Checkin' in to say "hey." I'm still around. I'l be back later to post more. :wave:

Hey, :welcome: to all the new faces!

Stephi, I saw the Christmas stuff at Target too! Is it just me or does it happen sooner and sooner each year?

I got in a great workout tonight: 90 minutes on the treadmill. :carrot: That's a first for me as I very much dislike exercise. Now maybe, just maybe if I can get up the motivation to do that the next two days (and then some) I can report a loss Friday. I dunno! Once again I have binge damage to clean up.

Not much else to report. Just takin' it one day at a time. Have a great one! :sunny:

I swear I cannot get into the 180's fully! Sometimes just under 190, sometimes over. I am finishing 2 days in a row w/o exercise--first time in a month or so. I need to PUSH again to get below this plateau! Argh! :?:

OKAY.

I'm going to Ireland for Christmas to spend it with my boyfriend and meet all his family and friends. My flight is on December 12th, so this is my just before Christmas challenge! (If that's okay with you all. ;) )

I would like to be... at 145 (at least) before I leave, which is... 14 lbs and 8 weeks away. That's LESS than 2 lbs a week, it's 1.75 lbs...!

Ladies. I can do this. I CAN!! :D

Starting weight: 159
Current weight: 159
Pre-Christmas goal weight: 145

My current weight is 214/215 and I lose about 2lbs a week so if I stayed true to that I'd lose about 22lbs by Christmas time. I'm hoping to lose AT LEAST 20lbs. Even If I just lose 16 I'll be thrilled! I really, really want to be under 200 more then anything. I can't remember the last time I was.

Good luck everybody! We can do it. :)!

I want to join!! I think I could be 155. I am actually at 170 because I gained back a few pounds but I am back on ready to go. I can do 15 pounds.

It really does! For me, after August, the year FLYS by!

Keep tryin' chickie! I'm rootin' for you! :cheer:

Mine's really a just after Christmas challenge too. I'm going on vacation for new year's eve! :) And :welcome3:, and :cheer2:! You can do it!

:welcome3: We can! :hug:

:welcome3: Good luck! :carrot:

So I've decided I really need to catch up on TBL. Why do they go into the elimination room with their votes on silver platters? And why are there cabinets of food behind them?

Thanks if anyone knows... :p

Morning all, clicking along toward it, I am up a few pounds from last week.
That's the bad news, the good news is, I know why. Amazing the difference eating crap and not exercising can do to one's weight loss :(

:hug: Mothermavis, I know what you mean! I'll tell you what tho, I've been watching my scale yo-yo within about 4-5 pounds since starting the Halloween challenge and TBL challenge I'm doing and over those few weeks I'm absolutely sick of the scale. I can sweat out in the yard doing heavy yard work (landscaping with lots of shoveling etc.) and the next morning I'm down 3 pounds. Then in one day I can put it all back on just eating "on plan." And if I eat something like pasta, forget it! The next day I can easily be up a pound or two just from the water (bloat) I tend to hold on to when I eat white flour products. I'm addicted to stepping on the scale everyday but I'm getting sick, sick, sick of it! I'm up 2 pounds today after sweating back down to 185 last week. So I said all that to say even tho I'm sick of the scale game I'm beginning to realize that it's just that, a game. And who wins that game (me or the scale) is getting old. I love pasta but I don't want to freak out every time I eat a bowl because I know what the scale is going to say tomorrow morning. (Which, by the way, as I type this I am eating a bowl of matzo ball soup loaded with little noodles.) But you know what? I don't care anymore. The thing I do know is that I'm not at my starting weight. And as long as I keep my eating in check, and enjoy what I'm eating and getting some kind of exercise, I could care less about my weight fluctuating up and down. (I say that when just the other day I was complaining about it elsewhere! lol) I would love to see a steady loss week after week, and maybe that will eventually happen, but right now I'm just rebuilding my relationship with food and that's gonna show up on the scale (good or bad). Not good for team challenges, but a fact, nonetheless. I don't know why I rambled on so much, just wanted to give ya a cyberhug and say "I understand."

Stephie, I don't know why they have food and covered silver platters on TBL. Maybe the were just trying to have weight-related props and since food is the nemesis ... ?

I know what you mean!! :hug: Sometimes I just want to say to heck with it. As long as I'm healthy, happy with my size, and my husband thinks I'm sexy, why the heck should I care what size pants I wear or what the scale says. I was recently addicted to the scale as well watching it inch down one tenth of a pound by one tenth of a pound and then I even look at a bowl of whole-wheat pasta and *poof!* I'm huge again. It's very stressful and depressing all at the same time; kind of like an abusive relationship I just can't break ties with that little white scale sitting in my bathroom floor. :tantrum: Why do I have to feel like a failure when my doctor says I'm the epitome of good health but I wear a size 18? :?: No wonder so many women struggle with their self-esteem! Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

Oh and Stephi, I think the food in the back cases represents all the foods that particular contestant loved before learning about healthy eating. I have no idea why they vote on silver platters...:?:

Hey ladies. Hugs all around. WE can't get hung up on the numbers on the scale, right? Body composition changes are NOT registered there. The decrease in insulin levels, changes in cardiac function, decrease in LDL cholesterol, and overall feeling of well being ARE NOT REGISTERED THERE!!! We know we FEEL better and can live our lives with greater satisfaction and with a greater sense of well being when healthy eating and exercise are included as daily parts of our lives. NO scale can do that.
Every day is a chance to start anew. Hang in there.
I have been to BOOT CAMP three days this week and can't even begin to tell you how much better I feel about myself and my progress. The numbers may not have fallen on the scale, but my self esteem is higher and I know that my health is better. That is TRULY what matters, right?

Hey ladies!!! SO I weighed today and I am at 168.5. When I fell off the wagon and got back on I was at 175. Well Ilost like 2 lbs when I got back on but I could not loose anything for the life of me. I was exersicing and eating meticulously. I counted every calorie that went in my mouth. Well I pondered the idea of a detox and I found one that worked. It was a 3 day juice, water, and broth detox. I felt pretty good the whole time and now that I am back on solid food I am rapidly loosing. Its just falling off. I read something about toxins hold on to your fat cells so get rid of them and your fat cells will be easier to get rid off. Anyhoo moving on....

Stephi- I watched the biggest looser the other night and got rehooked. I love that show. Thanks for my welcome and goodluck.

mothermavis- Well just hop back on and dont give up. I felt awful after realizing that i had gained 10 pounds back after I worked so hard for it. I just dont think about. I started over.

Blueserinity- Have you tried whole wheat pasta? My dad came down with a colon condition and that is all we could eat. We couldnt eat white products. Some brands are really good and they are high in fiber so it actually cleans you out instead of sticking to you. Barrilla makes a really good pasta. You dont even notice its whole wheat. Plus you feel full longer. I love it.

Big sexy- I read a study once that said that alot of "bigger women" are healthier that the skinny ones. Just because your thin doenst mean you are the picture of health. You should feel sexy in knowing that you are healthy. That is far more hotter that a girl you in "thin" who is just not healthy.

Ladyinflux- I love the point you just made. You really do feel better when you eat healthier and exersice. And the other things that are considered in good health arnt registered here.

Well you ladies have a good day!!! Good luck with your challenges too!!

Aww it's okay. I had a pretty bad day myself. :hug:

:lol: I guess I'll have to continue my search for old episodes.

Aha. :) Go :carrot:! :p

Thanks bud! :hug:

So I got some sort of cold the other day, and I've felt like crap. So apparently when I feel bad, I eat bad. I had fast food for 2 meals! :( Oh well. I try to look on the bright side of things, and the bright side is - I feel better since I got some meds. :)

Good luck everyone. :^:

Yep! I agree. Reminds me of that cereal (?) commercial with the people dragging the scale around connected to their ankle with a chain. lol

You are so right Lady! Thanks for the reminder.

I have. In fact there is some in my pantry right now. I like it just fine but the texture is a bit different than white pasta to me. I eat both.

I LOVE whole wheat pasta and brown rice! The texture is what's so great--it's not mushy like white flour. When I was around 13 my mom completely turned our lives upside down and started all of us eating majorly healthy. Important: I grew up in the deep south. Meatloaf and chicken and dumplings were regular staples of our diet! Now we were eating taboullie and beans with every meal! I remember my 10 year old brother declaring "Beans, beans, and more beans! All we eat is beans!" Yup...that pretty much sums it up. :) But now I'm so thankful she did that; I can only imagine what it would be like having to lose weight AND eat food I don't like.

I'm not even posting how much I'm up :( It's been a really bad week! UGH! Oh well - all I can do is start changing things and doing what I know I'm supposed to be doing!

I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to think about what's going into my body. I know that TOM has something to do with it - but seriously! I should have better control - then again if I was in control over my mind and body then I wouldn't be #50+ overweight! UGH!

I'm thinking of subscribing to Jillians website... it's $4 a week - which isn't bad. anyone else looked into this? I'm thinking that I may reward myself with it once I have a solid week on plan - both w/ exercise and eating... thoughts?

Eny~Idea!! Tell me more about this web site. I am sorry you are struggling so. The holidays are so hard, then when we are struggling with issues it is even worse. I for one don't need any more stress. You are a newly wed, that happiness alone adds things to your plate. Give Hunter a big hug, she is adjusting to new things. At her delicate age she needs reassurance.~~~~Are you going to start a Thanksgiving thread? If you do, I want to join. I will be more committed this time. I have a few new ideas that will help motivate me. The weight has (and will) come off!! He told our daughter that he is waiting around for me to fall on my face. That makes me even more dedicated to the prop that I will make it on my own.

MM~If I weigh myself every day I go crazy with all the flux that registers. I totally relate. Are you still jogging? I agree with BlueS eating healthy, regular exercise will eventually show on the scale. I guess the key to the deal is if you know you did everything right to the best of your abilities then you can't look back and feel guilty about a weight gain. It is only temp. I gained 2 pounds this week. I did the best I could with what I had to work with. Happy about it? No, but I do know I could have done a LOT worse. This week I moved on. Good luck to you and (((H U G S))))

Catch ya all later. Pat

MM~Everyone~I just had a thought. I know it has been said before, it is worth repeating. You can't always go by the numbers on the scale. If the numbers stay the same but you are wearing a size smaller pair of pants......what do you think. I think the exercise and healthy eating paid off even though the scale doesn't prove it. Muscle weighs more than fat, but is denser and more compact. Also go by how your clothes fit, and what you see in the mirror. A clear, glowing, radiant skin, and smile also says job well done. Try not to get too hung up on what the numbers on the scale say, they don't tell the whole story. Catch ya all later. Pat

Inches and pounds - that's the key! In my life I'll lose inches, and then the scale catches up later... i'm ok with that as long as some number is going down! (Although this week - nothing went down :mad:)

Pat - i'll find the address to the website and send it to you... I don't remember it right now.

Hey, just checking in. As I suspected, the scale is up (1 pound to 186). But, I'm actually happy because when I look at my starting weight I know I am no longer there. And, as I've been saying for a while now I need to update my goals. Done. New goals are noted in my signature. I'll keep the old ones until the challenges are over so I can see how far off I was from my original goal.

Have a great day y'all! :sunny:

I like the texture! It's thinner. I like it. :)

I'm down a couple a pounds, thank God! I'm so happy. But hopefully it'll stay off, because I'm having a party tomorrow. :o

Wish y'all all the best!

Eny~Thank You!! I just have to tell ya. I got back from the Lawyers office a while ago. Everything is signed, sealed, and delivered. The judge signed the papers yesterday. I signed the papers today. I am free and clear. The house is mine, what he promised me is mine. One more round of paper signing and we are done. The divorce is a done deal. I don't know weather to laugh or cry. My emotions are really jumbled up right now. I have many decissions to make, and a fist full of bills to pay. I am on my way in my new life. Catch ya all later. Pat

Good morning my friends! Thanks for all the positive vibes my way. I am so lucky to have such supportive friends for this trip.

Stephi- enjoy your party. We are having family over this weekend too, I've got to be mindful!

Pat, Congrats on the beginning of your new life. I am still jogging, just had DH and DS move my dreadmill for the winter, last winter it was out in the garage and had to trudge thru the snow to get to it, so here's hoping this will be better, still have to take it easy as my knee doth' not love to run. But as long as I build my time gradually, it seems to recover nicely.

Eny, I'll pull you back in if you pull me back in....

Wildthing_ I love that name, makes me sing "you make my heart sing" every time I read it. Tell us about your detox, what do we do?

Blue- you are doing great, And you are so right, about rebuilding the relationship w food, thinking alot about that and about what bigsexy said about eating food you like to lose weight. I think I am going to sit down and plan a week of only stuff I love that's on plan....hmm

OK, off to check in at TBL, I'll bbl!!

Great idea mothermavis! With a little planning, we really can eat only things we love - and we should!

Pat, I can imagine what mixed emotions you're feeling right now, but you're right - you are on your way in your new life. :cheer2: Take care of yourself along the way!

Blue, you are wise to rebuild your relationship with food. I don't think I'm there yet. Although I'm doing well with eating healthy, I think I'm a little too focused on it, if that makes any sense. I need to learn that food is just food.

Have fun at your party Stephi . . . but not too much fun :D.

Haven't been on for a bit. Had a horrible migraine the other day and didn't do too well with food. Thankfully, I didn't gain. Walked 8 miles yesterday and felt better.

I know it was said that it's more than numbers. I have lost 8 pounds but my clothes are fitting a lot different. I even got in a pair of jeans that I couldn't of a month ago. Good luck to us all.

I'd do both! And actually I did do both. It was SO nice when everything was finally done - and Joe and I could start our life together - but it was also sad. Oh well - LITTLE BLACK DRESS HERE WE COME!!!

MM - GRAB THE ROPE! It's time to start really WORKING!! We don't have long - and imagine what we could accomplish being focused the rest of this challenge!!!

Barbarajean - you sound like you're doing GREAT! 8 Pounds, new jeans.. you go girl! :cheer: oh and 8 miles of walking - THAT's AWESOME!!! :running:

:thanks: I had a pretty good time, and I don't think I did that bad. :D

:thanks: again! Someone brought gummy "boogers" and my little brother was playing with them fed them to my dogs, for fun I guess, and I woke up to gummy booger puke this morning. :barf:

:getwell: :congrat: and 8 miles?! My oh my!

Just checking in! I'm off to have a snack. I'm starvin'! :hug:

Hey people!!! I was out of town for the weekend without computer access. I am down to 166.5. I am making a good start. I just hope it stays this way. I think I am gonna start running again tomarrow. We will see!!!

Hey Ladies. Hope all is well. I have been good and at least eating on plan. No exercise over the weekend though - I was BAD in that way. :(
Got back in to the swing tonight with Boot Camp.
I have my "official weigh in" tomorrow AM, but I am feeling positive because on my scale this AM I was 195. I go by their scale for consistency.
Wish me luck - think THIN!

Lady :goodscale: vibes for you! It'd be awesome for you to be truly down to #195! :D

I've been on plan the last 2 days, and I feel really good about it! :) I'm hoping that I can see a big drop tomorrow from TOM's #3 gain last week.

Alright off to the store :)

Sorry I've been gone for 6 days--wedding and a family visit in Chicago--eating was terrible, also some drinking, but I did 2 runs and was very delighted I got that in at least! I am afraid to see how I backslid--just got off the plane today so I won't weigh until Thursday or Friday, after exercising like a fiend! :lifter:

One thing I can say is, I have totally indulged my taste for a lot of fattening and sweet stuff, and really have NO desire for any more now for awhile! A LONG while, I hope! :crossed: It's like that when we go "home", my mil keeps pushing things on us, buys crap, takes us out to our "favorite" places, etc. etc. My willpower isn't that strong--especially if I may hurt her feelings or spoil her enjoyment. Nah--it's really that my willpower sucks :D

Anyway, back and re-motivated to :kickbutt: I have learned that I feel like crap when I eat crap. I mean, I knew that before, but sometimes I need a refresher course! And yes, I often do NOT like pushing myself to go do a hard work-out, but I do feel SO much better after I finish one (emotionally and mentally, if not in my aching bones/muscles, haha!)

TTYL, got to do a lot of reading/catching up!

Mothermavis- I just drank water juice and broth for 3 days. It was pretty easy. That song is what my name is from. I love that song.

Good morning girls! I'm happy to say that the scale Gods were with me - and TOM took his 3 friends with him when he left! :yay: Plus #.4 more. :) I'm still struggling in these #180s! I know that if I can be consistent for a month I'd be amazed at myself! Grr... I don't know why I keep stopping myself from progress!

Anyhow - back to work for me.. life is crazy around here right now!

Eny~You said it all "Life is crazy around here." Thanks for the challenge! Here is a toast to getting life back on track!! cheers!!!!! Catch ya later. Pat

Does anyone else ever feel tempted to eat a 2,000 calorie lunch from McDonalds just because it has the Monopoly game pieces? I love that game, but it's so EVIL.....:devil:

Hey Ladies. I had a *FAB* weigh in... 194.5!!! That is a 5.5 # decrease!!!!! Now I am WELL aware that it was not a 5.5 lb loss... it was a difference in an evening weigh in last week vs a 9:30 am weigh in today. HOWEVER it validates my hard work.
YAHOO!
I hope all are doing well and keeping up the good work. :)

modcat- Glad you are back. When I eat junk I really feel it. Physically and mentally.

ladyflux- Congrats. A loss is a loss! :carrot:

Nothing too exciting going on. Keeping up on my plan and exercise.

Hope everyone is doing good.

Hi Everyone~Would it be a bad plan to have a 2 day liquid fast? I think It might be the only way to get myself back on track. Once I start eating I am a gone goose. I want to nibble all day. If I don't eat, I don't want to eat. I have a note book to write in. I think if I break it down into a doable plan I can pull it off. Small time spans work better for me at this moment. I am going to try it. I just talked myself into it. Water, fruit and veggie juice. Doable. Work it 2 hour time spans. Make a set time to do some walking. Get the scale going in the correct direction, down. I may be posting a lot tomorrow. I will make it or I will make it. Catch ya all tomorrow. Pat

bigsexy--haha! I remember one year maybe about 7 or 8 years ago when for a whole month we ate :mcd: just to get all those stupid game pieces and hardly won anything, just an occasional small fry or drink. Just like the lottery, but still it kinda sucks you in, doesn't it? RESIST!! :tape:

ladyinflux--:cp: Great weigh-in, no matter what time of day! I've been known to weigh a few different times during the day to get the lowest score a time or two.....;)

Dixiemae--that is so funny b/c I kinda did that today--not a conscious fast but after having so much junk the last few days I had juice, tea, chicken broth and a small salad for lunch. My thinking is this--it's like calories are in the bank. I can spend so many every day. If I overspend a few days, I need to really rein it back in b/c I am overdrawn for the week! And we all know there is a penalty if you are overdrawn! It's gonna cost you.....:nono:

:congrat: to the losers!

Really busy few days coming up, so I'll be MIA. Don't forget about this Stephi! She'll be back with a vengence. Especially if she hasn't lost any weight for Santa! :mad: