Hey there ladies. Today has been a really good OP day. I did my workouts despite REALLY not wanting to run this morning and now I'm SO glad I did. I was so happy with myself for getting over my feelings and just doing it. A major accomplishment. I haven't been that unmotivated in months. It kinda made me laugh because of the internal (partly, maybe out-loud ) conversation I was having with myself. Anyway, life is good here. Just doing housework and catching up with you fine people. Time to get back to housework, I think. Have a great day everyone!

Hola Chickies!

Personals first!

Ms P - Thanks! I've gotten mixed reviews on the previous picture from my friends on facebook so I decided maybe I'd better change it! Also, way to go on doing your work out this morning even though you were unmotivated.. that's totally awesome!

Tummy - Great to hear from you! I hope you're having a fantastic time on vacation.

Delphi - Congrats on 185 (I'll say it quietly, less the scale hear me and fly back upwards).

Heather - So sorry to hear about your back, that totally sucks!

cmo4 - Haha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks like that in their head!! Thanks for checking out my blog, I like writing it... it makes me reflect on what's going on with my weight loss and really makes me think about the why's of things. It also holds me pretty accountable. I'm going to feel pretty horrible posting my photo and my weight out there for everyone to see if I don't lose weight! Hope you had a blast scrubbing your walls... I worked for a cleaning crew for my college campus one summer... scrubbing one wall after another... fun times.

jeweliek - I'm loving the picture! You look fantastic!

Shasha - Thanks! Yeah, I got a huge chunk of blonde put in the front just for a little something different... Depending upon the way I wear my hair I either look like I've got some highlights or I couldn't decide if i wanted blonde or brown hair and settled for half a head of both.

jessicado - Oh My Gawd - If I had to hear the "Change Stations Now" all day long I'd likely have gone down and beaten up the CD player with a baseball bat!!

As for me, I'm looking forward to Friday because it means the weekend is nearly here. I'm a bit worried about my right knee... it's hurting a bit and I think it's from the running. I'm going to buy a brace this weekend to wear when I run and see if that helps anything. If not... I may have to drop out of the c25k... as much as I'd reallly really hate to do that, it's pretty much the best thing to do.
Although... I'm also thinking it could be just that I'm on my feet more with work starting up... plus the 3 minute runs... maybe it's just saying "holy crap, what are you doing woman?" I don't know. I'm hoping the brace fixes it.... realllly realllly hoping.

Hi girls,
Just wanted to pop in and say hi. Computer problems have been plaguing me again, I am getting things ready for the move although I still have time, and I have totally lost focus on my weight loss. I have been eating anything and everything in sight, which of course makes me want to hide from all of you.
I have to find a new eating plan since what I was doing was not working for me anymore. Feels like I am almost back to square 1.

I have to start coming back regularly to get myself moving again!

Hey girls,
I just have a minute, but I just wanted to say hi and see how everyone's doing.

I'm back on the wagon after a rough weekend and this weekend may be a challenge too. I'm going to a bbq (but I'll be doing a 20 mile bike ride beforehand, so I may be ok). My hubby is going out of town for a week and sometimes that's really good for me, but sometimes I go way off plan when he's gone.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful night.

She made it to rehab yesterday and we had thought she would be there for 3 weeks, but now they are saying maybe only 2...will have to change my ticket to go back down there. She sounded great when I talked to her last night.

I think this week was one of the hardest ones in my life!!! Middle school was a big adjustment, but sending two off to college is unbelievable!!!

Thanks so much...good luck with the writing.




Delphi on hitting 185

Everyone...have a great day!!!

Good Morning Ladies

The first thing I notice is all of the new avatar pictures and all of you ladies just simply look beautiful. Really you all do. Secondly, that water weight is most definitely coming off. I saw 184.8 this morning and I'm running with it. Believe me when I say, drinking your water is important. I was retaining 4 to 5 pounds of water ladies...and if I wasn't at a part in my journey where I had a firm grasp on this new way of life...that five pound loss, that never showed on the scale could have really affected my mentality and hindered my progression. So DRINK YOUR WATER!!!! At any rate, I also have to admit that not only am I a loser, but now a quitter. Sandye, I have to drop out of the whole C25k thing. I've weighed all the pros and the cons, and right now, at this point in my journey, I simply can't do it, without causing more damage to my knees. I say all this with a heavy heart, because at the end of day, I feel as if I'm letting myself down and quitting...but most importantly, I feel as if I am letting you down Sandye. But darling, my knees aren't even recovering in a days time...then on those days off, I can't do any exercise at all I'm in so much pain. I'm sorry Sandye, but my ol' knees just can't take it right now.

So it's back to Maya and My Fitness Coach, until I get the elliptical, which my friend and I discussed this last night, and if nothing else I can try it again, later on down the road when there is less fat around my knee joints and perhaps on the elliptical, although it won't be the same, it will be easy on the knees.

So I'll try to catch up later, I have to go out and run errands this morning and hopefully I can get back on and get my much needed personals in. You ladies have a great day and most definitely drink your water.

Good morning ladies! Just a real quick pop in before I start my ST'ing...

Delphi Dear~ how on earth could you possibly feel like you're letting me down? Hun, with all the positivity you've infected me with, with all the encouragement you've given me, all the laughs...listen girlie, you do what you have to do! If your knees are suffering, then STOP! I mean, I'd feel awful for you if you kept plugging along and suddenly you blew out your knee! Listen, like I said, I have a bum knee too--I've dislocated the dang thing at least 4 times that I can remember and I know what it's like to live with that pain. Don't sweat it hun! And the only time I ever want you to feel like you gotta watch your back with me is when you start slackin' on your water--got it? Congrats on the loss too chickie! That's awesome!!!

Mom~ Just saying a quick hello and good morning to you, since I know you're getting your 3FC fix before work! Have a great day!

Okay girls, I'll be back for more personals after the boys are off to school!! I just couldn't not reply to Delphi and well, my mom will be at work by the time the boys go to school so she'll miss my greeting if I don't post it now!

Have a great morning girls!!!

Delphi-I'm glad you're doing what's right for you instead of trying to do it despite possibly causing more problems for yourself....Wise move! Thanks, as usual, for being a good example to us all of a wonderful loser!

NSM-So glad you're still on here with us. As I said on PM, please don't shy away from here while you're looking for what works for you. Who couldn't use the extra support?! Take good care andkeep us posted on what's going on with you. Hope your computer stops acting up!

Darby-So, you had an "off" weekend. We all have those, just focus on what you can do now to get back to plan. I'm going out of town this weekend, but I've already made plans to help keep me on track. It's not perfect, but at least I know I'm taking control of my situation. You can do it!

Joci-WOW! You have a lot going on right now! So, the kids got settled at school okay? I guess it's good news that your mom will take less rehab time, right? It is pulling you in different directions for sure, but you seem to be handling it like a champ!

As for me, I reached 150 on the nose this morning. Only .2 from goal, but my weekend out of town will include tailgating, including the traditional bratwurst, before the Packer game. I went to the store and found lower fat brats (pronounced 'brots' for those who don't know) than we used to buy, so I'm trying to lighten it up a little and I'm making a healthified cold salad to share with our friends we're tailgating with. My friend told me she's bringing a broccoli salad to share, so I should be okay there. I have tried to control everything I can so I don't have any unnecessary weight gain this weekend. The rest is in the good Lord's hands!

MOrning Everyone.

Happy Friday, we survived the Tornadoes that tore throught the region! Luckily they passed just south and just north of me.

Pulled the first real sized carrot out of my garden!! WOOHOO.. Got 5 tomatoes too!

I'll be making Spaghetti sauce this weekend!

As Delphi Said ladies.. DRINK YOUR WATER!!!

Enjoy the weekend!!

Good morning, just checking in before I head off to the gym. I have the day off from work because we are flying out in a few hours to go up north. I will try to check in before I leave, but if not then I hope everyone has a fab weekend. I am going to try to keep myself in check as much as possible. I am down 2.2 lbs since last week so thats pretty motivating.

Okay I'm back!
Sooooo, Good Morning once again to all of you lovely ladies and TGIF!!! Oh my word, am I ever so glad it's Friday!!!!

Jewelie~ Love your new avatar hun! You're so svelte!! Congrats on the speed drills! Man, I remember doing hill repeats in HS--I cringe at the thought now, but one day I'll do them again! What a fun school requirement--a hike! That's so neat! My ds did well yesterday, he was pretty much okay when he got home, not much of an appetite, but no trips to the bathroom so I think we're in the clear!

shasha~ where in Nor Cal did you live? I was born and raised near Sacramento. Okay, so when you make your goal (and only then because it's just too good to have in the middle of a weight loss plan)--you simply MUST go to Killer Shrimp for a special splurge night!! Best shrimp I've ever had! It's basically just boiled shrimp in this killer broth and they serve it with either pasta, rice or bread--I went with the bread, insanely good! Hope you're having a great day off and that you have a wonderful weekend!!! Congrats on the loss and remember--drink your water this weekend!!!

Hotsplashes~ Woo hoo! Congrats on getting your water in! Sorry so much of it comes in the form of watered down fiber--eww. Have you tried Benefiber? It's the clear non-gritty stuff. You really can put it in just about anything. Another thing I keep forgetting to mention, I take acidophilus every other day (daily it produces more gas than I want to admit ) and I have a Kellogs fiber bar every day as well. The combination of the two seem to really help keep things in check. Hope you had fun gardening and that you got all your laundry done--and trust me, I know how those two activities can crank up the heart rate! Lugging laundry up and down the stairs all day--it's a workout! Congrats on the veggies! And thank goodness you didn't get hit with any of those nasty tornadoes!!!

Jessica~ yes, one of the benefits of daily weighing is that you get to discover little patterns and when you figure that out, seeing a jump in weight isn't quite so frustrating. You're got a great attitude and here's wishing you a 5 lbs loss by the end of the month so you can see 270!!!

MsP~ I commented over on the exercise thread, but I'll say it again: WTG on getting that workout in! Overcoming those anti-workout feelings is so tough, but you did it!! I'm so proud of you!! Here's to another fantastic OP day today!! WOO HOO! I just saw you hit 150 today!! WTG hun!!! You're so close to goal--you'll definitely make it hun, and then some!!!

SG~ Haha, ah yes, the voices in my head--forever rambling on and on...the do get quite loud when I'm working out! Sorry to hear your knee is bugging you. Like I told Delphi, if it starts bugging you too much--do what you have to take care of it. Try another cardio workout that's less stressful, whatever, C25K isn't going anywhere, it'll still be here when/if you want to do it again. Just a thought though, and I should have mentioned it to Delphi...how are your shoes? I mean, do you think that maybe you could use some better shoes? I recently bought new running shoes because my old ones were just cheapy Target shoes, and the store I went to did a gait study--it's where they have you run on a treadmill and they video tape you running. I found out that I pronate when I run (my ankles turn in) and that I needed shoes that offered support. Anyway, just a thought, if you have a shoe store that specializes in running shoes you might want to pop in and have them do a gait study on you and get fitted for some new shoes. Only trouble is...they can be pricey! Sheesh! But, it's worth it if it means you won't be in agony after your workout ya know?

NSM~ Hey girlie! I've been wondering where you were! Sorry to hear about your PC problems! Now, tough love time--you can't hide from us like that! Even if you are struggling, you still need to check in (when your PC allows you to)! We're not here to pat you on the back when you do a great job, but we're also here when you need some motivation and encouragement! So, no more hiding okay? Got it? Good. Now, take a deep breath, today is new day and you have the power to make good choices concerning your health! So make them!! And let me know if I need to take a more physical approach to encouraging you and I'll get right on it!

Darby~ good to see you back! Weekends can be so tough! I'm sure you'll do fine this weekend if you have that 20 mi ride in the mix! Just keep moving forward! I always do better with my food choices when hubby's not around--he can be a terrible influence on me! However, I've toughened up on him and now he's not so quick to try to talk me into eating bad. Plus, I've started to crack down on what he's allowed to eat too! I'm evil like that--but he's got high triglycerides and needs to be kept in check! Have a great weekend!

Jacque~ Glad to hear your mom is doing better! That's great they're talking about knocking off a whole week of rehab! Awesome! I can only imagine how your week as been, you're going to definitely need a long relaxing bath and a big ol' nap when the weekend hits!!

Delphi~ if you didn't read what I wrote to SG, check out the 2nd part--I keep meaning to ask you about it. Have a fabulous day hun!

Whew, sometimes I don't know when to stop typing!!!

Well, not much to report today--I'm up .2 but I'm not sweatin' it. Got my workouts in, breakfast eaten, coffee in, working on my water, boys to school, girls fed...ya know, same ol' same ol'.

I didn't get the walls scrubbed yesterday and I don't know that I'll be doing it today either. I've got some housework to do before the party on Sunday and I need to get goodie bag stuff and figure out what kind of snacks we'll be having. Hubby wants to bbq and I told him no way. We planned the party for 2pm so we could get away with snacks, cake and ice cream and that's how it's staying! We're borrowing a big giant inflatable water toy thing from hubby's Uncle--should be fun for the kiddos.

Well ladies, I better get going. You all have a wonderful weekend and if I don't catch ya this weekend know that I'm thinking of you and wishing you well and sending you tons of for the weekend! Have a great day girlies and be sure to...


Drink Your Water!!! and that goes for this weekend too!!

morning chickies....happy friday!

quick check in here. I am pre TOM and not feeling well , it's hard for me to write much when I am like this. Hopefully the sun of a gun comes soon and passess! ANyhow, read all of your news. Congrats to you on the losses girls. Delphi, ditto on what MsP said and the others. You are absolutely doing the right thing, don't even question it . wtg on getting rid of the fluids and ty for the reminder on the water. Wishing you all a great weekend, if I am a little scarce the next few days you will know why but I def. will pop in when i can. Big hugs, keep up the great work.

Delphi--I know it must be frustrating wanting to finish the program, and having your knee not cooperating. Sorry! I think it wise though to watch out for your body...you can find other ways to exercise, but you can't really find new knees!

SG--I know you're kinda in the same boat as Delphi. Hope the brace works, but if not, I am sure you will be able to find something else too!

FullSteamAhead--Hope your time flies by and we get to see your usual chipper self soon!

Sasha Congrats! Your out of the 250s!!!

Ms Perception--150, woo hoo! Congrats to you as well! And yay--another Packers fan! My family is originally from Wisconsin before we moved to Minnesota for awhile and finally in Oregon. Back when the Packers were up for that superbowl in 1997 (I think that is the right year off the top of my head), there were hardly any Packers fans where we lived in Oregon. My mom was actually so excited she went to a local bar to watch the game (we lived so far in the country we couldn't get TV). She didn't know anyone there, and everyone was rooting for the other team. She was the only Packers fan there and kept getting dirty looks. And then the Packers won....it was awesome! Then everyone became Packers fans, lol.

Well, the scale was officially down again today to an even 274. I finally changed it to 274 in my User CP....and am praying it doesn't go back up! I was at 274.4 the other day and didn't change it because I knew it would go back up, and yesterday it was up to 275. I just want to be below 275 so bad as that means I finally have less than 100 pounds to lose to get to my ultimate goal of 175. Also, under 275 is closer to 250 than 300! I am really hoping I can lose 5 more pounds by the end of the month to be out of the 260s. Funny how stupid numbers can mean so much, lol. I never used to be a scale girl, but now that I am using the Wii Fit, I officially am!
Went to the movies in the park again last night with DD, and only ate like 2 popcorn kernels from DD bag she got there. I snacked on some cherries instead. I didn't exercise at all yesterday (whoops!) so I need to get something in today. Hope everyone else has a good one!

Thanks for all the support in my decision ladies. It's kindly taking it's toll on me. I'm a goal orientated person, so quitting is never an option. I guess our over all health is the most important thing and is truly what we are all striving for. In all reality, we want to live a healthier lifestyle and in doing so, we must make difficult decisions. This one was by far the hardest for me. At any rate, I'll drown my sorrow in loads of exercise again...that will make it all better.

Gonna finish off the month, relatively easy and get back to cardio, cardio and some more cardio for September. When I hit 180 I will have lost 70lbs since February and that is just mind boggling. I'm so glad I found this site in May, if not, I don't know how much weight I would have continued to lose...so thank you ladies for being there for me, on the good days and the bad. For always encouraging and believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. For always leaving a kind word or a well placed one-liner to brigten my day. They say it takes a village to raise a child...I'm starting to wonder if that same phrase doesn't apply to weight loss as well. You ladies are by far the best virtual friends a gal could ever have. Cheers to each and everyone of you. You have my deepest gratitude!

Hiya!

Ms. P. and Sandye: Thank you so much for your words, they really mean a lot to me.
All the previous times I tried losing weight I would pretty much be on my own and this would be the time where I'd quit and go back to my old ways. Actually, I've been at it for a year now, so way longer than ever before. The issue was that I was doing NutriSystem and it worked great for me for the first 6 months or so, but then I started missing "real" food. I started having it more and more often, but the problem was that I not always went for the better choices, so needless to say, I stalled.
I canceled the program last week since I figure I have to start learning how to eat like a normal person in a way that I can keep up for the rest of my life. I now have an idea of how to structure my meals and portion control which is what I was definitely lacking before.
I still have a lot of food left, so what I will do to start is still incorporate that with some other freshly made food while calorie counting and see how that goes.

Whew! That was a rant. I guess I needed to get that off my chest. Anyhoo, please bear with me if I get a little whiny for a little bit while I try to figure out the rest of my life . It does make it easier to know that I have you all to keep me afloat if I feel like I'm drowning. Thank you!

I haven't read posts in a long time, but I did catch a glimpse of Sandye's news on reaching goal, Congratulations! hun you totally deserve it!