Carrie I count my weight every Monday morning. But I weigh every morning. This morning I was back down to 149.2. Had to be the spaghetti!!! LOL

Lara I don't know if I would like wheat noodles. But I think that I am going to have to try them. As far as the sauce, I really don't eat that much. And I don't put meat in it. I have hard enough time with cooking and me and browning meat just don't mix. I always burn it, lol. But the garlic bread is what got me. I think I had like 6 pieces. I was hoping dh would have ate more but he didn't.


My pleateau keeps fluctating between 148.2 and 150. Those are highest and lowest I have been this whole past week. I mean it's not bad. But I like to see progress, not progress and regression. You know? Course I am getting closer to my goal so I figure that has something to do with it also. But I really need to get my exercise back on track. I was going to go for a walk today, but my DS wanted to stay home and watch TV. And of course I can't leave him home by himself. So we waited for DH to get home to stay with him, and *POOF* there goes my motivation. So here I am on the computer, lol. My calories weren't too bad today. But I did eat some of my son's fries and drank a little of his pop. And it tasted horrible!!! I don't know why I use to like it so much. But now I got that crap out of my system again. Well Deadliest Catch is going to be on soon!!! God I love that show!!
Mary

Hi all!

I had a good weekend and a good day today. I stayed around 1600. I am down 2 pounds - woo hoo! I'm getting close to my Memorial Day goal. Can't wait to break through to the 100's.

Zenor - congrats on the size drop. I can't wait to get there. Oh, and when you figure out how you got your sodium so low, I'd love to know your trick.

cjc92802 - the mei tei sounds cool.

Natalia - Good for you for tracking your splurge. It seems to put it in perspective and make it not so larger than life.

GrammyL - You're getting somewhere by identifying DH as a trigger. Maybe you just feel like he accepts you unconditionally, so you feel comfortable eating around him?

Tinky - I have an electronic scale. The differences can be maddening. I always go with whatever number I get twice.

Abbyin - good luck on the not smoking.

Luc's mom - That is so great that your son is in on this too. You're doing him a great favor teaching him how to eat properly.

Petra - Here are some break through the plateau vibes coming your way.

:hug: :hug: :hug:
Abby,
Congrats! You are half way there.
And keeping up with your diet is a great thing to focus on.
If you keep something important to focus on you will do it!

I Focused on Breathing the last time.
I had a bad case of Bronchitis and ended up in the hospital.
So after wards, I just kept mentally breathing in the fresh air, while I Breathed out the stale bad air.
I kept at it. It hurt so bad to just get in the air. And here I am, 5 yrs later.

You go girl!
You can do it!
A new addiction. WoW ! that’s one I want too. :D

Natalia - Good job working out!

Lara - Glad you're back on track. Are you having to cook two different meals?

My "baby A" is Olivia, too. No, I didn't plan on having twins. We were going to stop our family at 2, but we got 3. Oh well, I don't know which one I would give back, so I guess I'll keep both. :)

Tinky - Why don't you get yourself some healthier options to throw on the grill? Marinaded chicken breasts; mushroom/zucchini/tomato/onion kabobs; corn on the cob. Not that you can't have the ribs or roast, but if you have something else to fill up on, then you can just taste the less plan-friendly foods. Have your cake and eat it too. (But don't each more than 2 cubic inches, or you'll go over your calories for the day. ;) )

I do Curves, so it's strength training with cardio. Have to knock it out all in one shot, or I'd never get any exercise at all. I'm lucky to get that 30 minutes! I've heard that you get better results when you do cardio before strength training.

My scale is digital, because I wouldn't have been able to read it otherwise when I was preggo with the babies. I wouldn't worry about the disparity between scales - just stick to weighing on one all the time, so that way you will know how much your weight has changed (which is more important than having an exact number).

zenor - Great job on the Na!! I don't know what mine is, except that I do know when I've had too much. Can you have too little? If so, what are the side effects? We only use sea salt around here.

And DO get the Diva! It comes with a pin that you can put on your purse or bag - I wear mine on my backpack strap, but I think I'll put it on my new baby carrier.

Theresa - I'm sure they are beautiful! We named one of our newest daughters "Laurel" because we love the mountains and the mountain laurels. On one of our first "vacations", before we were married, we went camping in the mountains here (Va). We hiked up a (relatively) big mountain through enormous swaths of rhododendrons, almost in bloom, and about 15 feet high. They were so thick that it was like walking in a tunnel. And at our first house together, we had two scraggly little rhododendrons outside the front door. They only did well because we had pines all around, but our dog (miss her!) did everything in her power to destroy them. They survived despite her best efforts. At our next house in Va Beach, the Botanical Gardens had a grove of individual ones - when they were all in bloom, they looked like decorated Christmas trees. Those flowers have so many good memories around them!

abbyin - So proud of you for giving this a good try. Don't beat yourself up over not logging your calories. You'll get back on and I agree that it's a better addiction to have than smoking. My husband and I smoked on and off when we met, and I remember how hard even that little bit we did was quitting. You can do it, girl!

Luc's mom - Sorry you're feeling drained! How's your exercise going now? Dehydration can make you feel like that - maybe you need to up your intake, since fat metabolism requires a lot of water.

Lasagna sounds good, and bunches of it! Yes, you should keep some healthy snacks around while you're cooking. You can also chew gum and keep your teeth brushed - I have a hard time justifying a treat when my mouth feels so fresh.

Mary - Yea, I'm glad that you're below 150! I weigh everyday too. I had a 3.5 pound loss in the last week. I think I'll have to up my calories a bit. I know they're been below where the should be, but I can't help it now. Anything I see approaching 2000 makes me nervous! But I also know if I drop too quickly, I'll not be able to keep it off as easy, and I need to give my "twinskin" time to shrink gradually. In the weight I've already lost, I'm wrinkly. I pointed it out to my husband today (how it was getting more wrinkled) and he said he didn't even know it looked like that. I wonder how he could not notice....but he is a guy, after all.

I also only use whole wheat noodles. They don't taste that much different, in my opinion, but the texture is different. They are much firmer (but not crunchy). You could try mixing the noodles to gradually wean yourself (and family) onto whole wheat ones. Do you use Prego/Ragu for spaghetti? I make my own spaghetti sauce (much better than jars) and the only salt is from the canned tomatoes (which is nothing compared to store bought sauces). I make it up in huge vats, and then freeze it.

Today's numbers:
Total: 1738
Fat: 40 359 22%
Sat: 11 103 6%
Poly: 2 21 1%
Mono: 4 39 2%
Carbs: 256 911 55%
Fiber: 29 0 0%
Protein: 94 376 23%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

Okay, I have a very bingy moment this evening, after dinner. I had a good dinner, a 3oz. portion of filet mignon, 2 c. broccoli, left my baked potato on my plate. But afterwards, while my husband was in the living room playing with the girls, I was eating the lowfat butter pecan ice cream by spoonfuls, standing in front of the freezer. I kept going back, I figure I had about 1 cup. I dutifully logged it into FitDay. Even with that, my calories were lower today. I had a 3.5 pound loss last week, and I don't know if I should still be dropping that fast. Here's my weightloss progression, please feel free to critique. First 10 days - 9 pounds. Next 7 days - 1 pound. Next 7 days - 3.5 pounds. That's 3.9 pounds/week average. Is that okay because it was the beginning with water weight?

4/13/2007 197.0
4/24/2007 188.0 Tuesday
4/25/2007 189.5 Wednesday
4/26/2007 188.0 Thursday
4/27/2007 188.5 Friday
4/28/2007 186.0 Saturday
4/29/2007 187.0 Sunday
4/30/2007 187.0 Monday
5/1/2007 187.0 Tuesday
5/2/2007 186.0 Wednesday
5/3/2007 186.5 Thursday
5/4/2007 Friday
5/5/2007 186.5 Saturday
5/6/2007 183.5 Sunday
5/7/2007 183.0 Monday
5/8/2007 183.5 Tuesday

Good Evening all!!! Well I had a very productive day. I walked up 11 floors of stairs at work with my co-workers. Goodness it burned my thighs. Then I went and did 30 mins of strength training, and then went home and did my daily 2 miles on the Elliptical. I feel wonderful! :D

Carrie- well after all this hard work and making healthy choices, I don't even want to look at ribs or roast come this weekend. LOL I got some chicken or salmon with my name on it! Mmmmm kabobs....thanks for the idea! You're awesome for getting exercise with your busy life at home! I think that's very cool!

Luc's Mom- You can do it, have your fruits and veggies around and when it comes to lasagna time have a little bit within your calorie allowance. You are allowed to indulge.

Zenor-Great job at keeping the sodium low, I'm working it too! You go girl! :)

GrammyL- The pups are doing great, my first one is about 9 months now, but she acts more like a puppy even more with the little one being around. They're getting better by the day, they love to push each other's button. I admit it's very funny to watch. LOL!

RE: the Scale--Thanks everyone for answering my questions. I had my two co-workers who know their weight jump on the scale to weigh themselves, and the scale was accurate each time, so....I'm going by what the one says, so I lost another 2 lbs I think. LOL So I'm pretty stoked! It was maddening because one digital was 4 lbs more and the other one was 1 lb more. Ugh! LOL! Oh well! Just want to be in the 180's by the end of May even if it is 189!

Well I only have time to do a 30 min session at work,so I'll just weight train there 3 days a week, and still do my cardio 5 days a week. Thank goodness we have a gym there!
Well till tomorrow morning! Have a great evening everyone!

It was so nice out today, we walked to the park. We have a couple "ergo baby carriers" and for an added punch I carried my 3 year old on my back in the carrier to the park (30 pounds) and on the way home I carried my SIX year old (43 pounds). LOL The carrier holds up to 60 pounds.

People always comment on how I'm carrying the bigger kid while my husband carries the newborn. It makes him look like the biggest ***, but I like the exercise. haha!

Cals good today. 1370

I know my sodium is from the processed foods. I use canned beans. If I'd just cook up my own beans, I eat a ton of beans.
Plus I bought some organic smoked turkey slices. It used to taste so good to me, now all I taste is salt. <kicking and screaming> I don't wanna cook a turkey or soak beans!

Need to let it out
 

Well I caught up on the posts. Ya'll have been busy posters :D . That means good support. WTG ladies! Well it's not good over here in my neck of the woods. I haven't been on plan in a week. i had to cancel my gym membership due to finances ($87 a month for the gym or pay the bills). My oldest DD is having trouble at school and has been taking things (ok stealing, but that sounds so harsh) from DH and me. I am hitting depression now which is making my logical thinking skills go out the window right along with my eating plan. Then tonight during a discussion with DH I found out that he does have an issue with my weight (as far as my eating habits and exercise, not my looks or so he says). That was crumbling to me. It hurt so bad to have the one person in this world who's opinion matters to me let me know (in a round about way) that I am a disappoinment. I've kept the tears in all night but now as I post here they come. He's a wonderful man and very supportive so this was a real shock. I feel so lost! Without the gym I have no idea what to do as far as exercise. I feel like a failure because I've gone off plan with eating. I know in my head that feeling this way won't get me anywhere and that I just need to pull myself back up and work harder, but my heart is just aching right now and I feel like I can't, if that makes any sense. I'll probably feel better after a good night's sleep and a good cry. I hope. sorry to be whiny tonight ladies, but I just had to get it out and had no where to turn. Oh and to top everything off I saw my foot doc yesterday and found out that I will not be able to avoid surgery. He is working with me to get through the summer (so that I can take the kids hiking and to the park and stuff)and then as soon as school goes back in September he says that I have to go in. that means 2 months completely off my feet, then another month in a walking cast with minimal weight bearing on my foot and then 6 weeks assisted walking (cane) no strenuous exercise, then I can start slowly working back up to normal activities. How can I lose anything with 4 1/2 months no exercise involving my left foot? PLEASE PLEASE ladies I so need some help here. I feel so overwhelmed. I wish I had someone just to hug me and tell me it's ok. Someone that I could cry on for just a little while. But I don't. I have to cry in silence so that I don't wake anyone up. So that I don't hurt DH's feelings for just being honest with me. Oh god I am so frustrated!!!! Anyway sorry again for whining. I will be more positive next time I promise. I just had to let it out and ya'll are all I've got. Thanks guys.

I'm sorry you're having a rough patch Heather. I know my hubby does not like my weight at all when I balloon up. I just have to remember that he thinks the world of me and does so many things for me each day, that shows how much he loves me. He's not used to seeing me heavy and its hard on him.

Honestly, I have lost all of my weight to this point without exercise. I'm mostly sitting all day (aside from my first good walk today). The nice thing about calorie counting is you can lower it to maintain weight loss with any metabolism/activity level.

I hope you can find some calm in your life and feel motivated to keep going on your weight loss journey. I know its so hard to focus when stress-ors creep in. Its like a full time job losing weight!

Heather :hug: I'm so sorry that you're going through this.
CoolMom is right, you can lower your caloric intake to adjust to your situation.
Please stay strong, I know you can and will persevere through this, and get to your goals!

wow, Heather, that is rough :(
SOmetimes, though, guys aren't the best at articulating what they are saying, so maybe it came out different than how he meant it? I know what you mean, though. Dh has never said a negative word about my weight , so it would be a huge blow to hear him "go there".

Yesterday I did okay. I didn't manage to go on the exercise bike, I was so sore from the day before, lol. And I had a busy afternoon and went on a date with dh..was a good girl and although he wanted to go out to eat we're a bit short on cash this week and I knew the sodium would be akiller, so I made some ground turkey and taco seasoning, and made us "taco salad" without the chips.

Breakie- 1 pc toast, becel lite, 3oz cottage cheese, 1c strawberries
snack- 1 orange
Lunch- 1 can tuna
supper- taco salad no chips
snack- 3/4 c lemon meringue source yogurt

I found an interesting recipe on the weight watchers recipe section.
It tastes almost like the filling for a lemon meringue pie, and is extremely healthy and low cal.
Just 1 packet diet lemon jello
1 c boiling water
1 c lemon flavored , sugar free yogurt (I used source lemon parfait)
Dissolve the jello in the boiling water. When it cools to lukewarm, add the yogurt and mix until homogenous. yum!
So basically you get to have double the portion of yogurt for the same calories..and with 80cals for 3/4 cup, that would be only 40cal for 3/4 cup..can't beat that!

Heather~ Go ahead and get it all out! We are here for you! I agree with Natalia, most men are not good at saying what they really mean. My DH says things on occasion that really throw me for a loop and then he explains what he really meant and it seems like I'm making a big deal out of nothing. So maybe he didn't really mean it to sound so mean. He's probably just worried about you. You are taking the first steps and that's the improtant thing!

As far as not being able to go to the gym, maybe you can walk up until your surgery? Then while you are off your feet you could do arm exercises with small weights? You don't have to exercise to lose weight though, you may just need to lower your calories some. You can do it! :hug:

Calories for yesterday~1499
Fiber~47
Sodium~ 2468 :o
Too high! So much for being low! I think it was eating out at lunch and the cheese with dinner. Oh, and the pretzels. Although fitday only lists table salt and we use sea and kosher (which both have a lower sodium content.) So, perhaps, it is a bit lower.

Coolmom~ Have you ever tried cooking a big batch of beans in the crockpot and then freezing them in 2 cup portions? That's what I do for the kinds that I use a lot in cooking. I also love lentils and split peas because they don't require soaking and they cook quick. Oh, and there is this yellow type of bean in the stores here that doesn't require soaking (I've never used them before, but my co-worker swears by them.) I wish I could remember what they are called. I also buy low-sodium everything (soy sauce, PB, canned goods, etc.)

Abbyin~ I quit smoking almost three years ago. I was able to kick the daily habit, but I couldn't shake the social smoking until one night when I got sick off of menthols and red wine. Yuck! I can't even smell cigarette smoke now without gagging (that goodness wine doesn't do the same thing.) I still find that I need something to do with my hands though (I come from a long line of figety people.) So, I crochet a lot. Good luck! You can do it!

cjc~ You can get too little sodium, but I think it'd be near impossible to do as long as you eat. From what I've read you need 1 gram of sodium per day (for comparison 2400mg is 6 grams.) Low blood pressure and electrolite imbalace are the main symptoms from low sodium I think. My info could be inacurrate, but I think I'm remembering it correctly.

Petra~ If you end up not liking whole wheat pasta, try Barilla plus. It tastes like white pasta, but has more fiber and protein. I think they add flaxseed and garbanzo flour. Personally, I use both depending on the application. I like ww pasta with hearty sauces and the other in casseroles (like mac & cheese.)

Everyone have a great day!

Carrie ~ I think you are right on about me and my DH. I do feel comfortable eating around him and don’t have to worry about what he things because he is a big eater himself. I think it is something we have always done together, eat eat and eat more. Sad but true. We are eating buddies.

Theresa ~ Unfortunately school is out, I work at a University. That is why I don’t understand where all the work is coming from. I told my boss today I am going to go to the loony bin if things don’t slow down soon. I think I am just going to slow down and not worry when things aren’t done. They cut a secretary two years ago and I have been working my tail off every since trying to cover both positions and I am just going to do what I can each day and if they don’t like it, they will have to do things themselves or find a way to hire additional help.

Zenor ~ We are having pizza tonight and I used light flatout wraps. I remember the pizza on a bun at school. YUMMY!

I had to look up the DivaCup also, never heard of it. It sounds really cool but at the same time I don’t know if I could do it.

Luc’s Mom ~ I live in Shepherd which is just outside Mount Pleasant in Central Michigan. Most people know where it is at because of the Soaring Eagle Casino and Central Michigan University. I work at the University. I can’t image living anywhere else. Born and raised here. Boring life living in the same area all your life but its nice. 9, you would have to make it a game to make him want to do it. He is almost as tall as me, HAHAHA! I am only 5’1”.

Mary ~ I am fluctuating up and down in the same area also. I think if I could go two weeks straight on plan I would be doing great. I am determined this weekend is the weekend to get it right. We don’t have any plans.

Lovemyboy ~ Good job on the loss. Yes, I have really been paying attention to triggers so I can fix the problem. I know I can do it, it is just going to take will power.

Carrie ~ Some meals I do cook two different meals. The program I have chosen works perfect for me but I know its not for everyone. Most of my meals are Healthy Choice or Smart Ones because they are portion control and fast. I work full time and run a household by myself for the most part. So I like having meals I can grab and pop in the microwave. There are only two of us home all week and we disagree on what food is and I can’t swing my DD over to my side, I have been trying for years. So, I cook mine and she cooks hers. On the weekends I try to make things we all like but in cases where I don’t agree with what they want, I pop a meal in. I keep a variety on hand and I can’t be happier. I always add a salad or some kind of veggie. I must say the meals have come a long way from 5 years ago.

Heather ~ Consider yourself hugged, hugged and hugged some more. I am sorry that your having some rough times and if you ever need someone to just listen, you can PM me. I have had some real trying times in life and know where you are coming from. I don’t know why but I have been crapped on my kids and men, finances are a story all in its self.

Well I have to get going for now and I will finish catching up tomorrow.

Hi girls


Heather,
I am sending Hugs.:hug: I think we all at some time in life feel lost, on how to do an important job.

Just take it one day at a time. And know we are here.

I think the girls are right, Make sure to eat good. and Move when you can.

Men, what can a girl say ? You can’t live with them…Can’t live without them.

We are here to scream to when you need it.

This picture is one of my fav's. My hubby and granddaughter last winter.

My hubby is always afraid to speak his mind. He can’t take it when I cry.
So He keeps his mouth shut when he shouldn’t. Sometimes I feel they are just so worried what will happen if they say the wrong thing.


Lara,
You need to remember your own words when it gets Crazy at work.

You are just one person. ;)

keep up the hard work. Stay on plan when you can. And Just do one day at a time. You can do it!

I love the lean Cuisine meals, but I am trying to limit myself to 2 a week. Just because of the Sodium. Other than that I love them.

Does anyone know how much water one would need to drink to make up for 1 high sodium dinner like these?
I have been Averaging about 12-13 glasses or more everyday. I have not felt any bad side affects from the sodium since upping my water intake.

Men....yeah! That all reminds me of an incident that happened last year, my DF and I were playing around and I closed the door and blocked it with my body. I then let go, and what did he say that made me sensitive? "Wow, I forgot how heavy you were." That hurt. I know he didn't mean it that way but, yeah, it hurt. I can't wait to weigh myself, that way I can see if I'm doing ok calorie wise. I'm still playing around with the food I eat. Though my breakfast hasn't really changed. I eat Kashi Cereal or Oatmeal everyday.
I also messed up on my Sodium intake, it's pretty high, so I'm also working on that as well. Though I've been drinking water like crazy! I had about 2 L bottles of water and then some. Not fun to sit in traffic after drinking all that water! LOL
Well everyone I might pop up before bed, but if I don't Have a good night everyone! ;)

Hello Ladies!

Calories for today~1533
Fiber~35 grams
Sodium~1770 mg :carrot:

We finally got our new computer (iMac) today! Yay! :comp: No more dealing with a lousey computer that overheats and shuts down. :dance:

Grammy~ Sounds yummy! I keep meaning to try that with the ww tortillas I buy, but I haven't gotten around to it. Plus, nothing says nostalgia like english muffin pizzas. :lol:

Littlered~ You drink a lot of water! I'm not sure how much you would need to drink to counteract a high sodium meal, but if you aren't having any problems with bloat then I'd say you are fine. I try to drink between 2 and 3L of water per day (67.6-101.4 oz.) On the days when I don't drink that much I can really tell the difference, so I try to be good about it everyday.

Everyone have a great evening!