Another Thread
 

Well have a look at this, I've found "another thread" :smug:

Hey EZMONEY I'm not mad, not at all. I agree with Looking that it would be easier for Jillian to answer the legitimate questions without all the other mumbo jumbo in it. I knew it already but just kept posting anyway. How selfish of me. :dizzy:

So now this empty thread can be where I can write whatever junk I'd like. If anyone would like to write some junk back to me that'd be great cause otherwise I may get lonely. :chin:

Don't you just love those little pictures. There always seem to be new ones. Going through them is sometimes the most fun I have all day.
:carrot: :cb: :carrot: :cb: :carrot: :cb:

Have a look at that, it's a dance party. :)

Bah!
 

I was sorta hoping Jillian would enjoy a bit of general chatter about her & the book as well as just being forced to answer questions. I thought that last post that made you 'leave' that thread was rather mean. But what do I know?

Anyway, have you ever posted how much weight you want to lose? You don't have to share if you don't want to, I'm just curious & wondering what they were looking for, for the australian B.L. thing.

Heh Oz, I just popped in to say "hi". The posting police doesn't come by this thread too, does it? LOL.

I agree that the thread should be a little more casual, especially since Jillian doesn't have to answer any of the questions, and other members may have good suggestions or experiences to share. It's really nice of Jillian to visit our forum and we don't want to put her on the spot. The last thing we want is for her to feel obligated to participate in a thread that she didn't sign up for. If she happens to be online, and happens to have some spare time to check up on any threads regarding her book, then that would be great! But I don't think we should put her on the spot, especially since she is such a busy person. Maybe the next thread can be called "Questions about Winning by Losing" and make it more of a community effort :)

Ooo people to talk to. Yay!
 

How annoying are those dancing fruits and vegies getting?!? I may be forced to edit the first post and delete them. I'll give them one more day and see. :dizzy:

SmartButt I think we are very much on the same wavelength. Doesn't matter anyway, the questions thread was started for the purpose of questions and ahhh whatever. Moving on.

I weigh 100kg which is 220lbs. At my audition I was the second lightest in my group and the girl that was 95kg was shorter so looked a little bigger I think. The majority of the girls seemed to be 110kg, 242lbs. The mens average weight was more like 140kg, 308lbs. The noticeable difference between the US season 1 and 2 cast and the people at the auditions was that it looks like the Aussie one will go for women that aren't just in their 20s. Will be interesting to see who they pick. Of course I'm still waiting for them to realise the error in their ways and ask me to come back. I had such big plans for what I would do with the opportunity... bugger it!

Breath

Hotgirl, well of course there is going to be policing, we can't just let "another thread" go to the dogs now. :D But let's just say it will be kept to an absolute minimum. Hahaha So hotgirl, are you really hot?

Suzanne, that's a good idea. You would think that with all the studying we are all doing we should be able to answer a few questions for each other. Actually I think it was Petra? maybe and one or two others that were answering a few already and doing a good job.

Now after seeing this post I'm sure you all can see that I was actually trying to keep my posts to a minimum on the questions board. I can certainly ramble on. :comp: I'm on a mission to use every little picture thing and in the correct context.

Oz,
My husband thinks I'm hot. My boobs and butt aren't bad, unfortunately a pack of marshmallows took up permanent residence between the two LOL. He's saying I have fricken wicked legs too over my shoulder as I type. I figured I should go with a somewhat positive handle after the phatbutt discussion :).
I'm new here but the post that made you leave the other thread was crappy. Jillian can answer any/all/none of the questions, that's her decision. She can decide what's relevant and someone trying to control the thread and making others feel bad could turn her off.

Hotgirl -- good for you for the positive handle!!!

Oz -- Maybe you can do your own Biggest Loser show in your own home... Weigh in on the same day as the show airs, up your intensity of workouts, etc... Tape the show and watch it throughout the week for motivation and tips... I dunno :shrug:.... I'm just babbling here too :lol: Good idea on opening this thread ....

B.L. down under
 

Oz look at it this way - you weren't fat enough to be chosen! That's got to put a smile on your face, come on! :)

I do know what you mean, though. My weight-loss friend and I often joke about wanting to quit our jobs for 6 months and go to a "fat camp" as they are sometimes called. Being in a controlled environment, at least for a little while, seems like it would be very helpful.

But, since I am not a millionaire and can't just quit my job, it looks like I'll have to try to do this in the real world.

I set a goal this week for myself that I want to lose 1 lb - even though this week is Thanksgiving. I doubt I've ever gone a Thanksgiving week without *gaining*, so this should be interesting.

:turkey:

This smilie frightens me.

Very long but it really helped me.
 

Hi! I am glad to have a chat forum! We can bounce our ideas off of each other. This is very long! My hope is that someone can identify with it. I have had an enlightenment and really want to see if anyone else can get anything from it.

I still haven’t gotten my book but I went to Barnes and Noble and read as much as a could. I am a slow oxidizer so that means that I will do better with lower fat and higher carb diets (right?). I went to look for a book to get more specific advice but can you believe there aren’t a lot of diet books about anything but low carb diets. Anyway, I got a Weight Watcher book (I am a member) and it is great! I have learned a lot.

I should have known that I would do best on low-fat diets because years ago I got into the best shape of my life eating low fat and doing step aerobics daily. It was a way of life and I barely thought about it. But when we moved I had to put a lot of time into getting our house ready for sale and later moving. I got away from it and I have never gotten back. I really miss all of the energy I had and the confidence. When my body was strong I just felt different.

After I got away from the low fat diet and daily exercise is when all of the media started to report that low fat diets don’t work and high protein/low carb diets were the way to go. I have been on Protein Power, 40-30-30, the zone, etc. I did feel pretty good on the zone but it was too hard to stick with long term. On protein power I felt like something the cat drug in. Exercise?? How could I?? Even when I did it was just pathetic.

For me the low carb diets are unnatural. They are great for some people but totally go against what I naturally crave and what gives me energy and makes me feel satisfied. To be honest if I were to only eat what I craved I would probably stay away from meat. I know that isn’t good. Anyway, I would start to get results (especially the zone which I was able to stick to for a lot longer that Protein Power) and give up for different reasons. Sometimes a social situation would be impossible to avoid the “wrong” foods and one wrong evening would turn into a bad day and continue until I was completely off program. I would promise myself that I would start Monday–but I dreaded it. I missed potatoes and rice.

So, for the past few years I have been going for a lower carb diet to another low carb diet. I have exercised hard but inconsistently.

Ok, so then I started to think dieting doesn’t work (even though I “dieted” before successfully and kept it off for years with little trouble until moving). So, I just exercised. That is it. I did lose some but when you are busting your butt and only getting minimal results it gets frustrating. Because of being frustrated I would work out gun ho for 3-4 months every day and then stop. I felt better exercising (mood, mobility) but I was ticked off that I wasn’t getting real results. I had thin friends who would say “I don’t workout” and I would just feel like “what the heck am I doing it for then??”.

So, Sunday I pages through Jillian’s book which lead me to think that I should get a guideline for low-fat and higher carb diets which brought me to Weight Watchers. This book has been great for me. One of the first chapters is about believing that you can lose weight. I wasn’t so sure any more.

I am a weight watcher member right now. I have lost 12 pounds. The first 7 weeks I lost 12 pounds and for the next five I haven’t done very well (or so I thought). I have learned that I was setting unrealistic goals for myself. I wanted to lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks. I thought there was no reason why I couldn’t . I just had to be perfect. I had to journal every day and I had to keep within my points and exercise every day. Piece of cake, right?? I have learned that most people take 6 months to lose 10% of their body weight. Some will do it faster but that is the exception. So, hitting a few bumps is normal; just don’t throw in the towel.

Then in chapter 3 I learned the thing that has changed my whole attitude. WILLPOWER. I really thought I was lazy, a slacker, to ready to settle for second best (if even that). When I start a diet I have a high (very) level of “dietary restraint”. I write everything down, read every label, I exercise every day, Because of that I was not able to stick with it. I have learned that having a high level of dietary restraint is associated with obesity. Over time the way I expected myself to be just could not be sustained. I was prone to being on again and off again. If I went off program one evening then I might as well forget it. Until my next start date.

In between the time I left the program so to speak and until I started again I ate anything. Fast food-regular soda-pizza-candy. I had absolute abandonment of a healthy diet. The author called it “dietary disinhibition”.

In social situations I would watch my friends eat and eat and the same friends would tell me they don’t exercise and giggle at their lack of fitness. I would just think what on earth?? Am I trying too hard? Have I ruined my metabolism? Maybe I need to quit dieting. Maybe there is a set point. What I never thought of is that they may have gone all day without eating or will eat very little the next day to compensate for it. Not me. I would be upset and eat without any restraint out of frustration and giving up.


It isn’t about willpower or getting real. It is about setting up and environment that helps me–if I have candy and don’t plan healthy meals I am going to reach for what is quick not what is healthy and I need to prepare it or worse go to the store to get it. I need to prepare for social situations and practice how I am going to handle them and other temptations. I can’t willpower it alone. I need tools. An attractive fruit bowl is a tool. Regular shopping trips is a tool. Preparing meals is a tool (I am thinking of cooking one afternoon and freezing meals for the week). Rehearsing social situations is a tool (drinking especially).

I am going to create strategies that I can use today. I am going to give it a few days and if one of my strategies isn’t working I am going to plan b. For example: I want to exercise at home. I wasn’t able to do it today. I am going to keep working at morning exercise for a few more days. If that doesn’t work I have checked into a class. I have to exercise. I just need to figure out what is going to work consistently for me. I really love exercising to a video at home but the mornings are sometimes too full. Maybe plan b will be to exercise after dinner.


Anyway, I wanted to share and it really feels good to get this all out on paper–to sort out what is in my head. I hope this helps someone. If not, I really appreciate the outlet.

re: diets
 

Gina - I understand what you mean. I'm a fast oxidizer so I need to stick with the low carbs, but I can still relate to trying to have "willpower".

I've directed myself to a new mindset. I count my calories for the day. I try as hard as I can to lean toward healthy choices in my food. I can say to myself, ok let's see. I can have an entire lean steak, or I can have 1/4 of a cheeseburger from McDonalds. Which would I rather have? That sort of thing.

Even if I go crazy and eat something high-calorie for lunch, I just cut down the calories for my dinner so that I don't go too high. That way, I never feel like I'm going "off" any "diet". I hate that feeling. I would rather just feel like I'm making smart choices and still being able to eat what I want. That feeling of being denied the foods I like, sucks. And I don't feel that way at all when I just count calories.

Gina....SOUNDS GOOD TO ME GF!!! You know what else?... I can hear the committment in your post!! Not a false one, this (I think) is your A HA moment. Listen, I've been in your shoes many times as most of us here, and you just reach a point where you need to rely on and develop your own special tools for you to succeed. I think you've really thought this out and it can only bring you success. A poster on another thread said...(Ilene I think..) "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" This has certainly hit a cord with me. I am always planning ahead and in doing so....setting myself up to succeed. Success can be measured in many ways, big or small. We went out for dinner on the weekend, and I made sure the restaurant had grilled/broiled seafood. I didn't want to go to a pasta place and get the typical alfredo dish.... I always have a variety of protein foods for a quick snack.....I immediately get into my workout clothes when I get up..... Start making a list and you'll be surprized at how many ' successes' you can have in a day. Great post of yours!!!

Hotgirl, I wish I had someone standing behind me encouraging me to post about my best features. That's awesome. I think your marshmellows have an extended family that have taken up residents between my boobs and butt.

Ilene, well I'm installing the cameras around the house today for my very own BL show. Wonder if the family are going to mind.. :) I do find the shows very inspirational, they're not actually going to be shown here until Feb though so I think I'll get started anyway. Maybe I should call NBC and see if they want the rights to my show..hmmm money maker.

SmartButt, I WISH I was too skinny for the show. :goodscale

Gina Gina Gina, I was laughing at the mental picture I had of you sitting in the book shop doing your oxidiser test and taking notes. I know exactly where you're coming from though, especially those between diets times where you can eat pretty much anything because it's your last chance before the Monday diet, I'm soooo guilty of that.

The thing that you said that struck a cord with me though was in your second post, where you mentioned forgiving yourself. When I thought about it I haven't forgiven myself, I get so angry at myself for allowing myself to get this way and having it comsume my life for so many years. That's what I'm going to work on.. forgiveness. Thanks for your post, now keep us informed of how it's all going, although that chicken on your ticker looks awefully determined to get to the other end of the worm.

Gina and Angel -- YES :dance: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" That saying has helped me so many times you cannot imagine! I'm glad to see that it has helped you too. When I first read it, and I think it was Mel or Meg who said it first, it didn't click with me. Then one day in the LWL forum the girls were talking about making their meals on Sunday and packaging it for the week :gossip: ... This is when the planning clicked with me. I now always make too much food in order to have leftovers for a few days so I don't have to think about what I can grab and eat... I always plan what I will eat at a restaurant too before I get there... Planning exercise is the easy part. for me it's the food that kills me :faint: ....

Nice One!
 

Oh Ilene, I bow down to you. The use of the pictures in that last post was no less than masterful! :bravo:

Hey Oz~~ Way To Step Up To The Plate On The Thread Issue`` The Other Gal Is Kinda Right....maybe A Little Nasty.....great Job Of Doing The Right Thing!

That's our Ilene...she's the Smilies Mistress here at 3FC. ;) :carrot:

I've been reading this thread with a lot of interest...because you guys are hitting the nail right on the head IMO. You know what...one of your most important tools in attaining your goals (not just in weight loss but in LIFE) is your...noggin. :D That is...using your head in PLANNING and having a long-term STRATEGY...rather than depending on "willpower" or the Miracle Diet of the Week. Through my own personal experience I'm convinced that "willpower" either doesn't exist or is VASTLY overrated. What will *ultimately* be a MAJOR key in losing AND KEEPING OFF weight is not "Willpower"...it's "BRAINpower". :woo:

Think of yourself as a five-star general planning a major battle...or a football coach strategizing a play in the Super Bowl; that's what YOU are doing - a lot of your success in this "game of weight loss" is the success of your strategy - planning AND follow-through...creating a healthy environment geared for success in your endeavors by eliminating 'land mines' in your house (i.e. junk food for example), a positive environment by surrounding yourself with support (one of my personal mottos is *Accentuate the Positive* :carrot: ) and sticking to your plan by prioritizing your health - instead of finding reasons why you CAN'T exercise, find ways to fit MORE in your life...just like anything else, practice makes perfect - nothing like healthy habits to get those positive juices flowing :) and affecting everyone around you as well!

Brainpower also means (IMO of course) learning and reading from as many sources as possible (also separating the good stuff from the giant loads of crap that litter the weight loss landscape!). To supplement your reading of Winning at Losing you might want to check out the following books - these are definitely worthwhile reading...

• Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution -yeah I know there are a lot of folks who are not really big Dr. Phil fans, but this book is the real deal - it goes into the whole 'head issue' more than any other book I've read, before or since.
• Body for Life For Women by Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP - not the same as the original BFL plan but I think it's BETTER - it's a book that women can keep on the shelf and refer to again and again; I love the fact that Dr. Peeke stresses the differences in women at different ages and the weight loss issues at each age.
• Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher...what can I say...just check out our Maintainers Forum here for the reading group threads.

Incidentally, all of the above books should be available at your local library or via inter-library loan - I'm a staunch believer in 'read before you buy' whenever possible ;)

If you find you enjoy weight training (it's GREAT!) and want to learn more and discuss strength training with like-minded women, you need go no further than our own Ladies who Lift forum :wl: Check it out...oh and I must mention everyone's favorite weight training site (well MINE anyway... :lol: ) - Krista Scott Dixon's Weight Training for Women website - with OODLES of terrific *FREE* info (not to mention extremely entertaining reading!).

Okay...as usual once I get started it's IMPOSSIBLE to shut me up...but my Calgon bath is calling... :cloud9: time for my nightly R&R...

Somehow I missed out on the drama that started this new thread...but it seems to have brought out the ramblers...I say amen to that! :yes:

I need to work on more planning....I find I enjoy rifling through recipe books finding new ideas... :T

Thanks for the thoughtful posts. Mrs Jim...I like searching your user name to reread your posts. Jeez - I sound like a stalker...but I learn so much from you!


OOOOOHHHH New Xmas smilies (Doncha love people with short attention spans?)....Yay!!!

Thanks EZMONEY I'm glad you approve. Did you notice you had a message deleted? Naughty naughty :tape: Yay I was wondering how I'd use that picture. :joker:

Thanks for all that MrsJim I do love research so I'll be going through all your info. You'd think at 31 having been dieting since I was 8 that I would know what I was doing by now. :no:

Hey chick, nice hat. ;) You didn't miss any drama. Looking just made the point that it would be better for Jillian if there were just questions in that thread so she didn't have to read so much stuff. As it was Lookings thread and as she had asked a couple of times before, I decided I should apologize for knowingly going against her request. So I started this to write the crap and I'll write questions in the other. I think some people thought I was pissed off so there may have been some confusion which perhaps caused drama. :shrug: I probably didn't use enough smilies. You can never have too many you know! :p

Help!!
 

Now on to the important stuff, let's talk about me. ;)

So today 12 women and 12 men should have received calls saying that they had made the next stage of the casting for the Aussie BL show. The problem is that the casting people have as yet failed to realise the error in their ways and haven't re-added me to their list.

A number of really great people have sent me messages here of encouragement and telling me to make them change their minds. Thanks so much!!

So the situation is getting pretty dire and if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. All I have come up with is asking people to email letters of support, so here goes.

I humbly ask anyone that has the time and the urge to please email Kirsty at [email protected] and suggest in anyway you feel appropriate that I be reconsidered as a cast member. My name is Alisa Campbell as they would not know me as OzLoserToBe. :^:

I know none of you know me so don't feel obliged in anyway, it was just a thought...

You see how desperate I am, there's hardly any smilies in this post. Sheesh!

WOW! OZ~ :shrug: I have over 1,000 posts on 3FC and have never had one deleted! :dunno: Maybe you ARE a trouble maker ;)

Sent in my choice for BL for you.

Bl!
 

Ok Oz, I have emailed my desperate plea to them.

I ended with this....

"I'm sure there were hard decisions to make and many wonderful, deserving people to choose from. But if I can do anything to get Alisa reconsidered for the show, I will. Although this email seems like a small thing.... I've heard that sometimes small things can make a world of difference.

Thank you for reading. :)

Laura"

So, let's hope that resonates within SOMEONE over there.

Aww
 

Thanks so much girls. It means so much to me that you'd do that, even though I am a trouble maker. :smug:

Anyway I heard back from the casting director and she said thanks for the emails and that if someone was to drop out that I would be considered. She also said that she was only 1 of 4 in the decision making though. So now I have to find a way to get to the other 3.

Thanks again and I think we can stop writing to Kirsty. :D

OK I'm off to research.

hehehe
 

In other words, "tell those insane people at 3FC to stop writing to me!"

Maybe Jillian gets a say! Go bug her, now! hehehe, just kidding.

Who are these 3 other mysterious people? One can only imagine.

If I had Jillian's backing surely they'd listen, I'm sure she gets many people asking for help though. I did message Emma to see if she would email her about it though. Gotta try.

The other three people were at the auditions. Two were from Crackerjack the production company and the other was a woman from the network. The only name I know for sure is Carl Fennessy, he's the executive producer at Crackerjack. Am yet to find a way to contact him. Will keep trying though. :)

oz - don't stress! we can do our own 'online' version using jillians help and kick butt :D

i think we will be one of the few who will actually be able to watch the aussie version too.

i admire you for trying out - i thought about it but couldn't bring myself to do it. i have enough of a fear of people knowing that i might exercise (not to mention a fear of exercising in front of people), let alone letting the country watch me go through it all.

i am not sure if you said this before - but did they give you a reason why you weren't accepted?

No reason, they just made a cut. I think it was just if you fit into their plot for the show.

I'm not at all worried about the losing weight and getting healthy part, I know I can do that without the show. It's other opportunities that would come from the show that I'm after.

I was really depressed earlier this year, really really bad and it was a couple of things on TV that I saw that helped me. One was an interview on Oprah with Brooke Shields, of course I didn't have the post baby depression but seeing her recovery really helped me. I thought I'd never feel normal again but I figured if she could do it so could I. Another was a guy that had been hit by a car on two occassions and as a result was paralised (how dare I feel bad for myself) anyway he spoke of how he felt as though his soul was outside his body instread of being inside. It's hard to understand unless you've felt exactly that but for me knowing that someone else had gone through the same mental/physical experience as me, well it really helped. I want to be that for other people. I want people to know there is no shame in feeling depressed or anxious and I want to inspire people to fight it. I want to help people fight their weightloss battles because life is way too short to spend being tortured by this demon. This show could put me in a position to do that. Anyway I haven't given up.

I think it was your post that mentioned you had a couple of deaths in the family. I'm so sorry to hear that and hope your family is dealing as well as can be expected. You're in my prayers.

can't remember his name
 

I think the last day I ever felt truly sorry for myself was right before I saw this guy on TV... I don't remember his name or what show he was on, maybe someone else saw it.

He was a young studly guy living in San Francisco, then got into a bad motorcycle accident. The gas tank emptied onto him and he was set on fire and burned very badly over most of his body. I believe he lost his fingers from the fire as well.

He talked about wanting to die so badly in the hospital, but of finally one day just making the decision to live, and to live well.

One of his dreams was to be a pilot so he wound up taking lessons and learned how to fly a small plane, despite his lack of fingers.

Anyway, his plane crashed, leaving him now paralyzed as well.

To hear this guy's story, and to see the positive attitude he found again, is just amazing. Life is pretty damn good for most of us, that's all I have to say!

Update: just found the site about him: http://www.wmitchell.com/about.html

Well, guess what? You already are doing that for me (and who knows how many other people who read this forum)...for that I say THANKS!!! :hug:

I still hope you make it on the show :goodluck:

Wow hey. The strength people find is amazing.

I have travelled through Africa a bit, I am obsessed by that continent. One memory that sticks in my mind was one day when I was crossing the border between Kenya and Uganda and there were people all over with really bad deformaties. They were using sticks as crutches and some had turned old bikes into wheelchairs. The numbers were unbelievable. When I asked what had happened I was told it was polio, yep a disease that is prevented by a 50c droplet that is put in our mouths as babies and supplied by the government.

I felt so angry, felt helpless, felt inspired.. the range of emotions was somewhat confusing and overwhelming.

Aww thanks chickie. :)

It's posts and messages from people like you that put a smile on my face everyday.

I only read page one of this thread but I wondering, what if we did a "WBL Daily Dish" every day and we can post how we're doing, general chatter and questions that don't necessarily require Jillians attention? I know that it's done on other forums and this way nobody would need to go through pages to get to what's going on on any particular day?

I've read Jillian's book and am SO impressed. Like Jen, I'm a little daunted by the exercise. With holidays coming, I'm not really ready to get down to the nitty gritty but I have followed some suggestions in the book and as a fast oxidizer am upping my protien and trying to never eat carbs alone. I've not been to the gym in months but have packed my clothes to go after work. As I work until midnight, my plan is to do some light cardio. As my lifestyle is sedintary (second only to bed rest I'm sure!) I know at this point, ANY movement is something to cheer about. I'm also going to step on the scale and see if my trying to be good has shed any weight. I was 331 on the 7th and I'm certainly not expecting much if any. I am so ready for change and I know that it really will be an ounce at a time.

Kristin

beware: very long post ahead....
 

I admit, I do get a bit overwhelmed with the threads here. One for a weigh in, one for a check in, one for food journals, one for exercise logs, and of course the infamous one for questions to Jillian herself.

The threads get to be too much for me to read sometimes. Even though the original reason Oz started this thread was to not "chat" in another thread specifically for questions... if you look at any of these threads they are all interspersed with random chit chat to see how one another is doing. I think that's just the nature of any message board. I agree with Suzanne that a thread just called "questions about winning by losing" would be nice, so everyone could add their two cents. Perhaps that will happen at some point soon.

Kristin - I have some suggestions. Really let it sink in that this is going to be a tough battle. I have to try and remind myself of that every day. Light aerobic exericse is good, but try maybe during the workout to up your heartrate to the suggested maximum for as long as you can, then go back down to what's comfortable. At least then you're getting some serious energy going. The exercises are TOUGH. Tough tough tough. But stay strong. I know Jillian's first video (that contains what seems to be the same exercises in the book at a VERY fast pace) made me want to sit down and cry because I couldn't keep up even a little. But thankfully I have a wonderful man, who sat down with me and said that there's no way anyone could be expected to do her full workout on the first try. He told me not to give up, because if I give up obviously I'll NEVER be able to do it. If I just do what I can for as long as I can, eventually I'll be able to do more and more. It's hard because I'm a perfectionist sometimes, and I want to be the BEST at what I do... and I actually have to admit that I'm going to be a big wuss for a while until I can build up to kicking butt. :strong:

On another note, the one thing that concerns me the most is when people say they are going to not take dieting seriously during the Holidays. But...this is the most important time! This is the time of over-indulgence, and it doesn't need to be! Think about it - why do people get this mindset like they have to pig out on a holiday as if food is going to disappear off the face of the earth the next day? I happen to know someone very close to me who uses every occasion, get-together and holiday as an excuse to eat way over her calorie limits. It makes me feel so frustrated. Now, if I hear my brain start to go "but, its so-and-so's birthday, I can eat a ton of food and a piece of cake if I WANT to!", I just let the other part of my brain say "Shut up, that's a stupid excuse and you know it." :)

My plan this year is to count the calories out beforehand of what I'm going to eat. Sure, I will be at parties where I have no idea what's going to be served, but I can take a wild guess while I'm there. I see overweight people like myself at these parties, piling on the food and giggling they're "off" their diet today, this week, etc. :nono: It's your LIFE. You don't go off your "life"!

When I planned out my Thanksgiving dinner, with appetizers, dessert and all, it turns out to be 1300 calories. That's an insane amount of calories for what I consider to be very small portions of food. (1/4 cup of this, 1/2 cup of that.) So my plan is to have the Weight control oatmeal for breakfast that day (160 calories), and an apple and some sprouted grain toast w/margarine for lunch (80 calories and 125 calories respectively). That will bring my total for the day to 1665. Since my AMR was somewhere in the 1750 range, I shouldn't *gain* any weight. I also made sure today and yesterday were 1200 calorie days (I never go under 1200), and I did some exercise the past two days as well. I've heard its also good to go for a walk Thanksgiving morning, but since we're hosting it, I'll be too busy.

So that's my 2 billion cents. I hope no one fell asleep. I put some smilies in to keep Oz entertained. :D

SmartButt, here I was all concerned that you were going to throw the towel in on the exercise when you're actually doing great. The point you made about the holidays etc was very valid. And the planning you're putting into it, preparing 2 days in advance by lowering your calories... I'm sooo impressed. :bravo:

Also how wonderful that you have such a supportive husband, just great. Keep it up! Thanks for the smilies. ;)

I agree with Smartbutt.....this is ONLY ONE DAY!!! PEOPLE.....most people focus on what they CAN'T have and then over induldge. Why not try focussing on what YOU CAN HAVE!! My day is already planned out as its just the 4 of us and since dh is home, and the gym is open for a few hours.....I'm heading for an early workout. Why wouldn't tommorow be a part of my workout week!!! :carrot:

There goes SmartButt living up to her screen name....I agree completely with the peeve that people say - I'll start after this or that occasion. No time like the present, I say! I'm cooking tomorrow - but I'll fit a walk in somewhere in the morning while everything is baking. It's my workout rest day - but I always try to at least get a walk in...otherwise I have Dobie nose in my face until I do. :carrot: As for what I'm cooking - turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips, green salad, wheat rolls, lowfat pumpkin pie....it shouldn't be too out of control. (It's pretty easy with my parents - they are quite calorie conscious). I'm planning a light breakfast and very light late meal.

KristinJ - maybe try parts of the workout to start....split it up into two 1/2 hours...make your cardio just a brisk walk to start. You don't want to be so intimidated by it that you don't make a consistent habit of exercising. Because I think that is the most important thing. You can do it - you just have to start - the starting is the hard part, once you are moving it feels good and you're glad you did it. IMO of course.

As for what to do in different threads....I say whatevah....I'm up for anything.

I completely understand what you're saying about starting after the holidays but I assure you that I'm not using it as an excuse to over indulge. I just don't have the concentration to count calories. It's the counting that is waiting for the new year not the more healthy way of eating. For example, I didn't sign up for the bake exchange at work this year because I knew there was no reason to have sugary treats in the house when it's just me. I don't want to eat them and I certainly don't need to eat them. I currently have no junk food in my house. Those types of things.

As for the light aerobic activity, I always get up into my target heart rate -- it doesn't take much. :)

Hope everyone is having a good day and working hard.

Kristin

How I'm going.
 

I was going to post this all seperately in the appropraite threads but I'm lazy so here it all is together.

Food : I've eaten 2L of full fat chocolate icecream over the last two days. Oh darn that's not right is it?? :devil:

Exercise : I haven't been to the gym or done anything remotely physical since Tuesday. I don't think that's how it's suppose to work either. :nono:

Weight : Who knows, I'm not getting on the scale. :shrug:

Right then looking on the positive side I am still harrassing the producers of the Oz BL show which is really tough for me. :rollpin: My mum can't believe my dedication.

And I bought a heart rate monitor this week and it has a little fitness test thing in it. I did the test last night (it's a lay down test so extremely strenuous) and the thing told me that I'm in elite physical condition. I thought I should send it back because it's broken then I decided I didn't care if it was broken it's nice to read. :D

Well that about completes week one of my 4 week downward spiral program. ;)

bad bad oz!
 

You are showing the dedication to the show but not your current life? Come on, woman! No downward spirals for you. (By the way do the downward spirals in Australia swirl to the left or to the right?...hardy har).

I ate over what I'd planned out, but that was a combination of minor mistakes. I feel like I ate more than I needed to, I have that "overly full" feeling that i HATE and that always makes me feel guilty. But on the bright side, this is my first calorie-counting holiday, so I feel I am more equipped with strategies for the next one, which of course will be Christmas.

Does anyone else get pressure from relatives or friends to 'ease up' and just eat eat eat at the holidays? It seems like people try to push food on you even when you say you're fine. Why do they do this?

Oz, you gotta start Jillian's workouts with me. I can't be the only one who can barely move in the mornings out of sheer pain!

Okay Oz....."miss elite physical condition"....WHAT ARE YOU DOING?....Consider this an authorized Jillian's girls BUTT KICKING!!! :rollpin: Seriously though, I agree with Smartbutt.....stop the downward spiral now before the 2L turns into a gallon of icecream. :yikes: Think of small steps....if a whole day OP is overwhelming. Don't put yourself in those kinds of situations.....STEP AWAY FROM THE ICECREAM!!! LOL...... You can do this!!!! :hug: