I just wanted to say that I believe stress can be a huge factor in weight loss- my husband is in the Army. Normally, he can skip lunch and lose 2 pounds- it is just plain wrong. Well, the Army has very specific weight standards for their soldiers. We have just moved here to Texas, and over the course of about 2 months of moving and such, my husband gained about 15 pounds. Normally, he can lose this in a matter of weeks. However, he is getting ready to deploy and has been working very long hours and been under a huge amount of stress. He had been dieting for about 2 months, and only managed to lose 5 pounds. I really thought it was stress related. Sure enough, now he is on leave (vacation) for a couple of weeks before he goes over, and in one week has lost five pounds. Nothing has changes in his diet or exercise, just that all the stress is over with the deployment details being completed.

So, I say that anyone who is having trouble losing weight, or stuck in a plateau, needs to take a long hard look at thier life and evaluate their stress levels, and do everything they can do decrease and/or eliminate stress in their life.

Jill -- Good luck at your TOPS meeting tonight. It's good to know that you are getting back on track. I am sure it was very hard to eat healthy with your move and getting everything situated.

Mnemosyne -- I am the complete opposite of you..I am almost 6'2 so I have to find jeans in tall length. I love the denim lite jeans that they have at the Avenue. They come in petite, average and tall length. They look like regular jeans and are not nearly as heavy as your regular jean. They are sooooo comfortable. Do you have an Avenue near you? If you do maybe you should try on some jeans there.

Jeanette -- Congrats on only being 2 pounds away.....That will be a great feeling....I can't wait to be under 300.

Manda -- Sorry you are sick. I have never had any problems with the low carb tortillas either. Hope you get to feeling better. :)

Andrea: Thanks for the tip about the Avenue! There isn't one around here, but I will be traveling to Columbus the first weekend in November. It looks like they have half a dozen stores there, and I'll make sure to stop and check out their jeans!

Ladies: We cannot let our fear of doctors keep us from getting the medical treatment we need! Especially our gynecological health. I know it's a Pain In The A$$ to get a yearly exam done, but it is so necessary. Especially pap smears--they are a diagnostic tool to make sure your cervix is healthy. I've had my share of those in the last three years or so! But I would rather be uncomfortable for a few minutes once a year than to have to endure chemo or surgery for cervical cancer.

Good Evening All,

I have had a good day, and am glad to say that I have stayed on track all day. I have even amazed myself because ont once has it crossed my mind to just have one more day off seeing as I already had one. It's times like this that I really can see that I am going to make my goals this time. It feels so good.

Manda - how are you feeling? I was sorry to hear that both you and hubby have had a bad stomach.

Jen - that is awesome, just two lbs from being in the 200s. You are going to do it and what a fabulous moment that will be for you. Good luck in losing that 2 lbs!

Rosie - I haven't had a really bad cold since starting watching my weight this time around. But I do remember once that my WW leader said when you are unwell, the last thing you need to worry about is losing weight. You just have to get yourself better and take it from there.

Kate - Lovely to see you posting. It's amazing isn't it how stress can effect your weight loss, or lack of it. My therapist was telling me about that last time I saw her. Hope you are doing ok.

Lori - I am sorry you are feeling so unwell, and I am sure a loss on the scales would have been just what the doctor ordered. Never mind, maybe next week will more than make up for no loss this week. Feel better soon.

Rabidstoat - good luck when you go to the doctors. I am sorry that you are so worried about seeing him/her. I never used to care either way about seeing the doctor, and until about 4 years ago I only ever needed to go for the odd problem like migraines, birth control and a bad back. Since I got diagnosed with UC and then had to have an ostomy I would be happy if I never got to see a doctor or hospital again. I hate it so much. So I can totally sympathise with your feelings of not wanting to see one yourself. Be strong though, as you have already said you can only benefit by going and if anything is wrong it's good to know and to get it sorted out.

Penny - hello, I don't think we have met. I agree with what you said that finding a way to handle stress is very important when it comes to losing weight. Thank you for the link, I am going to go read it when I finish replying here.

Mnemosyne - sorry that I didn't remember that we had met before. You have a good memory remembering how much I worried about the scales and the effect they will have on my diet. I am glad to have gone through my first trial on the scales and beat them. It feels good.

That cashew butter sounds like it will be really stunning. Have you tried it yet? It may be expensive but it sounds like it might be worth it.

Denise - I enjoyed reading your post, you gave some very good advice. I am sorry to hear your hubby is being deployed. I hope he won't be away for too long and will come home safely to you.

Jill - have you started a new BC, a different brand or anything? I only ask because years ago when I started taking them I was spotting through the whole month. It was horrible. I went to the docs, he changed the pill for me and I was fine after that.

I hope even though you expect a gain on the scales this week that it won't be too bad. You may have overeaten, but you have had a lot of exercise with the move too. So fingers crossed it will only be a small gain. You have a great attitude though, being prepared for it, and then planning to get right back on track.

Sharon (voodoo) - sorry I have missed you the last few days. I hope you are doing well and that we can chat sometime soon.

I better go now. Take care all,

Hugs,

Ammi :crazy:

Afternoon Everyone…

Jen415 – Yes, I agree. It made it even harder since this nurse was skinny. Sigh… ah well. That’s why I love it here. The ladies here know and understand the situations we go through. Congrats on getting to a huge milestone!! I can’t wait til I get out of the 3’s and into the 2’s as well!!! WHOOHOOO! *big hugz*

Ahill1979 – Yeah! Definitely… It’s a good motivation :)

Mnemosyne – It’s good to see you again! Long time no talk. Yeah… During that commercial break I realized that I don’t have that sort of support and that I was doing good on my own. Hence why I decided I was just gonna go for it and get that scale. I’ve lost 20lbs of my original 30lbs. I can do it again.

Ammi – we all need a day off ;) plus it can be good to reward yourself. But Reward in moderation. I am the first to admit, that I take a few more days off than I should :lol: I’m super excited for the first day that I can step on that scale and see it say 349!! (or less) hehehe… I’ve been doing extra good this week in hopes that just maybe I’ll be able to use it when it gets here :rofl: I used to have one… I managed to break it when I moved into the house (4 years ago) I should really look into getting another. The one I had was for wax potpourri but I like those oil scented potpourri better. I’ll keep an eye out for them!

Extrinsic – Hey there… I’ve noticed both gain and loss while sick. Also about stress… holy cow, my cravings are really bad during that time!

Loves basset – I think it was the cortisone commercial that said when your body reacts to stress or anxiety you release something called cortisol?? I could be wrong.

Hey ladies, get this… when I ordered my scale on Tuesday, the estimated date of arrival was for Monday – Wednesday of next week. Well I got home today from work and on my door was a UPS note saying they tried to deliver today from walmart… wow!! Talk about fast service! I guess I’m going to get the scale much sooner than expected. I signed the note and asked them to leave that package with my neighbor…

It’s gonna be a long night… I’ll catch you all later… got class tonight. Take care!

Wave…
Sue…

Hi Ladies! :wave:

Had weigh-in today at LAWL and was down another 2 1/2 pounds for a total of 15 pounds in 30 days! :dance: I'm SO excited! I still have my cold, but feeling SO much better than I did on Tuesday! The temps fell to lower 60's and such a pleasant relief from the 80's!

SUE: Glad your scale arrived! That was quick service, wasn't it? My knee braces arrived today too and it is unreal the difference they make. I'm going to start walking slowly tomorrow - been off crutches for a few weeks now, so the knee braces are a welcome help to me.

AMMI: HI!! :wave:

JILLYBEAN: We have TOPS meetings here locally, but I've never attended one. Can you explain a little bit about them? That pizza sure sounds good though! That's probably my favorite food of anything! :lol:

RABIDSTOAT: I'm with ya on the doctor thing. I'm not exactly scared of them or have a doctor phobia - I just don't like them. I think most of them are arrogant and look down upon us overweight people - sigh - I guess I shouldn't feel that way, but I do. My cousin is a doctor and is really a good person, but I feel he, too, looks down on overweight people. Having said all that, we go to a husband/wife team but have never met them! They have a nurse practitioner who works with them and she can prescribe drugs and everything - she is overweight herself and is very kind and caring. She LISTENS! So, I don't care if I ever see the doctors - it took me a long time to find this person - I keep switching doctors until I find a good fit - my poor kids have been through 6-7 pediatricians - no kidding - it takes awhile, but I finally find one who doesn't make me too crazy -

JEN: We are right neck and neck at the scale! I'm around 2 1/2 pounds away from TWOTOWN!! Boy will that feel good! Yayyyyyyyyy for US!! :cheer:

MANDA: I really like the low-carb tortillas - the ones I get are only 50 cal. for the whole thing! I've never had a stomach problem from them. Sometimes you never know what will trigger it. Our local store in St. Louis recalled Dole lettuce bags of all things due to EColi - Unfortunately DH and I already got sick from the lettuce - sigh - you just never know!

Hi to everyone else!! :wave:

LORI -- Way to go with the 2 1/2 pound loss!!!!!!!! :bravo: :cheer:

I weigh in tomorrow morning so I will let you girls know how it goes....I can't wait to see.

Mom2fivesweeties – congrats and those 15lbs WOW!! Let us know how the knee brace works out for you!

I weigh in on Sundays… so we shall see where I’m at and how much closer I am to being able to use that scale I just bought <G>

Sue…

Ammi - The cashew butter was incredibly good. It was so good, I wanted to eat and eat and eat, so I threw it away. There aren't many foods that can trigger me like that (certainly not in my house!) but that made me nuts.

SueMarie - Good to talk to you again too. I follow the threads (mostly), though, so (in my head) it doesn't feel like a long time.

And it is so late for me. Night all!

I had a small victory tonight…

I have been stressing over my grade for my calculus exam, as well as I am studying for my last midterm (childrens lit) for Friday. Well I ran into the kitchen to grab some Tostitos and salsa. Well, in my salsa, I mix in some shredded cheese and sour cream. :yikes: anyways… I got all the back to the bedroom, sat at my desk and opened up the bag. As I reached in, I pulled back quickly. Then I ran out of the kitchen like a bat out of… heck… and past james who was watching the news on tv. He came into the kitchen thinking I had hurt myself. I threw everything out. Cept the chips :lol: I put those up. James asked what was wrong and I told him I almost gave in… he told me to have a carrot instead. Then I kissed him and headed back to bed to study. Me and my carrot.

I thought I would share a moment of weakness for me…

Confession is good for the soul!

Night ladies!
Sue…

Sue marie, weakness??? :bravo: sounds more like strength to me, you binned the food, not ate it, WELL DONE!! I love cheese in all its forms, I think I would have given in to a bit & then gave the rest to my hubby to finish off.

I have had a bad time of it lately, bad mood swings and eating rubbish, not exercising, shouting at hubby & losing my temper with my boys :devil: . Think I might have proper depression rather than being a bit down, my mood wo'nt lift and everything is too much trouble, housework, speaking to friends or anything, really. We go to visit my parents on Tuesday for a few days, they moved to the coast so if lots of walks on the beach do'nt lift my mood it will be a visit to the dreaded doc's :stress: . Yes I do'nt like them much, either, mine told me that my son looked ok to him, he was FINALLY diagnosed with autism, after I plagued my health visitor (similar to a practise nurse, but who cares for babies & children only) for several months. OF COURSE whatever I have wrong with me is because I'm fat!!! even migraines!!!

Sorry to be a misery, congrats to those who've lost, glad the move went well Jilly B.
Wil try you at lunchtime Ami, 12.30-1.30.

regards,
sharon :grouphug:

Hi Ladies,

I haven't been on for a few days. Just found out I'm going (home) to Georgia to get married next week!

Here's a little background. I married my ex when I was 19. It was a horrible marriage. I'll spare you the details, but it was kind of like a Lifetime movie sometimes. Nevertheless, I was determined to stay with him until he finally moved in with his girlfriend seven years ago. A couple of years later I met Lew, and we've been together ever since. I've been trying to get divorced from my ex for SEVEN years, I'm pretty sure I hold a Guinness record or something. (Well, I just checked--they don't have that record :) )

Well, just when I had quit thinking about it, divorce papers came in the mail the other day. I couldn't believe it! A couple of phone calls later, and we're planning a wedding for next week. We have two young kids of our own, and I've always hated the fact that we aren't married (can't hold my head up at church--that kind of thing :^: ), so the faster, the better.

Despite all this activity, I've been able to stay on plan except for not going to the gym yesterday, but I did go run at the park. Well, sort of. I ran a very small amount, mostly walked, but at least I tried.

Anyhow, I'll probably check back in later today and read some more posts. I have to do some shopping aftery I go to the gym this morning, and a million plans to make!

Well I just weighed in and I am down 3 more pounds....WOO HOO!!!!!! Only 4 more pounds to my goal on November 5th. Thanks to all of you for all your support.