Good morning ladies!!!

I'm Val, 23 living in Hawaii currently (for only 3 more weeks :( and then it'll be Maryland) with my husband who's in the Navy and our 2 year old DS. I've been overweight for most of my life to various degrees. The only time I can ever remember being in the *healthy* BMI range was right before I came out to Hawaii over 3 years ago and I ate nothing but saltine crackers and watermelon to get there. Not a good plan... of course the weight piled back on when I got pregnant, plus a LOT more. This time I'm not letting that happen. The weight WILL come off and it WILL stay off. No more excuses. I've been on the board for a couple months and it's been an invaluable source of information and encouragement! I track with fitday and eat 1200-1400 cals a day and try to walk 5k daily (when the baby and life allow)...

So Aloha!! I hope everyone has a great day :).

Eat those veggies
 

Welcome Brooke, For me counting seems the only way to go because I can keep it real that way. What a great man you have!! Yes you can do better. we all can ;) Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl. Dont forget yu need loads of good stuff to eat... FOR YOU!

Hey Hong Kong, Thanks for the answers to my questions. I have another. What is you fav lunch/dinner? I dont mean the BBAAADDD stuff I mean low cal and nutrtious.

How was the swimming? I hope you did some lengths and stayed cool. That is one of the main reasons I love to swim { no icky sweat} I think it was 110 here in Khartoum today! :cool: Over 40 celsius. I swam today too. I did 100 lengths I am so happy!!!:D I have been doing 50 to 60 but I pushed myself and did it! When my daughter was 6 I swam every day no matter what. Back then it was 200. I was hooked. My goal is to get there again. My daughter and I also went to the school and walked 2 miles around the track. Not sure how many kilometers that is.

My hardest most aggravating part of the day is night time. I just had half a pita bread with a teaspoon of spicy tomato paste and raw onions. It was good even though it sounds a little weird. It was a big mistake cause now I want more but I'm not going to even enter the kitchen any more tonight!

Okay , I'm outta here. Hong Kong go get a big string bag of those gorgeous vegs for me and enjoy! The veg situation at this time of the year here is dire. We have tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green peppers and lots of rocket. It gets better around November.

EXERCISE :carrot: Is going to make this journey , faster, empowering and healthy! Have a great day everyone!
Rowan

Hi Everyone, hope your week has got off to a good start:)

Rowan, I enjoyed the swimming, but only managed a few lengths ... I'm very impressed with your 100 lengths!! ... It puts me to shame, but I guess I have to start somewhere!:o

My favourite lunch is usually a salad of mixed salad leaves, with all the other usual stuff, and I like to top it with either cottage cheese and ham, or tuna. My favourite dinner isn't quite so simple to choose as I like so many things! I love spicy food, so I tend to make a lot of my own low cal/low fat versions of various dishes. I do also eat a lot of chicken breast which I like stuffed with fat free philadelphia cheese (which I can usually get in HK!:D ) which I mix with either garlic or a teaspoon of pesto, roll it up and bake, served with salad & jacket potatoe. I also like to rub a chicken breast with cajun spices, then cook it and slice it up on top of salad leaves tossed in lemon juice and a little olive oil, and lots of black pepper. I do enjoy fish, but unfortunately it is so expensive here in the supermarkets that it tends to be a treat. We can buy it much cheaper in the local fish market, but I make my hubby do that task occasionally as I don't like going there!!:eek: I much prefer to buy it at a supermarket where they prepare it all nicely for me!:D

So what sort of food do you eat in Sudan? Do you eat out often or cook mostly at home, and do you tend to cook the type of food that you would eat in the States, or do you cook more local type foods?

Well, must dash now to prepare dinner. Speak again soon.

Nichola

Hi everyone!

I lost 25 pounds counting calories and I have maintained for almost 2 years.

I need to lose another 15-20 pounds so I have started counting calories to lose.

Two weeks ago I started weighing and measuring my food.

When I want to lose I eat 1200-1500 cal. per day.

I lose about a pound a week, sometimes two.

Hello all! I am still here, just been on a small trip. Dh isa still on vacation, so I have to run. Later chicas!!

Hi all,
I'm just back from Atlanta, where we visited DGD. What a peach, truly. But I was totally off the wagon. I'm happy to get back here and see all these messages. Should be out walking right now since its a blessed 67degrees here.
I was putting off posting until I had more time to identify myself. I'll be back.

Hi everyone! This is my second time around calorie counting. I did it last summer/fall and lost around 12 lbs. :cp: Then I gained it all back over the holidays. I tried a couple diets in between but I can't seem to deprive myself of anything! :devil: So I'm back to counting. This time around I'm writing down everything I eat in a notebook and weighing in daily. In the 3 weeks I've been doing this I have lost about 5 lbs.:carrot:
My mini goal is to be under 150 by Labor Day. I would like to be at 125 (goal) by Christmas, but I'm not sure:cp: if that is rushing a bit. This is an awesome forum!!

I have been so off the wagon, but I am ready to start over. I need to write everything down again, and will do that today. I found a small notebook that I can carry in my purse, so when I am out I can strill write it all down. I am off to have a great last day of dh's vacation.

Later chicas!!

We need to get this thread more active again, ladies. ;)

We have our community garage sale tomorrow-so I am spending most of the day getting ready for that. I am hoping that we have some good sales and get rid of some things-the kid's old clothes, most of my maternity wear (only keeping a few essentials to get me through for the next few weeks) and home decor from our old house...(we bought a new house in February of this year.).

I am trying to get the kids school supplies, school clothes, and all that taken care of this month-before August. School starts here August 15th, but that is right around "baby time" so I want to be prepared and have all of their things ready, so that all DH or another family member would have to do if I was in the hospital is take them, and maybe take in the check for their school fees. I just have a funny feeling I will be having this baby around the time they are just starting school. Intuition, I guess, after already having two others.

I am really "nesting" now as well-going around and cleaning little things-sorting photographs into albums, organizing things in storage, doing this rummage sale, touching up paint in the house, cleaning out the refrigerator-and all of it, in my state of mind, is 100% necessary. :lol: I have done this with all of my children, though. Completely normal for me to "lose it" at the end. :rofl:


I have to do my prenatal strength training today for my exercise-so that will be a 30 minute workout today at the minimum. If I feel up to it, I might get some walking or dancing in later as well.

My current calorie level in the last few weeks of my pregnancy is around 2200 a day. I am living with it, but STARVING. :rofl: In the last two months, this is the time when the baby puts on it's fat layer-around 1/2 pound of chubby put on per week! So, nonetheless, about 1-2 weeks ago...I literally felt it coming on and started feeling like a bottomless PIT. :lol: I am trying to concentrate on higher volume foods to stay "full" like strawberries for 45 calories a cup, oatmeal, and other things of that nature so I feel more satisfied.

Activity wise, I am still doing really well. I taught dance class Monday night (1 hour), Tuesday night (1 hour and 15 min.) and have gotten a lot of walking in the past two days. Today I will strength train, and this weekend I will get in some prenatal yoga. I already have a couple postnatal workout dvds ready along with my treadmill/baby stroller so I can start in as soon as I am cleared by the doctor. I am hoping to get into shape enough to start teaching again when the baby is about 6-8 weeks or so old, and then start performing again very soon after that. :D

It will be nice to be on this thread, and have the numbers starting high and going DOWN again...rather than the other way around. :lol:

Friday weigh in
 

Down another 2 this week. That makes a total of 6 pounds in 4 weeks...not bad. I could work a little harder to get that number up (or down as the case may be) but this is working I guess. My major accomplishment was not gaining anything last weekend. I would work my butt off all week to lose 2 pounds and each weekend I could easily put it back on :fr:

Been trying to get in a walk or bike ride...also got those exercise DVD's from McDonalds and I have to say they are great!!!!

Trying to think of something exciting to make for dinner tomorrow night for hubby and myself. We used to go out to eat all the time but now money is tight so we stay home. I try to think of things that are different than the everyday meals. Any ideas?

Have a great weekend all!

Jane-

6 pounds in 4 weeks is awesome! You are losing about 1 1/2 pounds per week, which is exactly on track with the recommended 1/2-2 pounds per week range for healthy weight loss. :)

Since you are starting at a weight that is already below 200...you are probably not going to experience the high end (2+ pounds per week) like some of the women who start out above 200 pounds. This is completely normal, and as they get thinner, their losses each week will get smaller as well.

I know sometimes here we see someone who lost 8 pounds their first two weeks or something like that-but often if you check into it, they are often at a higher weight. (Or doing it too quick-meaning unhealthy.)

DH and I are going to be alone next week with the kids with grandma-so we are going to the grocery store tonight to get food for the week. We are in the same boat as you are...I am trying to decide "what to fix" this week for our dinners. :lol:

Aphil~enjoy the time with your hubby brofre the baby comes. Also try to get some extra sleep in.

Jane~Great job on the 6lbs. I wanted to try the McDonalds DVD's but I don't eat there hardly at all, so I have't gotten them. WIll have to try to get in and get them before thay stop the promotion.

I am totally frustrated, I work hard, eat mostly right,and I still am stuck right where I am. It would be ok if I was a little lower, but still being in the 230's is really bothering me. I know I have had some issues (hypothyroid, high cholesterol, and probably some hormonal issues) But it is so very difficult to lose anything at all. I know I just have to keep pluggin away, but it is very discouraging to keep bouncing around the same 7lbs for the last 8 months!!!

I am going to try to incorporate more swimming into my exercise routine, and I am hoping that the change will do me some good. I am off to keep working at this, Later chicas!

Well im counting cal's i didnt get really serious untill this week and its going GREAT im down 3.6 pounds and its really working great i've done this before and it worked back then too i lost close to 80 lbs then started gaining and wow i tried every FAST fix out there and nothing worked as for the cal def i havent gotten that far yet
Ups wife dont get discouraged i say try eating more may your body is in starvation mode?? just a thought maybe try a little more food this weekend i know that your problems probably contribute to you not losing but hang in there i've heard that once you start losing alot of health problems dissapear hang in there and we are here for you cheering you on


Jane 6 lbs Thats awsome WTG girl


aphril congrats on baby #3

I wouldn't necessarily recommend eating more food automatically-if you are having trouble losing. Starvation mode is only a problem in a small percentage of cases-and usually only happens if you are at a calorie level way too low for your current weight and body needs for a long period of time.

There are some instances where I definitely recommend that someone eat more...but I only recommend that after really looking hard at what the person is doing.

upswife-if you are having trouble losing, I would be glad to take a look at what you are doing, and offer some suggestions to you. It could be a problem or something that needs addressed with your exercise regime, WHAT you are eating (rather than how much), or how much...there are lots of little tweaks and things that can be done to help.

Thanks Aphil. I was actuall getting online this morning to reevaluate my work out. CurrentlyI get in to the gym three days a week(I keep trying for that fourth day, and I have managed to talk myself out of it) I get in about 30-40mins on the eliptical with an average heartrate between 145 and 153. THen I do some weight machines. I was reading about what sets of muscles should be workewd out together, and I am going to try to incorporate that this week. As I said I have been trying to get that fourth day in. I love to swin, and used to be pretty good, so I am trying to get in some laps. I sis manage to get in a couple yesterday when DH and I took the kiddies to go swimming. I streach after each work out, and would like to try some yoga to increase flexibilitybut the gym charges extra for the yoga classes, and the added gym membership is streaching us right now.

As for food, I have been doing better getting more fresh fruits and veggies everyday. Just mainly trying to watch portion size and getting back into writing it all down, and counting calories. I have been a little lax the last few weeks.

Thanks for any help.