300+ Chat Thread: January, 2014
 

WELCOME!!



We are a group of individuals who weigh or have weighed 300+, or near there. This group was formed to provide a place for others like us to find support, inspiration, and hope. We are aware of the distinct problems that come with weighing over 300 lbs.

We want to invite everyone (roosters as well as chicks!) to join us in our journey. We share laughter and tears, heartaches and fears ... joys and celebrations. We also share what works for us and what doesn't.

We have found this thread to be more than just a support group... we have found it to become a home. We invite you to join us!

Welcome to 2014 - please feel free to always start the new thread.

Thank you!

Hopefully 2014 is a year of triumph and happiness!

Happy New Year to you all and good luck with your journeys.

Happy New Years Everyone! :)

Happy New Year Everyone

I am back after a three month absence and I am looking for a great 2014

Happy 2014! May we all have a happy & healthy year!
Donna, good job helping your son and yourself get some exercise in! It is hard to get kids moving when they don't have an active friend next door.
Betsy, you are killing me! I could fly out for lunch one day when you feel like cooking! I really need to work on my cooking skills.
Fi, you are really picking up speed with your weightloss and exercise. Keep it up for yourself and the positive energy it brings to all of us!
Welcome lemc!
Silent, you are kinda quiet today. Little too much fun last night??? I hope so!
Larry, welcome back. I am sorry to hear of your sisters death. Good for you to join us. It will be nice to have a mans perspective.
The other day I said I hoped my new way of eating would give me more energy? Today I was so busy I forgot to make my coffee. I hope this keeps up! I will chat more tomorrow because THE KIDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!!
Any lurkers ready to take the next step and join us?

Ubee yeah whole bottle of wine then I had brunch with aome of my nearest and dearest and then just tired, I ran the dishwasher though lol. thats about it. Work again tomorrow...

Hello my lovely chicks, ( I refuse to consider myself an old boiler just yet!!)
Well yesterday was kinda on plan except for the home baked bread.....! We had homemade turkey soup and goodness it was lovely...very healthy and as everywhere was closed I made 50/50 bread.It was gorgeous but you know...it was so lovely (even though I say so myself!) I took my time eating it, didn't want butter on it and stopped after a modest amount so stayed well within my calorie allowance.
For all the carb avoiders...I am sorry about that last sentence. I do reduce my carbs when I am healthy eating especially bread but have never cope well on a low carb....I just go for eat less do more and it seems to work for me ( I lost 83lbs or so last year)
Took the plunge and took all 3 dogs out today!!!!!!! Well if I did!!! The Jack Russells are just out of season and were complete lunatics which made the pup even worse!!! One of the Jacks escaped from the parkin into a builders yard and was too dumb to find the way back!
Talk about stress! Have decided it is a good excuse to walk them separately ( more exercise!) until they learn ( or relearn) to behave!
Ubee.....forgot to make coffee?? Can't compute! But well done on the extra energy.
Harry...welcome back. How nice as Ubee says to have a chap's persepective.
Hi Silent.....hope work was OK?
Have a great day my lovely ladies.

Fiona W Thank your for the welcome and for your invitation to join the January Chat Thread

mountain walker Thank you for the welcome. You must have me mixed up with some British Royalty, my name is Larry not Harry. That is OK you can call me whatever you want. :D I was surprised by your location as I was born and raised in South Wales, New York.

Ubee Thank you also for the Welcome and for your kind words about my Sister. :) We once were a family of five, three boys and two girls. Now I am the last one.

I have only been back eating on plan since 12/30/2013 and so far so good.
I calorie count and my daily goal is 1650. Many years ago I tried low carb dieting and had some success but I got tired of the limited food choices. Now I eat whatever I want as long as I stay under my calorie limit. This seems to me to be a plan I could follow for life.

If the saying "You learn from your failures" is true then I should have a PHD in dieting by now. :D I believe that "We do not fail unless we stop trying" and I am too stubborn to stop trying.

Larry

Hi
 

Hi everyone! So I've been a member here for several years, but just now back on the bandwagon. I've found that this is a great place of support, especially when I'm just not feeling it. I like that there are real people here like me, with similar situations. So-- thanks for being here. :-)

Good morning all (changed my usual greeting to welcome Larry!). I survived the family festivities yesterday although I did eat things I probably shouldn't have. However, it was a water whoosh day so the trip down took forever -- 4 stops! -- and it's only about 150 miles. I woke up this morning to a weight loss from yesterday so the long drive was worth it.

Larry -- welcome (didn't get a chance to welcome you yesterday) to our group of chicks......or should I make that chicks and rooster. Glad that you've rejoined us, and it will be nice to have a male perspective. Your dieting approach is something that I'm slowly coming to realize -- we all have to be able to figure out a way to lose weight and then keep it off without constantly feeling deprived. Your comment about being the last one in your family hit home. Same for me. Such an empty feeling when you have a memory and realize that there's no one who can understand or share the memory.

Anewlife4me -- Welcome to you as well. This is a great group and we share our thoughts pretty much every day.

Ubee -- I'm with Donna. Forgot to make the coffee? I've forgotten to take my medicines occasionally, but never the coffee. You must have been really rockin' and rollin' yesterday. Are you celebrating school starting today?

SilentArctic -- Sounds like you had a fun New Year's -- it's nice to have someone younger to remind those of us who have reached the stay-home-and-hope-we-make-it-until-midnight stage of life that partying still occurs. And I love that you ran the dishwasher and count it as work. You're my type of woman. My hatred of housework is to deeply felt that I, too, count ANYTHING that gets done as a major achievement and sacrifice. :D

Donna -- We'll never be old boilers! Perish the thought. We might become dowagers, but will be considered too worldly and wise to be relegated to the boiling pot. (I do love living in my fantasy world!). Your bread sounds wonderful along with the turkey soup -- and having a slice of wonderful homemade bread isn't what did us in. Loved your description of trying to walk all 3 dogs at once -- what a brave soul you are. One at a time would definitely be the way to go. Or maybe walk all three but with your son and husband to have some quality together time and sneak in the exercise as the extra benefit.

Fi -- WOW -- your walk around the lake is wonderful. I would be busting my buttons (which has happened before but for a different reason) if -- make that when -- I can walk 1.5 miles. Good for you. I love how you actually experience things -- the description of the walk added so much to it. Laughed at the eye liner and mascara. It's only when I'm actually going to see other people -- don't bother for gardening. I have very deep set eyes, very fair skin and dark hair (with a little help from a box!). If I don't do some liner and mascara, I look like a sheet of typing paper with some bumps on it. The baked brie is done on a cookie sheet, at 350. Take the rind off one end of a brie round, top with pesto, then slivered almonds. Wrap in rolled out puff pastry and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with crackers. Actually, once it comes out of the oven, if you took the puff pastry off (which it easily comes off almost like a wrapper) the resulting melted gooey cheese and toppings are low carb. And I always use nut thins for crackers as I can have 17 of them in a serving. But if you took the puff pastry off, you could use almost anything with it or even just eat it with a fork or spoon.

Is anyone else mentally thrilled to have the holidays complete? It's almost as though I had a sense of fear when Thanksgiving arrived, and I knew that there'd be way too many opportunities for binging and loss of control. Today I feel refreshed and ready for the continued effort to get healthy. Maybe it's just the excitement and almost awe that I feel when I realized that I'm still mentally in the game when my history has always been that I'd be well on my way to regaining everything by now. Off to get my hair cut, run errands and pay those pesky bills. Have a great day.

Man am I sore today! I was complaining to my husband Bob that it didn't seem right to me that I should be so very sore, from only walking 1.5 miles. He said that since I'm about 150 lbs. overweight, what I did yesterday was comparable to carrying two 75 lb. bags of cement for a mile and a half. That helped me get some perspective! I think you said something about that one time, Ubee, about how we get a lot of exercise, just from walking and carrying our heavy bodies.

ANewLife4Me— Nice to meet you! You're right about what a great place this is, for getting support. I look forward to when you can tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are and what you're up to these days. I go by Fi (pronounced "fee"). I'm a 58-yr-old artist, writer, & retired physician. (But please don't ask me medical questions: my training was a long time ago, so my knowledge is not current.) I'm married to a ponytailed botanist whose research area is forest community ecology. We're child-free (by choice) and are looking forward to bringing a pair of kittens into our life, probably this summer: that's when the breeder of oriental shorthairs who sold us our last pair expects have some new kittens.

Larry— I agree with the others that it's nice to have a man's perspective on this big project we are all engaged in. I know what you mean about how a low-carb diet has fewer choices, but I'm weird that way: I prefer not to think very much about food, so eating the same things over & over again is just fine with me. And it helps that I really like meat, eggs, & cheese.

Donna— Wow, I didn't know you'd lost 83 lbs. last year: that's impressive! If I lose that much in 2014, I'll be thrilled. I hope my new walking program will kick my metabolism into higher gear.

Ubee— I can imagine what it's like for parents when the kids have been around the house during a vacation, how nice it is when they go back to school. You mentioned something called "flylady" (I think that was it) in your New Year's resolutions. Could you explain what that is?

Fi :1.5 miles is a fantastic achievement...well done...despite the achy bits! Your life sounds fascinating(other people's lives always do)
Larry: sorry about the incorrect name that was really rude of me. Well fancy there being a South Wales in New York! I am in Wales UK where we speak a strange language ( on my list of things to do this year is to learn to speak Welsh fluently!) wave our arms alot and talk very fast!
Besty: I completely agree about the relief when the festive season is over and life gets back to "normal"....waht's normal by the way!!??Because I worked full time for the first few years of Sam's life, I always cherish the holidays and miss my little boy when he goes back to school....honestly, Mum's are so embarassing.
Anewlifeforme:Welcome lovely, I am sure I recall posting with you last year??? I am 47 year old former Physiotherapist who had togive up work dueto a raft of health problems. I have dogs, chickens, and 2 children...not neccessarily in that order!
Spent 20 minutes doing Just Dance 2 on the Wii today....looked like an idiot but really enjoyed it and it amused the dogs!
Take care all.

WOW! I could have sworn I posted today!
Hi Everyone!
Silent, yup running the dishwasher counts! Are you all recovered from your pre holiday bug?
Dr. Larry, so true about learning from our failures or experiments as I like to call them!
Betsy, hoorah for the whoosh! All right now which one of us do you think is going to take the pastry off and not eat it??? I am so excited to see how low I can go this year! Who is all doing the challenge that will start next week?
Fi, Flylady is a woman who teaches us we are all right the way we are and helps us get our house work done. She has a website at flylady.net . Everyday she sends me an email with one simple job to do. It is like weightloss. A little housework everyday gets the job done. It does not have to be perfect just done.
Donna, you are really mixing it up with your exercising. Good job!
Well the kids went back to school and I don't know where the day went. My special needs daughter is home and enjoying some ground up grass fed beef with a salsa of peppers, onions, cilantro, lime juice. garlic, olive oil and tomatos. She is my true pal in this weightloss journey!
Have any of you set any number goals yet? I think we are supposed to if we join NightKatts challenge in the 300+ thread? (Not have to.) I am thinking of giving myself a challenging goal.
How is everyone doing?

I love the first few days of a diet when water weight falls of rapidly. Below is my progress which I am enjoying for now. My experience has been that this rapid release of water will end all too soon

12/30/2013 - 296 lbs :(
12/31/2013 - 285 lbs 11 pound loss :D
1/1/2014 - 282 lbs 3 pound loss :D
1/2/2014 - 280 lbs 2 pound loss :D

ANewLife4Me - Welcome back on the bandwagon. I am just back also.

betsy2013 - Thank you for the welcome. It is tough to be the last one left in a family. In my case I was the baby of the family so I guess I was bound to be last. I miss them all. I had to smile at your "water whoosh day and your 150 mile trip with 4 stops". I take a water pill each day and I sure understand your trip.

Fiona W - I like your husbands example of the cement bags.

mountain walker - The mistake of my name was not rude on your part, it was simply a mistake, nothing more. (I have been known to make a lot of mistakes myself)

Ubee - As a long time member of the Shriners who works on behalf of special kids, I know that it takes special mothers to care for special children. My fez is off to you. :bravo:

Thank you Larry!:hug: Your words brought tears to my eyes.
She is such a gift.
I appreciate all who help us. Thank you.
On a MUCH lighter note... Can I borrow your scale?

My water weight is still coming off.:carrot:

One :D for each pound lost

12/30/13 296 lbs :(
12/31/13 285 lbs :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
1/1/14 282 lbs :D:D:D
1/2/14 280 lbs :D:D
1/3/14 278 lbs :D:D

I have been consistent so far in staying under my calorie goal of 1,650
Yesterday ended at 1,171 calories

Good morning!
Way to go Larry!
My new diet is going very well. I hope it does not get hard for a long time if ever. A girl can dream! There are certain foods I have not been able to eat for the last 20 years. So now I am applying the same thought process to my new diet. When I look at something forbidden I tell myself that it will make me sick. Since it is the truth it is easier. My stomach actually cooperates and does a little turn for me.
Stay warm everyone.
How is everyone doing???

Good morning all. It's a gorgeous day in the Northwest, and based on the weather reports for the rest eastern part of the country, I'm glad I'm here!

Fi -- Sorry you're sore from walk, and Bob certainly has a point about the effort that we put into walking. Keep up the good work. Are you excited about getting kittens soon? Life with pets always adds a lot to my well being.

Donna -- Loved your description of yourself and I know what you mean about enjoying the holidays when we get to see it through the eyes of children.

Ubee -- Flylady looks like an interesting site although I have to admit that I reached the love myself and don't worry about the house so much a long time ago. I keep things picked up during the week, but just prefer to spend one 3-4 hours stretch cleaning rather than do a little each day. As long as we find a system that works and the Health Department is not knocking on our door to evict us I figure we're all good. ;) You asked about setting goals for the year. My only goal is to try to get 5 pounds a month off. Some months there will be more, some months less, so guess I'm hoping for 60 pounds off by the end of 2014.

Larry -- Talk about a whoosh!!!!! I don't think I've ever heard of a 16 pound whoosh. Have to admit, jealousy and envy are rearing their ugly heads. Good for you.

I've had breakfast the last couple of days, and while it's been healthy selections, I just can't afford the calories. I still have one or two items in the frig that are of the salad variety that I need to get out of there. The laundry is about half done, sheets have been changed, clean towels, and before I hit the gym I'll haul the trash and recycle bins down the alley to the pickup spot. Just hauling those two bins down could count as my workout for the day! Have a good one.

Larry - Awesome thats always the fun part (the big drop in weight when you start eating better!)

Ubee - Glad your eating is going well! I will defo be staying warm its warming up to Minus 21 C, supposedly tomorrow. I am excited for Windchills less than -40 C! Spring weather in december... even though its only going to last for a day it is a much needed mood boost!

betsy - Your a rockin the housework :)

Hi everyone!
Betsy, do you mean 3-4 hours of housework a week? Guess I'll have to call you Martha Stewart! My house is cozy so it takes less work. Plus I have Cinderella living here until she goes to college. One more reason to get the weight off. I will have more to do when she goes to college.
5 pounds a month. A few weeks ago that would have been too much for me BUT with this new diet I'm going to be aggressive! I so want us all to do this!!!
Silent, we are getting your nasty weather. Well not 40 below but it will be enough for them to call off school for a few days. Mind if I ask how your weightloss effort is going?
How is everyone doing? Yipee! Forget it I just saw you and Larry and Donna in the challenge! Anyone else going to join us? Come on it will be fun!

I don't have anything special to report today, except for the fact that Kathryn Hansen, the author of Brain Over Binge, posted my story about using her technique to her blog: you can read it here, under "Tips for Beginners...Continued (Inspirational Testimony)". I think the technique I describe would be useful not just for binge eaters, but for anyone who struggles with cravings and urges to overeat. Enjoy!

Larry well done you!!!
Fi....that sounds fantastic. It is always wonderful when somebody finds our words inspiring or insightful. I have made a mental note to look it up!
Silent and Ubee it started raining about 2 months ago and has more or less not stopped since. I have never known a Winter ( even in Wales) with such intense continuous rain storms, thunder and lightining and hail stones! I am expecting plagues of locusts and frogs any day soon! But I always tell myself that at least it's not snow!!! Brrrrrrrr!!
Me and gorgeous 8 year old walked around 1.5 miles with just the one dog ( I chickened out of taking all 3 dogs!). I didn't take my stick as my knee is heaps better and managed really well.....hooray!!! I plan a little jog on my minitrampoline later or some wii dance....just wish I could find my sports bra...the girls need a bit of serious support if I am bouncing up and down....sorry Larry!!!
On the topic of housework.....hoovering.....3 dogs and a cage with 3 baby chickens in it who like to throw food all over the place....if I don't hoover more or less every day I would be arested by the carpet police!
Have a lovely day chickens!!!

Good morning!
Fi, that is quite a report. Nice work!
Donna, do you find all that rain depressing? Sometimes I find a rainy day so relaxing. Hope you find your sports bra. The girls and I had a nice chat this morning about how they are still looking OK. I told them they did not need to lose any more weight and that they need to stop looking to see what my toes are doing. There is a beautiful world right in front of them. Larry, let me know if you need me to tone it down a bit. I tell it like it is.
My food is going so well. Grain Brain is like Atkins meets Primal so I am not hungry and do not have any cravings. It is very weird and something I need to process.
How is everyone doing?

Alas, all good things must end. My weight today is the same as yesterday 278 lbs. My whoosh is over but the good news is there was no bounce back.

Yesterday "1/3/2014" Food

1,121 calories - daily goal is 1,650
158 carbs - daily goal is 227
26 fat - daily goal is 55
72 protein - daily goal is 62
1,945 sodium - daily goal is 2,500
26 fiber - daily goal is 29

Ubee Thanks for the encouragement. I like your diet thought about forbidden foods that they will make you sick. I tied many many different diets over the years and finally settled on old fashioned but reliable calorie counting. With calorie counting I have no forbidden foods as long as I do not exceed my daily calorie goal which currently is 1,650. If I want to start the day with say 1,650 calories of ice cream, I can. Of course I would not be able to eat anything else that day. For me I find that this has rid me of the feelings of being deprived.

betsy2013 My whoosh is over. My cardiologist says I am very sodium sensitive. My blood pressure is not affected but I retain water like mad. Last year I gained 25 lbs in two (2) days and lost all of it in four (4) days

silentarctic Thank you also for the encouragement, alas the fun of the water weight loss is over for now

Fiona W You tell a Great story in "Tips for beginners". You giving autographs yet?

mountain walker Thank you for the attaboy

Ubee and mountain walker You don't need to worry about me or tone down your talk about sports bras and the like. I am a 69 year old retired US Navy Chief Petty Officer who has done it all and seen it all.:D:D

Good morning all. It's a gorgeous, sunny, cold day in the Pacific Northwest. Donna, wish I could send you some of this and we'll take a little of your rain. Oh, if only we could use the Internet to send weather patterns where they are wanted!

Ubee -- Girl, you crack me up. I'm with you on borrowing Larry's scale. But it sounds as though your revised diet approach is going really well. Finding one we actually like is a big part of the battle. No, I don't do 3-4 hours of housework a week. I keep things straightened up just because I like things straightened up and living alone, no one else will put the dishes in the dishwasher. And once a week I'll give the floors a quick vacuum with the little battery powered vac just to get the dirt and shredded paper from Toby up. Then about once a month everything has gotten to the stage where I'm leaving myself notes on top of the furniture in the dust and will spend 3-4 hours on doing an actual cleaning of the house. Martha and I are definitely not in the same category -- not sure we're even on the same planet! Glad to know that you talk to the girls as well. Mine aren't listening!

Larry -- Almost 20 pounds in 5 days????!!!!!***** Obviously, I'm in absolute awe of that happening. I've gained 20 pounds in 5 days, but it's never gone the other direction.

SilentArctic -- You give new meaning to the definition of normal is what is normal for you. Temps of -20C with windchill of -40C and you think it's like spring? And you walk to work? Just the effort from trying to keep your body temp up should burn some calories. Hats off to you -- I definitely could not do that.

Fi -- Loved your post on binge eating. The yappy dog image is so helpful right now because I'm training Toby not to jump up unless signaled -- and especially at the dinner table. You have inspired me. So, each day when I post, I'll up my ante on days without a binge. And I'll set a mini-goal to get through the rest of January without a binge. Thanks!

Donna -- I read where the British Isles were getting clobbered with bad storms. Two months of bad storms is so depressing. Glad there's a break so you can at least get in a walk. Sounds like you're really focused on getting in some exercise every day. Hope you find the sports bra -- in the past I would have used not finding it as an excuse for why I couldn't exercise that day.

In the fessing up category, yesterday was probably the worst binge day I've had in six months. Just plain went over the edge. So, Fi, your posting was very timely and much needed. So, I'm going to use Fi's visualization, I'm going to get over being driven crazy by the Co-op and its never ending problems, and I'm going to stop turning to food for comfort. So here's the binge free tally start: Days of No Binges: 0

Good morning all!!!

I am back after being away from the board for a couple of months. I sure did miss you!!! It just seemed like I never had time to get on here but I have decided I will make time because I need the support everyone provides here. That sure seems to be the way it is with several who have been here and then left for a while.

Anyway, I am getting back into my lifestyle plan for the new year! I want to make a significant difference in my life this year as I am turning 50. I started January 1st working my lifestyle plan. I am counting my calories, walking, taking my vitamins and drinking my water/green tea. This year I want to do more resistance training and get back into the habit of taking care of myself and reducing stress.

I look forward to reading about what is going on with you all and your fitness plan. I know you won't disappoint as you never have! Take care everyone and have a wonderfully fit Saturday!!!

Welcome back pjvw34, I have just returned also and you are right about the great support we get here.

Good Afternoon!
Larry, I'm glad you found something that works. Our bodies are all so different especially as we mature. The important thing is that we keep at it. Thanks for letting us get it all out and not being offended! Weightloss at 300+ brings a lot of issues that we need to deal with.
Betsy, ah more co-op drama. Well I have no advice but I am more then willing to listen to you vent. How much longer until you are free? Give Toby a kiss for me!
Welcome back Pam! I am turning 50 this year also. I am going to be at goal by my 51st. birthday.
Well I have decided I am going to take the plunge and list my weight on Monday. Why is this such a big deal??? It is just a number and I am so much more then any number. Anyone have any thoughts? I do live in a small town and everyone seems so interested in our family. Not in a bad way, just a curious way. We are kind of unique and people are always trying to figure out how we can meet so many weird challenges in life and stil be happy.
Have good day!
Edit to add... Now I remember. When I was in 3rd or 4th grade they weighed us at school. The volunteer mom stood at the scale and said it to the other mom to write down. The fact that I weighed 103 pounds spread through our four room school house like wildfire. At recess everyone stared at me. Well, I am a big girl now and can let go of that. Thanks for being here!

I'm doing well in general, but I'm kind of frustrated about my muesli situation. (For those of you who recently arrived, I was on strict Atkins induction for a while in the fall, and then went into a brief but very severe depression. Then I suddenly recovered, and I attributed my recovery to the fact that I ate a bowl of muesli. Some people who go on strict Atkins do get depressed. But alternatively, it could've been the change in my meds. Sort of superstitiously, ever since then, I've modified the Atkins diet to include a bowl of muesli every day around noon.) Yesterday I had a weird experience shortly after eating my muesli that I'm pretty sure was a panic attack. Some people who get depression also have panic attacks, but they're super rare for me, and when they do happen, usually there's some kind of trigger event that sets off the escalating anxiety. Yesterday there was no trigger at all: the panic state just blew in like a sudden storm. Well anyway, as a result, I got sick to my stomach, and eventually my whole gut acted up.

After I described it all to my husband Bob, he said maybe there was something off about the muesli, or about the cream I put on it, and that's why I got sick. I didn't think that made much sense because I had all the other symptoms of a severe anxiety attack. So today I sat down at noon again and had my bowl of muesli. I didn't have a panic attack, but my gut acted up again!

So Bob volunteered to be a guinea pig, and he ate a bowl of my muesli with cream. That was hours ago, and he hasn't gotten sick. So now we don't know what the heck is going on. I'm tempted to just bag the muesli and go back to eating only eggs, meat, cheese, occasional nuts, & salad greens. Maybe I'm not one of those people who get depressed on Atkins, after all. I sure would like to be on strict Atkins, because I like the food and I lose weight really well on it. I think I'll take the risk and see what happens...

Ubee— I'm glad to hear your Grain Brain diet is going so well. I'm tempted to read that book, but not until I read the other ones I've downloaded recently. I must say, I'm pleased to hear you're going to list your weight. The reason I came to 3 Fat Chicks in the first place is that I was reading about people who are successful in accomplishing big longterm projects, and one of the recommendations was to "go public" about your plans. You don't have to hold a press conference =laugh= but it's supposed to be very helpful to tell a group of folks who support you exactly what your plans are. In this setting, that means listing your weight and your goal weight. Besides, it would be nice to know how much weight you've lost so far, so I can congratulate you on the accomplishment! =smile=

Larry— I had an 18-pound whoosh myself when I started this project nearly two years ago, but alas, it does come to an end, doesn't it? It sounds like calorie counting is working well for you, especially because it gives you a sense of not being deprived of anything. That's so important for these longterm diets, not to feel deprived.

pjvw34— Welcome back! Turning 50 is an excellent motivation. I turn 60 next year, and that's motivating me a lot. Have I got it right that your name is Pam? Can I call you Pam?

Betsy— Thanks for your kind words about the blog posting I wrote, and I'm thrilled to hear it's motivating you to go binge-free. I am so relieved to have that nasty monkey off my back, I just can't tell you...Remember when you do get the urge, the trick is to separate yourself from it, but not fight it. If you fight it, the urge just gets stronger. Instead, you take the role of being an observer, that's all. Let it yap at you all it wants to. If you just observe it, it will fade, sooner or later.

Donna— That's terrific you walked a mile and a half! Way to go! It sounds like you're starting off the new year with lots of movement: that will help keep your mood up, which for me is the single most important benefit of exercise.

silentarctic— Enjoy your brief "spring"! What's the story with your weight these days? I could be wrong, but I don't think you've updated it in a while. Just curious, because I'm rooting for you! =smile=

Oh no I totally thought I posted here

Ubee - Glad you are able to let go of that memory.

Fi - I hope you sort out what will make you feel the best! My weight loss is Meh I am working on a neutral weekend. Trying to not gain weight this weekend is good enough for me today I'm hovering around 323 might be some water weight still from a salty incident I'm not letting it stress me out. It is still within my "range" and that "range" is lower than it use to be.

We can totally do this!

I've resolved to be more "me". That sounds so silly but I'm just tired of holding back, tired of being reserved, so I'm an expressive affectionate person, or at least i was.... I want to find her again.

Silent, I was so pleased to see your resolve to be "more me"...I put that in my phone as MY strength for this year too. At the risk of boring everybody who has read about my trip to Iceland on 2009, that was when I felt at the most "me".
I did a charity trek for Cancer Research Wales ( came back with a broken knee cap but that's another story!)
The group I was with was divided in to 2 main sections, young fit men and women,all competition and expensive kit. Then there was a group of middle aged ladies who had never camped, walked in the rain or peed in the open air! Except me! Fat and middle aged I certainly was but I have camped for years and walked mountains most of my life depsite my size. I found myself being the unelected leader if the middle aged team. I encouraged when we were wet, exhausted and had to pitch a tent in the rain. I got up early to make everybody coffee and generally acted as team morale officer. I felt wonderful and very very "me". I have proved that I can be "me" and do you know what???? People actually liked me! Woohoo!
It's raining here again. It has been very windy which makes going out to exercise difficult, I don't mind rain ( afterall I am Welsh and we have webbed feet!) in fact I kind of like walking in rain and the park is quiet!!
Have a good day chickens, not sure what my exercise is for today, probably minitrampoline or wii dance!

Hello All...

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes... I really appreciate it!!!

Silent - I love this statement as well about being 'MORE ME.' I am going to make that a goal of mine this year.

Fi - Yes, my name is Pam and you can call me that. I try not to make a big deal about age because I see no sense in getting worked up about it but I would like to be 50 pounds lighter by the time it gets here. :D

Larry - The support here is the best. It is so nice to know there are others who are going through what you are or have been through it. I have discovered that there some who only have a small amount of weight to lose that just don't understand the joy of having more room between you and the steering wheel of your car. I am like you in the type of plan I am on. I am allowed 1700 calories. I know I can eat anything I want but I have to count those calories. When I get to my limit I stop. That makes me make better choices such as salads over something fried because I dont want to waste my calories. It's like having a budget and being very frugal.

Ubee - I so understand what you are going through. I live in a small town (pop. 315) and have all my life (the majority of it). So I can see myself in your shoes. Around here we struggle with gossips but I have become rather thick skinned over the years so I don't pay much attention to what is said about me. Although I think if they are talking about me they really must be bored in their own life. LOL. I am glad also that you can let that go. If that had happened to me I would have been teased mercilessly as I was just for being big. Maybe that is why I developed a thick skin. LOL.

Betsy - Good for you on the binging. I know that with your resolve you will make it through this. I am cheering for you.

Mountain - You are an inspiration to me. You are a very strong person. I am going to be ME more as well. I was very intrigued by your Iceland story. I guess I missed the other post since I am just back on board. I will have to see if i can find it.

I hope everyone has an AWESOME on plan Sunday!

Good Morning!
Fi, I have a thought. Remember I am all Grain Brain crazy right now. It sounds like you have been on a gluten/soy free diet without trying. Maybe you are sensitive to them. If your muesli, nuts, dried fruit, or whatever you add was packaged at a facility that also packages wheat or soy products, the package you have might have gotten contaminated and caused a reaction. Just a thought. I did not think I had a problem until I cleared them out of my diet.
Silent, I am thrilled that you are going to let the real you shine!! It is time for you to blossom!! I love being me except for when I screw up. Sometimes people get caught off guard when you are true to yourself. It is a great way to get respect. You are awesome!
Donna, I never read about your trip to Iceland and would love to hear more! That part you just wrote is so cool. What a good feeling!
As for me, I have so much more energy and am not hungry. Thank God for the energy or I would be concerned. I have always been food obsessed, so this is new territory. Now I just have to work on the exercise.
Hi Pam! We cross posted. How are your first days back on the wagon?
How is everyone doing!

Hey there Ubee - I am doing great! Staying within my calorie limits. I did not get to walk yesterday but I did do some cleaning. I put away all the Christmas decorations. They are neatly stored in my storage building and I even cleaned out a few boxes in the storage building and straightened up. I found some things I forgot I had. YEA!!! It is like going shopping and not spending money. LOL. I love that. So cleaning counts as burning calories, right? :D

Ubee— My muesli does indeed have some wheat in it. What difference do you notice now that you're on the Grain Brain diet? I mean, how can you tell that you were sensitive to wheat?

Good morning all. Running late this morning and wondering how everything is going to get done today......or maybe it won't! The joys of retirement!

Pam -- So glad to see you back, and I love your commitment to working on your plan to honor your 50th birthday. Having a goal really helps.

Ubee -- Good for you for facing that long held demon and posting your weight. You know we don't care, and you're right -- it's just a number. I look back on some of my school experiences, and sometimes I wonder how any of us survived it. Loved your comment about being a curiosity in town because you have so much to deal with and are still a happy family. A picture of Snoopy dancing just popped into my mind -- he always had such a happy look on his face.

Fi -- Sorry about the panic attack, because it sounded like you really enjoyed your small helping of muesli. I'm been anxious before (I'm in my 60s and no one gets to this point without some anxiety), but can't remember feeling the amount of stress that comes with a panic attack. Hope that Ubee's suggestion that maybe it was a physical reaction to it might be a pointer to find the cause.

SilentArctic -- you certainly struck a chord with all of us about being more "me" and good for you for realizing it at your age.

Donna -- Loved your description of the Iceland trip. Being me does have a lot to say for it.

Well, the binge meter is stuck at 0. Yep, still haven't been able to break that cycle. So, I'm going to try to use Fi's visualization techniques today and just THINK before I do something. Off to the co-op to get the new cash register re-programmed and to set things up for a contest we're having for the month. Then home to the start of Season 4 of Downton Abbey in the US.

Binge Free Days: 0

Fi, the diet is ■High in healthy fats, naturally raised animal proteins, vegetables.
■Low carbohydrate and low fruit, no processed carbs or sugars.
So it is a lot of complicated stuff but very much on the same page as Gary Taubes.
I have been on it for one week and I am so much less crabby. I was never diagnosed with depression but my mood is so light/clearer. I can think clearer also. I have more energy. I have anxiety. It went down when I started taking magnesium and now has gone down more. TMI ALERT I have IBS with diarrhea and have to take daily meds or I would be in Depends. In one week I have been able to cut my dose down to 1/3 of what I was on. I also am lactose intolerant but it is so much less now. I can eat a small piece of cheese and not need to take a lactaide pill.
School and therapy have both given outstanding reports on our autistic daughter. She is calmer, more focused, less OCD, greatly improved eye contact and more social. Overall she is much happier.
I urge anyone with an autistic child, ADHD, or depression to give this diet a try for one month.
Stepping down from my soap box now...

Hi all,

This seems like an active and welcoming group... Care to have *another* male voice?

I'm new to the site and have been calorie counting for (checking the date) 5 days now.

Looking forward to the journey. :)

If anyone came across my post in the introductions section from the main page, you'll know I've learned in the past year the power of support groups!