Good morning ladies!

Finally got my computer hooked up a couple days ago but have been running almost non-stop since then with the kids I babysit. One little girl is healthy as can be but the other little girl and baby boy are both sick.. so it has been interesting. The second girl threw up quite a bit earlier this week (still can't get the smell out of my carpet) and the little boy has tonsillitis and an ear infection as well as pushing in 2 teeth. So his diapers have been very.. uh.. watery.. as have the diapers of the sick girl. Ahh!! What a mess. I'm thankful that at least one kid is healthy and very rarely gets sick. :) So, this has been a wild week, full of ups and downs.
I took to food to "help" me get through this week.. and so ashamed. I had pizza and ice cream sandwiches this week.. the part that makes me the most ashamed is that I hid the evidence from my husband.. He's been working out of town during the week so it was too easy to do. I'm 32, going on 33 in April and my knees hurt, my back hurts, my chest tries to smother me in my sleep (I jerked awake so hard last night because the weight of it had stopped my breathing!!), I rarely sleep through the night, I can't make it up and down the stairs without breathing heavily.. I'm only 32!! I didn't list all those things to complain or to have a pity party.. It's more like an "I can't believe it" feeling going on here.. What is wrong with me that I won't get off my butt and DO something already?!
I went to the rec center to look around and see what they offered for exercise equipment, etc, and when I got there, of course, all the people exercising (even on treadmills) were very fit, very energetic.. I immediately began feeling out of place and so embarrassed to even be there.. I'm ridiculous, I know. I made myself look around and see what all they had (which was a lot more than I thought!) and I'm going to go there and make myself workout. I want my knees to stop hurting and crackling every time I walk up the stairs and I want more than anything to sleep through the night and not be smothered to death by my chest! :o

Ubee, thanks for always checking on those of us who haven't been around in a while. It means a lot to me and gives me the kick in the pants to get back on here and be honest about my shortcomings and get back on the horse. My smoothie machine (i.e. my blender) is unpacked, but I don't use that anymore because for Christmas, my sweet, amazing husband bought us a Nutribullet! It is so fast and it is way quieter than my blender! And it doesn't leave any chunks or pieces of stuff in there.. everything is liquid at the end of the 1 minute cycle. :D Very happy with it and just need to make sure I always have veggies and fruit on hand to use it regularly.

All of you new ladies! Welcome to the thread, though I'm new to you too and fairly new here as well. I know you've come to realize what an amazing support group this is.. you get a kick in the pants when you need one but always followed by a hug for encouragement! :)

Betsy, sounds like you're so very busy lately with lots of work going into your home! I am enjoying our new home, particularly because the laundry room is downstairs as well as the TV so I need to go up and down several times a day. That is more exercise than I was getting at the last place where it was small and everything was on one level. Also, the garbage cans for our trash are in the alley behind our house so when I take the trash out, I have to go through the garage, across the backyard (which is at an incline) and then come back.. ;) Woo hoo.. lots of exercise.. I know.. But considering how little I was getting, this is exciting for me. :D

Fi, sorry about the rough days you've had recently with the pain and situation with your niece. Family can be pretty silly sometimes.. But I'm glad you are still able to spend time with her and bond. Those are memories she'll have her entire life and that is so special.

Terra, you may have inspired me to pull out my Leslie Sansone DVD as well.. ;) They are good workouts, but I have to admit, she can get a little annoying after a while. :dizzy: But that doesn't excuse not using the tools I have. OK.. I make a commitment to you and the rest of you ladies: As soon as I'm done here, I am going to put on my tennis shoes and workout clothes and get my butt downstairs and to my 1 mile.. I don't know that I'd make it through the 2 mile. But 1 is better than none. :)

Ok, if I keep writing, I will eventually talk myself out of doing the workout I just promised.. so, as my nutty pastor says, "Hasta pasta".. Have a blessed day everyone and I apologize to anyone I forgot to mention.

Donna, can't leave without telling you I'm praying you feel better soon, both physically and emotionally! You deserve it and I want your time with your daughter to be amazing! :)

Ubee Hi, hope things settle down and you can visit soon!

Frawnmae Welcome to the group. I can relate to just about everything about your story, did not go to college or take any trips, but your story is so familiar.I hope you find that perfect plan & exercise that motivate you to, stick with it. Not easy, as you know but visit here maybe that will also help!

Terra Wow you are an early bird and stay so active all through the day! Awesome!

Sam oops thought it was all of them closing! Enjoy your shopping spree!

Fiona Glad your Friday with Grace was Great! See you get it age doesn't matter! Boo! those nasty cookies!

OzDeb I would love to trade places with you! Here is PA it is so bitter cold! My old bones hate the cold! I totally understand about your sweet little kitty. In my case we had to put our Amber Marie to sleep, she became like my daughter, and yes when the time came, I second guessed myself, but chemo didn't help, so as a family we couldn't let her suffer. Hugs to you on your choice.

mountain walker Hope you feel better soon-both in health and food! Enjoy your daughter's visit!

Happy Saturday Everyone Happy to say, today I'm a bit sore in the abs, did my 50mins of Zumba, for me it's a lot of fun, doesn't feel like exercise, which is what helps me! I did try piyo for the first time on Tuesday, but has a lot of floor work that involves putting all your weight on your wrists, not able to do much of that yet! Tomorrow is my weigh in I hope all my hard work and sticking to my plan shows on the scale.

Have a Wonderful Day! :carrot: :D :carrot:

P.S. I'm still sticking with my goal (from way back in November I think) of losing 40 lbs by the end of May.. Which would put me back at where I was a couple years ago, 280. Yay for the 200's again. :)

I've been going through the Alternatives to IP thread mostly this morning and have ordered a few things per many good reviews. I haven't started on the IP yet but am entering into MyfitnessPal everything I'm eating and doing. Looking through my pantry I realize that I am a Carboholic to the Nth degree. Pasta, rice, dried beans, cereals, granola and assorted fruit bars. I depend on "boxes" for quick meals (which is silly since I have all the time in the world to cook any more). Even my freezer is carb heavy. While I do eat salads with every meal and LOVE fresh veggies, they have not been able to win the battle as long as those carbs are around. I will have to purge my pantry and I know that the local food bank will be seeing a fairly large donation soon. Hubbie is all for this new journey I'm on and I can honestly say he will be with me every step of the way.

Thanks to everyone's welcoming words. I haven't been a 300plus person for long but I can guarantee I won't ever be one again!

Ok, ok.. I know I go forever without a word and then all of a sudden it's 3 posts in one morning.. Well, I just wanted to let you all know I did the 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds (didn't work up much of a sweat but could hardly stand at the end because my legs were so wobbly!!) and am now eating some scrambled eggs. No toast. That is a huge step for me because, like Frawniemae mentioned earlier about herself, I also am a carboholic.. So. There's how I started my day! Yay! :) Ok.. signing off now.

Good morning everyone. It was so great to read all the posts this morning while I'm drinking my coffee (yes, in my bathrobe). It was oddly comforting to realize that so many of us share the same problem of knowing how to lose weight but struggling mightily with the various food addictions. Comforting? Yes, because I'm hopeful that we'll all make breakthroughs in ways to successfully deal with them and then share with others. I live in eternal hope!

Sue -- Unfortunately, you're probably right at least to some degree about the impact of age and weight on your getting hired. In fact they had the results of a study on the impacts of being overweight -- particularly for women -- that reported that in addition to already making 30% less than men for the same job, heavy women made less than thin females. I don't know what type of work you do, but when I was younger and trying unsuccessfully to find a job, I went to work in a temp agency and later as a contractor. Both times, I ended up with job offers from the companies where I was placed -- including one that hadn't even bothered with a followup call after an interview. Moving on -- am really impressed with 50 minutes of Zumba. Last time I tried that I think I lasted about 5 minutes!

Ubee -- Sending you peaceful moments. May you soon have a moment filled with uninterrupted coffee (or tea) sipping in your jammies.

Frawniemae -- Welcome to the chat room and thanks for sharing your story with us. You're definitely not the only carb addict here -- I think we can all relate -- and your pantry contents sound just like mine!

Terra -- Your hamburger dish sounds delicious and a whole lot like one my grandmother used to cook. Do you happen to know its calorie count by any chance?

Sam -- Eagerly awaiting the one year anniversary stats. You're the super star of this group for what you've done this year. You have rocked it and unlike me haven't used the bumps in the road (and you've had some events that more closely resemble falling off the cliff!) as an excuse to get off track.

Fi -- Loved your realization that you and Grace are becoming friends. That's a special gift for both of you and one that is of tremendous benefit for you both. Sending the Cookie Monster your way to eat up those cookies. It is so hard to overcome the carb/sugar yearnings once they've gotten back in our bodies. But you can do this. You've successfullly done this before -- and very recently. And you know your fan club is here rooting for you to kick them out of your life.

Deb -- Oh, if only we could trade a few degrees and some of the weather action with our opposite seasons! Facebook is both a blessing and a curse in so many ways.. It's allowed me to reconnect with many friends from back in my high school and college days (40+ years ago!), but I find that we are often poles apart in what's important in our lives now. I check it, but could easily live without it.

Donna -- These last few weeks have just been horrible for you healthwise. Migraines are a special kind of torture, so hopefully you're seeing some significant improvement in that area. Your therapy sounds as though it's definitely making you dig into some significant issues -- I admire your willingness to tackle such sensitive issues. Hope you have been able to enjoy some of the visit with your daughter.

Bllondy -- You take sick babies? You are one of those rare angels as every week I would have a parent who would need to miss a couple of days of work with a sick child because their day care didn't allow any sick children. It sounds as though you're getting settled, and you might think about getting a pedometer that includes steps taken going up and down stairs -- you night be surprised at how much exercise you're getting. And I've no doubt you'll make your 40 pounds by the end of May goal.

My nephew was supposed to come out, but it's started raining and I just don't feel like getting wet. So, I'll work on cleaning up the downstairs and maybe do some work on the garage.

Foodwise, I keep thinking that where I fail is portion control. I think I need to do some research on how to do a better job there. Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Betsy, I use various sized ice cream style scoops for portion control. You can find them at a foodservice/restaurant supply houses, maybe even at places like Sam's Wholesale. I use the 2oz, 4oz and 6oz sizes.

Hi, Donns - nice to see another Aussie :) Not sure where you are in NSW but I hope it's not sweltering like in Brissie. We SO need a break from this heat.

Edit: LOL at me...I just had another look at your pic and it says you are from SOUTH WALES and not Australian at all. How embarrassing! But, anyway, nice to "meet" you! I think the pic of the sheep confused me too because New South Wales has quite a few of them. :)

Good Morning!
The Doctors have changed my daughters meds at the request of the insurance company. She needs constant support during the transition. I fell off the wagon Friday afternoon and all day yesterday. Not horrible but not good. Miss you all and will be back on Tuesday.

I'm determined to get back into the mindset where sugary foods don't attract me, so I've started a strict abstinence from my big three: cookies, candy, and donuts. Yesterday was Day 1 of the abstinence. Today is Day 2.

I have two competing projects for today: one would be to make a collage for the new Kollage Kit theme (which I picked): blob(s). The other would be to tackle the pile of magazines & professional journals that have entered our house since the BERP (Big Entropy Reduction Project) was finished. I need to clip out all the images I might use for collage and dump the rest in the recycle bin. BERP maintenance, in other words. I think I can probably make the collage then move on to clipping images, but I'm so tired because of eating that sugar earlier in the week. Eating sugar really wipes me out.

Best wishes to all! I'm going to have to take a nap before trying to do anything.

Jeez, I hate feeling this way: exhausted, with weak leg muscles & iffy knees.

Happy Sunday Everyone

Bllondy sorry sick babies are a lot of stress and work! Did not read any of your back story, but looks like you recently moved, good luck getting settled in! Awesome getting back into the walking dvd! Hope this week is a better week for you and the little ones! Not easy to take care of little ones, when they belong to someone else, not many would!

frawniemae Yes I'm a big Carboholic too! Sounds like you have a very supportive Hubby that is Awesome!

OzDeb Hope your heat wave is over soon! Any extreme cold or hot, is not easy to get on with your daily outside activities!

Betsy Yes so happy that I'm not alone in this daily struggle, always nice to see that even though it's not a great weight to be at, we all are in this together. Great to have such wonderful support! Hopeful too!

Ubee Sorry that you had a bad couple of days! Stressful eating is one of my big downfalls! Hope today is a better day for you! Best of Luck that your daughter can adjust to the new meds.

Fiona Yes you can beat this sugar thing! Good Luck with your next two projects! Hopeful that you can feel better soon! Take care of yourself!

Hope Everyone that doesn't have time to post is having a Great Sunday!



Saturday was not a good POP day, went out to dinner, and ate way too many carbs. Scale is not my friend today, up 2lbs! Also fighting a sinus infection and a UTI, so I hope to try and get back on track today! Will try to do my stretching dvd today, hopeful to not get too dizzy!

Hey everyone...

I am back....again.... this time kind of feeling ready to really work on weight...

It's been a rough year at work so far, short staffed and what not... emotionally I am both a wreck and a completely cold hearted at times, trying to find balance there.

Physically I feel that I am larger than before (though still at my same heaviest weight) and hate every moment of it. Also my knee cap keeps slipping out of alignment every few weeks/months...

I have a multi point plan, the first is to give up soda (down to 1 can every work day) and combined with cooking most of my meals, and mostly from scratch. Also incorporating exercise 4-5 times a week.

I hope all of you are doing well, and I will be checking in as daily as possible to give and ask for support.

time4me2change Hi and Welcome back! Good Luck with that life balance thing! Sounds like you have a great plan of action! I'm also back after a long absence. Check back in when you can and Good Luck!

Goofy me, my scale did go down, I tell you this headache, not sure what I was looking at, but went to change my ticker and...lost 3lbs. Hey I'll take it!

Have a Great Day!

Good morning all. It's a cold and rainy day here which means that nothing will get done in the garage -- like I needed an excuse!

Frawniemae -- Thanks for the idea on the scoops. I have a cup and 1/2 cup spoon with long handles from when I was on Weight Watchers before. And I have a large ice cream scoop as well as the melon baller sizes. It's definitely been something of a shock to find out that my idea of a portion has probably been in the 2-3 serving size range. Might explain the recent lack of progress on weight loss!

Deb -- South Wales, NSW.......do you think that there's a common heritage there? ;) I love that we truly have chicks from all over the world on here -- it's fun to learn about other countries this way.

Ubee -- So sorry you're having to go through the meds change. Insurance companies having any say in what meds should be used just irritates me to no end. This is a high stress time for you I imagine, and wish I could be there to give you some support. Just know that we all are behind you and hope you and your daughter get through the transition.

Fi -- Good for you for getting back on the no banned foods bandwagon. It is hard to do and takes a lot out of you emotionally and physically to do it. Do you find that after a few days off of the forbidden foods that you feel so much better and wonder why you let yourself eat them in the first place? I do -- and in spite of that, I still have immense problems with staying away from them. Glad that you're staying on top of the magazines so there is no need to re-BERP (sounds like a bad case of indigestion!).

Sue -- Hopefully that's just water weight from the carbs. Sounds like you need a couch day watching old movies -- hope you're feeling better soon. Ooops -- just read your last post and glad you just misread the scale. Sounds like your sinuses are doing a number on you.

Time4Me -- So glad to see you back with us. You're not alone in feeling the need to start over -- several of us are in that boat. Sounds like it's been a stressful year so far for you, and that seems to be a trigger for all of us. Your plan sounds very doable and hopefully it will be easy to incorporate.

Since I'm still struggling so much, I'm going to do 5:2 for a few weeks to get me back in the habit of being stricter with staying on plan and incorporating better portion control. I read a lot of helpful hints on portion control yesterday most of which were refreshers for my forgetful mind. Of course, the one abut using a smaller size plate was there and I got reminded to divide my plate in half and serve veggies and fruits on 1/2. Then divide the other half into two parts for proteins and starches. One thing I definitely need to work on is never, ever bringing an entire bowl/box/bag of anything to the table. They stressed the importance of doling out servings, putting the rest of the food away, and then only eating what was on your plate.

Off to get cleaned up and figure out what I'm going to do today besides watch football games. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hi everybody.....I am slowly emerging from the migraine/vertigo/ depression nightmare that has been most of the last week!

Ozdeb...I am sorry to disappoint you but I am South Wales UK not NSW! The sheep are a couple of ewes that regularly visit my neighbour's garden where we park our car! They are heavy in lamb so soon we shall have a lovely view out of the kitchen window.

Bllondy.....thank you so much for your prayers....they are so appreciated. I have felt better today. We have managed 2 days of walking the dogs in the park despite my health challenges, which I am pleased with.

Time4me.....welcome back! I am so sorry that life has been such a challenge for you.

Fi.....it is amazing what sugar does to us. I hope your exhaustion eases. Thinking of you.

Institches and frawniemae......I am sorry I haven't been able to greet you properly....welcome! We have all been on the struggle many times in many ways!

Sam....how are you?
Betsy...thanks for your thoughts my lovely. I haven't had such a bad doings for ages, just one after another! Better now.

Ubee.....hello....hope you are OK.

Well it's really cold here (for Wales!) it may go down to -7 tonight....sorry for those of you still suffering terrible freezing temperatures!
Back to calorie counting and gentle exercise tomorrow....just being gentle with myself generally really!

Take care,
Donna