marie - don't get me wrong - I LOVE to swim and I will keep swimming. The issue becomes the time involved, esp with getting back and forth to the pool. I'm pretty much at the point where I'm going to be forced to give up sleep, because there truly is no other room for anything to budge. Simple fact - when between work and the commute, you're out of the house for 11.5 hours a day, and you need to sleep 8 hours a night ... it becomes a real time management headache. I've told DH that what we need is another wife in the house. :D The heck with gay marriage - I want polygamy legalized.

hydra - congrats on the medical improvements! I have an appt w/my doc in mid October, and if I can walk in there under 150, my head will be high!

patch - woohoo! Peepers repaired! My spouse has a prism in his glasses - he says it made a huge amount of difference getting that fixed. I hope it works as well for you.

Cruise - yup. Balance. I can't say I've done anything since the first of the year but figure out how to find that balance. I could probably give up ice cream forever (if really forced), but when I want a beer, by gawd, it will be there! :) And none of that nasty lite stuff either - I'll save those calories for a Guinness, which ironically works out to about the same as the bowl of ice cream (premium stuff). "Normality" is indeed a wonderful threshold to pass over - so far it's been the most significant one on my list!

Hey everyone! Always glad to see this thread hopping. You all keep me motivated. Thanks!

Broke up with my bathroom guy today! Paid him his money and sent him on his way! It is finally done and it looks great. I'll post a pic or two soon.

Up early to ride again this AM and I'll be walking with my neighbor this evening. I was down a pound this AM but will wait a day or 2 to change my ticker to see if it sticks. I do not like getting up early but I am forcing myself because I know it is good for me.

Inspired by onmyway posting pics- I've posted some pics here to document my halfway point:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/mini...40lb-down.html

Canada you are doing great!!!! Glad to see the pics!
OMW, good job on the loss!!!

Mel, You look great! Thanks for posting your pics, It's very motivating to see how well others are doing. Makes us all believe that we can too! Hope everyone has a great day! Picture day at school today, off to find something cute to wear!

OMW - congrats on the bathroom! Check that one off the list! We have school pics next week - DS10 oughta take a good one - he's lost 3 teeth in one week. :D
Mel - WOW. Just ... WOW!

Back to ticker, finally - now I can get back to business. I've managed to get out of bed by 5:40 for 3 days in a row now. I joined a pledge on the Maintainer's Forum for a candy-free Halloween. I figure if I can "own" Halloween, it will be a great step toward the holiday season. Most of us are, however, distinguishing between the junk candy and our beloved premium dark chocolates ... :lol: ... and a few are only swearing to go off-plan for just Halloween night only.

CruiseCAT - so close to the 130's! Congratulations!! That must feel great.

ICUwishing - I like your snack plan. Pistachios are so good and it sounds like a plan to count some out and put them away. I often have trouble with keeping my portions reasonable.

patchwork - glad you're both on the mend. How bad is the double vision?

Marie - your morning walks sound divine. I miss mine, but I don't like to walk in the dark.

Hydra - did your doctor expect your triglycerides to be lower due to the weight loss? Just curious since I have issues with some of my blood levels and I've lost 20 pounds, too.

Onmyway - would love to see pics of your new bathroom. I'm planning to do that in the next 5 years.

CanadaMel - you look great in your pictures! It must feel good to see such a change.

Jacque - glad you found us.;)

dmc2009 - good luck on the pound!

Thanks for the kind words about the job interview and a certain person. My stomach has been in a knot since I saw the woman, so I'm not sure it would be good for my health to work there, even if I was offered the job. It was a really, really bad situation at the previous job and she's a big time bully. I feel sick just thinking about it.

onmyway - good job on the weight loss, congrats.

presmaggie - yes my doctor expects to see a lowering of my cholesterol and triglycerides. I will let you know about the results. He is testing me again in about six weeks as well.

I have been up since 5am with ibs issues. I think it was the regular crackers I ate yesterday, seems like this gluten allergy is stronger than I thought. I will be more careful today and the rest of the week.

I am just going to eat fresh fruits and veggies during the day as my bf has warned me that he is cooking dinner tonight. He plans to grill out steak and have mashed potatoes, corn and garlic bread. I am glad he gave me a heads up so I can plan ahead of time for this heavy of a meal. Pete has been very supportive of my weight loss and he is encouraging me to stay on track. He has a fondness for chocolate shakes and he has cut back recently on his consumption of them and has lost about ten pounds! He is of average weight for his height and generally has good eating habits.

presmaggie: good for you on dealing with the cake and your mother! I once lost weight on a Disney World trip by making Mickey Mouse rice crispy treats my only sweet choice. And yay for the good interview. I'm with dmc2009 and others, the woman with the horrendous attitude is more likely to have helped your cause than hurt it. Of course, I guess her presence makes it tricky to know if you even want the job. Or to work in the kind of place that would have her around.

ICUwishing: thanks for this rule of thumb you gave to wlw: allowing 3-weeks of evaluation for experiments. That's very helpful.

Hydra: I also remember Callanetics. Let us know how you like it! Yay for the doctor's visit. Impressing my doctor is one of my motivators. He's so good about getting excited about it! Hope your tummy feels better.

CruiseCAT: I love that you're going to Vegas to hike! I'll bet there are gorgeous hikes there that most tourists never see.

Onmyway: congrats on the completed bathroom! Looking forward to pix.

CanadaMel: thanks for the progression pix -- those are always so inspiring. You look great!

I didn't post yesterday because I was the designated driver for my brother's endoscopy and we had to be at the hospital before I would normally be out of bed! I didn't log on to the internet at all until last night.

My 5 lb weight gain from Saturday to Sunday is all gone and I hit a new low today! I suspect that's almost as artificial as the high number was and it will be awhile before I see another new low, so I'm going to enjoy it today!

Everyone seems to be doing awesome! Sorry I've fallen behind on the personals but I had 3 nights of sleep issues that totally messed me up. I walked 4 miles total yesterday, including a full mile on the treadmill during my lunch break. Yes, I also ate lunch : ) It has been two full weeks with no take out or retaurant food...still no movement on the scale. I'm really discouraged, I started this whole weight loss thing in earnest last October. My goal was to lose 40 lbs before my 45th birthday this October so I can finish my reconstructive surgery. Total lost in 12 months = 8lbs! I spent 6months working out in the gym religiously 3 days a week and walking 5 days a week before my back problem kicked in. I did lose 2lbs during the 4 months I couldn't workout...but here I am, nowhere near my goal after a full year. I'm going to order a home scale so I can weigh myself daily on the same scale, at the same time everyday, as well as a food scale, both as early birthday presents. But I'm just feeling really bummed out about the whole thing...and the hip/leg pain has returned a bit but I don't want to give up my walking! I'm not giving up, but am feeling kind of defeated today : (

Halfway to Weekend...
 

Hydra, now there is a big victory. The dr’s big pat on the back. Congrats and avoiding a prescription drug is awesome!!!!:carrot::carrot::carrot:

ICU, LOL!!!! :D:D I get the time issue. I got up at 4:30 today to do the elliptical in the morning so I could make my appointment this afternoon and not miss exercising. Sleep did go out the window. I’m lucky I have my exercise in my house. If I had to add travel, I couldn’t do it. So I do understand.

OMW – yeah – completed bathroom!!! Good job on getting up early.

Mel, great progress pics and I am so impressed you did your current in a swimsuit. How awesome is that???:dizzy:

Presmaggie, I can understand not wanting to walk in the dark by yourself. I have 3 huskies to protect me. We came across a cougar last spring that made me breath quickly and shallow but we moved along (BTW, I will never get the image of his eyes in my headlamp out of my mind – it was coolest green). Yesterday all three dogs lunged at a SNUNK :o, and dragged me a foot closer before I yanked back and directed them elsewhere. Why we weren’t sprayed I’m not sure. And working with bullies – if you want the job – just know it is illegal for her to make a hostile work environment. Don’t back away from a potential wonderful job because of the playground bully.

WLW, :hug:I can't set number goals because I can be the most perfect angel and never screw up calories and exercise like a banshee and my weight will come off at its own speed. I've been on my journey since April 25, 2006 so my weight loss has not been speedy. I just know it's going the right direction - just like yours is. The food scale is the most important kitchen appliance I own. I'd had a chinzy one until Hungry Girl had a link for the one they use in their kitchens. Amazon had it for $25 and it's awesome. It's accurate to a a gram. Also you can turn it on, when it reads 0, then you put your plate on it, then TARE to 0 again so that you don't have to do math. It's awesome. I can send you the link if you want.
Joy, yeah on the new low!!! :carrot: Isn’t it wonderful how persnickety the scale is?

Marie

Thanks Marie, the link would be appreciated. Also any feedback on affordable digital bathroom scales. Just looking at all the options is overwhelming!

Hi Ladies
 

Well, yesterday was hard. I had planned to have a salad when I got home but was in a rush, so I just had a small piece of fish. When I got back from a meeting at 9:00 I was starving so I made a very low cal sand. Then I got insomnia and ate a couple of sugar free popcycles. I hope that I am not going to see that late night on the scale on saturday.

Today, back to really good eating all food from home and for dinner a burger without the bun and some greens/tomatoes. Maybe a protien type burger, I can do that. I will use the lettuce as the bun! Wow, why didn''t I think of that before? lol

Just got back from morning break, I walk and now walking again at noon. No gym tonight, but hopefully, tomorrow night if all works out well.

It has been so hectic.

Good luck to all!

Hello all!

This has been a crazy busy summer. We had almost every single one of our out of town friends come through - waaaay too much socializing! ;) I also painted my whole apartment, redid the finish on the wood floors and spent tons of time out in the garden. I feel like I just stepped off a merry-go-round! I have not had time to sit and catch up in quite some time. :o

I managed to prove to myself that I really *have* turned a corner with my attitude toward eating. With all this socializing and eating out, I thought I was just asking for some of my lost pounds to come back. I was so happy to be proven wrong. I honestly did not want to overeat, and I kept my portions reasonable, not through some huge effort of willpower, but because eating reasonably is how I wanted to eat! Wow!

I have come to the dreaded closet clear-out phase though. I've now lost over 50 pounds, and I have nothing that fits. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Fortunately, I have found a fantastic second hand clothing store nearby, so I am able to get some nice things without breaking the bank, but I still need new undies and bras. Somehow I can't bring myself to buy a used bra... :p

My dance classes have started back up after a six week break. I'm so happy to be back at it, but ouch my legs! I was using my elliptical during the break, but it doesn't use all the muscles that I use while dancing. So - ow!:D

WLW - I have to second what Marie said about the weight loss happening in its own good time. I have been fat for over 15 years, and in that time I tried and tried and tried again to lose a certain number of pounds by "some specific date". It never worked and all it did was convince me I was a failure and doomed to be heavy for the rest of my life. Some people are lucky and can lose weight quickly and easily and keep it off. The rest of us have to settle for the slow and steady way. I have been working towards my goal for over two years now, and while I wish I could do it faster, that isn't what works for me. I set realistic goals now, without a date attached, and it is so much better for my morale. You have managed to lose 8 pounds, and while that isn't what you wanted to lose, it's still great! You have proven to yourself that you CAN do it!

It's good to see everyone had a great summer!

BP