mentally decided need doing this Sunday... it's more like a 'no scheduled exercise' day. Oh, and about the weighing/measuring, I pretty much do that (and probably always will). When I'm making pasta it's just as easy to pop the scale on and weigh it. I probably pay more attention to the higher calorie items (butter, oil, pasta, etc) but I measure veggies as well, although that's more so I don't make too many.

Brandnewme - I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. It's horrible to go through that with a parent. My mother over the past 15 years has dealt with a stroke (they're still not sure why) and breast cancer. It's scary, but she's still the healthiest person I know. We share a doctor who is perhaps mid-40s and he agreed that she might just outlive us all. I try and use my family history sometimes to motivate myself (diabetes on both sides, my mother's stroke, my father's heart attack-although caused by non classic issues, and a secondary infection). Sometimes it helps a lot - here's to breaking the cycle.

(Yikes, just looked at the clock, time to take a break and do another 30 minutes on the treadmill before I feel it's too late! Well, another 30 down. I've left it down so I can talk myself into the last 30 minutes. Tomorrow is a rest day so it should be done. Ack, the thread's gone to page 8 while I was away.)

Realist - I find that planning meals is key. Okay, like everything, I tend to take it to extremes. However, there are no unplanned dinners, and even if I change my mind there are plenty of things to choose. Sometimes I freeze things completed (stews, individual lasagne, chili, meat sauce), sometimes ready to cook (meatloaf, steaks, hamburgers), and sometimes things that need more prep (pork tenderloin, chicken breasts). I also freeze sauce to use for the chicken breasts, and once the made-up curry is done I'm just going to make a batch of sauce and freeze it (adding the meat of choice). If I have free time this summer my plan is to can some of the sauces (although sometimes jar size makes freezing easier). For me the planning just makes sure that the portion sizes are controlled. And there are never any excuses to order out or pick things up.

ZedAus - I love looking at your pictures. Those, and others who have reached their goals (or are close to them) remind me that it is possible. That helps a lot on the days when I think it isn't. I spent 5 days in Hawaii, a stop-over really, on the way to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia. It's so beautiful, although so was Fiji in it's own way as well. They're both too far away from where I am that it's unlikely I'll ever be back. I do hope to go back to Australia though (my mother did get back for a second visit), as we have relatives in Cairns, so it's somewhat like a family visit (even though they are rare).

Ratkitten - pets can be a blessing, and a curse. Glad to hear that the dog is doing well this morning. I usually love my cats until today while doing push-ups one of them kept rubbing my elbow with his face. He's back to loveable though at the moment, only because he's not helping my type.

Xena - I always think keeping a journal would be a good thing, but I never quite do it. The closest I've come is blogging, but even then you sometimes censor yourself. I'd be interested in any pointers you find, or how you do with it.

BattleAx - congrats on breaking that plateau! :carrot:

Wennygrrl - welcome to the group, glad to see you joining in.

If I missed anyone, so sorry. I most likely didn't think I had anything of interest to add. To all who lost this week - congrats! To those who didn't, keep up the struggle. And special thoughts for those just holding steady... seems almost worse, doesn't it. No matter what, it will change!

I haven't managed to talk myself into another 30 minutes on the treadmill, so maybe I'll try working with the weights for another 15 minutes and then call it a day.

Today is a day filled with land mines. First there is a surprise birthday party for my husband's best friend at the Spaghetti Factory. Then after that is a Valentine's Dance at church. Pasta and then finger food. I'd better be able to burn some of it off on the dance floor. I plan to make a spectacle of myself. Too bad our pastor is a head shorter than me, or I'd really cause a scene for the ages.

First off..Welcome Wenny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I have been absent for a few. I had to work some OT today so I was not happy about that. BUT i will when the check comes..lol....BUT I managed to find this great place by where I work. It is an Antique shop! I have seen it a few times but thought..ehh...maybe I will stop one day..well to day was that day!! OMG!!!! It is set up like all the different people have their own shops within this one building..and I tell you I was in heaven!!! I only looked at like 5 booths and that took me an hour. Soooo I left and Hubby abd I are going next saturday to "look around" I found me an old antique dresser i want for my bedroom..Wish me luck!!

TOM is gone whoohoo back to exercising!

Just a quickie to say hi to everyone!!! Been super busy with Valentines Day at the store! I yi yi!
Gotta run..........I have to catch up on your posts and see all the new folks! Have a great night girls!

Annie.............who is that beautiful woman in your avatar??!?!?!? Wooohooo!

I found Jell-o Pudding Pops at the store today. :o I LOVED those as a younger person. I had to get some. they are 90 calories a piece, so definitely not a purchase I'll be making often (if ever again after this), but I just had to get some of that nostalgia going.

We went and walked around the shopping places today and I bought some more loose teas. I really do feel like I am losing weight. It just *feels* like it. I just wonder why the scale isn't moving as much as my brain says I am. Silly scale ;)

Hope everyone is having a good weekend~

jar - Can I just say you have the cutest little spunky haircut ever? Too cute!!!

Just wanted to say hello and how much all the postings have kept me going. I have been a member for 3 weeks . I have lost 14lbs. I started out at 299.6.
I am counting calories. Just found out this week Im going to be a grandmother..my son got married in dec and his wife is now 5 weeks pregnant. I am so excited!! Cant wait to see how good i look and feel by the time the baby gets here.
debi

Zelma: sounds like you are so busy with singing and teahing. I knew you would drop back down to where you want to be. Huge congrats on that. I dream about being at your weight. Some day I will actually be there. You inspire me girl.

Rat: Hope Charlie is feeling better tonight.

Battle: Woo hoo! Congrats on getting out of the 260's Great job.

Rainbow: Lol. the outfit in my avatar is actually a blouse and a pair of blue jeans. My dad said the same thing when he saw the picture that is why it tickles me. The pants are very big on me and maybe they look like a skirt or something. I adore the blouse though. I feel so girly in it. I tried to find Vicks puffs today and the store I went to didn't have them. Maybe Walgreens will.

Sharon: Great job walking. Ammi wrote me a quick email and let me know that she is okay just busy.

Xena: Wonderful job on your classes. You are doing so well. Great to see you back here. I sure miss you when you are gone.

Wenny: Welcome. Glad to have you aboard.

Anne: Did you manage to get on the treadmill? I hope you did.

Cyn: ooooo. Antique shopping sounds fun.

Catherine: I hope you managed to step around the land mines.

Jeanne: :) you are a doll.

Debimitch: Congrats on the 14 pound loss and your upcoming grand child. What a great surprise.

Well, dh didn't have to work today so the two of us went to breakfast. Right when the server brought my seafood omlette and hash browns, I asked for a doggie box. I cut all but about a half cup of food and put it into the box for my..... doggies. lol. I was so proud of myself for getting the food off my plate so I wouldn't even be tempted to eat a tiny bite more than my body needed. We then went to Costco and alas, we only spent $20. I think that was a first. lol. I dropped DH at home and I went and got my hair trimmed and colored. I love, love the color. It was such a treat to get someone to do it for me instead of my having to do it myself and she matched my natural color so nicely. I think I will go back when I need to. I am trying to let my hair grow out again so, she just gave it a trim and cut some long layers into it. It really doesn't look too different but enough that I feel better about it.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

Blessings all,
Annie

Hiya my chicadees!
I'm so crazy sometimes. I had told you yesterday that I started out at 305 last Friday and went down to 293 this WI. Well I did get to 293 but the start weight was from when I first reset the scale. It's sorta hard to read. It's got 1 large screen then two smaller ones to the side. I was reading the wrong screen which was for what I weighed last week. I was at 298 last week, not the 305. <doin' the V8 head thunk>. So anyhow, it was a loss of 5 lbs which sounds more like it.

DMPLS, is he home yet? How are you two feeling? Better I hope. Get well soon

brandnewme, so sorry to hear about your grandma and your Mom. I hope your Mom makes a full recovery. It certainly is a wakeup call if I ever heard one. Take care of yourself and know that you are in my thoughts.

Angie, have fun on the winter/spring cleaning. Nothing makes ya feel better than a clean house. But don't work too hard, take some breaks and enjoy the day. I'm making out my "no soliciting" sign today!!! :lol:

Annie, sorry to hear the company didn't get it but as long as your at peace with it, then that's all that matters. I'm sure something better suited to you will come up and you'll be much happier. Who wants to be down all the time while at work?
You hang tough, my friend!

Zelma, he's the one that wrote and told me he's not ready to see me. So for now, I'm just leaving it at that. But thanks for the advice. It helps so much when I see things from how other people interpret them. I'm glad you found your waist again!

Heather, did I read that it was your birthday and you went rock climbing? Wow!! Happy Birthday!!!!

Battleax, YAY on the broken plateau!!!!

Rainbowsmiles, DDR is Dance Dance Revolution. We have it for the Wii but there are some for the other systems too. It's a dance pad with arrows on it and you have to match your steps to the arrows they put up on the tv. It's alot of fun and very exhausting. It the only exercise I can seem to get into.

Sharon, glad to hear your back to being OP and exercising. Feels good doesn't it?? Keep up the good work!!

Wennygrrl, :weldome: to our group. Post often.

Anne, ouch!! Those exercises hurt. You're a better woman than me. :lol: Take care of those knees. I still have not gotten into the muscle building part of the exercise. So good luck to you!!

Catherine, put them dancin' shoes on and show 'em how it's done!!

Cyn, did you get the dresser? I bet it's so pretty. I love the antique stuff. I have a vanity and a dresser that was my grandmothers. The date on the back of it is from the 30s. I love the style of the furniture from back then.

Jeanne, love the avatar!!

Debi, YAY on being a new Grandma!! That's wonderful news. And also that's great on the 14 lbs gone forever!!

Annie, I'm so happy to see you treating yourself. You certainly deserve it. You look fabbbbbbbbbuuuulous in your avatar!!

Ok ladies, off to bed I go!!
Debbie