Yesterday....

I had an orange pop for breakfast. I had an apple for lunch. I had 3 cups of caesar salad and 2 pieces of pizza for dinner. I had a small piece of ice cream cake and a Quaker dips bar. Hadn't figured that the caesar salad would come in at 502 calories.

Had a blow out after the realization that I blew the day (yellow), it was after 10pm and DH had gone to bed. I ate about a 1/2 (large) bag of tortilla chips and 4 more dips bars. blurpp ... oh and another orange pop.

Water was only about 30oz. I had a pop and coffee during the day as well as a diet cola with dinner... kinda eats into the water consumption.

Exercise was non-existent. I WILL make up for it today.

How quickly a yellow day ended up being a screaming red siren day at over 4000 calories. I think I really must give up my "perfectionist" reasoning and take the "yellow day" as a positive. Thinking back about my feelings when I DECIDED to blow it....I kept thinking about it, planning what I would eat, my mouth was watering and it was like a physical urge. I have to remember these symtoms and find a way to overcome them in the future.

On Alheimers... I guess we all have our own personal stories about alzheimers and it's a testiment to the growing numbers out there. My paternal grandmother has dementia / alzheimers, has been put into a home, and it's been over a year that since she's been there and I haven't gone to see her. Its not that its that far (about 1/2 hour away) but I think that I'm afraid. I get so emotional. We were never that close so I'm afraid she won't recognize me, and I wonder if I'm expecting too much of her. Another reason I'm afraid is that I'm so much like her and it's showing as I age ... I have decided... thanks to all your shared stories... that I WILL go visit her during the Christmas season. The first step is finding out where she is. Okay gotta change the subject ... the tears are coming...

QOTD. Let me see. Five things I can do to relieve stress without eating.

• 1. Take my dogs for a walk. They would be in my FACE (literally) if I had any food.
• 2. Take on one of my outdoor chores that need to be done. eg wash the house, pull up the flowers (marigolds are still blooming by the way - only a slight frost so far) turn the garden over, power wash sidewalks, clean windows.
• 3. Crafts / hobbies I have been trying to learn to paint, I can spend hours trying to paint a flower (one stroke method) it is very calming and relaxing but somehow I don't seem to allow myself the time to do it. I promised to crochet my mother a tablecloth about twenty years ago and have never even really got started with it. I have all the cotton. I love to sew and have a knitting machine. I think I need to make an appointment to do this stuff a few times a week.
• 4. Journal/go online. I sometimes have food in the computer room, but I've tried to make it a FOOD FREE ZONE. I should add the livingroom to that too.
• 5. Go to bed. If I'm in bed and sleeping at a reasonable hour I'll kill a couple of birds with one stone. Stress is relieved by giving your body enough rest, I can't eat when I'm sleeping which makes me positive which relieves stress and DH will be very happy which relieves stress (in two ways)

So today's goals will be

• Drink 60 oz of water
• Take the dogs for a 60 minute walk
• Have a GREEN DAY (under 1500 calories).
• No eating after 8pm

Breakfast will be toast with peanut butter and banana. Lunch will be salad with turkey and cheddar cheese and an apple. Dinner will be cabbage rolls that have been in the slow cooker for two days now.... must admit they smell wonderful. Should be enough for a couple of days. I will have a salad with it and non fat sour cream. I've gotta go and calculate the calories that this will be and may need to make some adjustments before I eat them so there will be no surprises.

I was going to do comments but seeing as how I've written a novel... I'll save them for later tonight. I will be back to report on my day.

Hugs everyone

Hello All!

First off, thank you for all the kind comments about Mom. Most of the time I handle the situation well, but every now and again....well, thanks for being there for me.

Now, to update the exercise minutes......yesterday, I did 30 minutes WATP and another 20 minutes taking the dog on a brisk walk. Today, I finally, finally FINALLY finished painting the bathroom.....and then did (a very reluctant) 30 minutes WATP. Let's make it 80/240, thus far.

Birdiegirl.....I was so sorry to hear about your Mom.....is it redundant to say I know how you feel? My Mom got very good at covering up her dementia.....to the point that most people felt she was just a 'little forgetful' because they never saw the worst of it. When my sister & I put Mom in a home, friends and neighbors were less than supportive (at first) because they thought we were just 'putting Mom away' so we could steal her home and money.. ...what a nightmare!

Julie.....25 minutes on the bike is never wasted time! Now that those snacks are gone, you will be able to really stay OP!

Elisha.....Please make sure your Grandma is being seen by a doctor for her dementia....there are some great medications out there that can slow the decline down! I am beginning to worry about the holidays too......our December challenge is really going to have to help us keep our focus, despite all the temptations around us!

Joy.....You don't have to be perfect to count a day a success! It is ok to do only what you can do....and feel good about it. Don't focus on what you didn't do today.....focus on what you accomplished! IMHO, I feel we should have 'red' days only on the days we don't try at all.

Evening chickies!
Wow...I'm amazed at all the responses about Alzheimers and that most of you have/had relatives with some sort of dementia. My heart truly goes out to all of you!

OK...today was better than yesterday. I didn't indulge in sugary ladened treats today...as much, although I did stop at the drive thru coffee shop and order a sugar free raspberry mocha/skim milk! I figure I can indulge in one of those every once in a while without too much guilt...and I needed some dairy in my day, so it was well worth the calories! And...I had a very teeny tiny piece of Halloween candy...a mini size Twix bar...from DD's stash. I ASKED FIRST!!!

B-fast was Slim Fast w/ protein powder 280 cal
Lunch was (gasp! I just looked up the calorie count on this one) Taco Bell...Grilled Stuffed Chicken Burrito...690 cal. plus 1/2 Nacho order 180 cal.
Supper was the Sate chicken I was going to make last night...and sauteed green beans...not too super high there...around 200 calories
The Latte...230cal. Twix 40 cal.
Making this a grand total day of around 1620 calories (which is way better than what I could have done!)

Water was not great...probably only around 40 oz, so that doesn't help with all the salt I ate today with the soy sauce & burrito! Gotta get more in tomorrow, for sure

Exercise...non existant...but had good intentions! I just ran out of time this morning before work...Tomorrow is not looking promising, but I can certainly try after work tomorrow! I think it's going to be a Pizza night, so maybe I can skip the pizza, work out and eat salad later! That's my plan...what can I do to avoid eating it???

What are some non-food related things you can do to relieve stress (or boredom, or anger, or loneliness, or any other emotion that could drive you to eat)?
1. Work out!
2. Journal what I am thinking about eating or what my mind is thinking about when I want to eat!
3. Work on crafts (I have tons of scrapbooking I need to get done!)
4. Play with daughter...or better yet...TELL her I want to eat something that is not healthy for me. She'll read me the riot act!! "...but Mommy, is that healthy?"
5. Look for a healthy alternative!

************************************************** *******

I know this is already exceedingly long, but I had a few comments.

Elisha...Thanks so much for the questions you are posting here. I know you have been working hard this challenge at getting involved...and it's showing up on the scale! Great job, chickie!
I hear you on the nail polish remover! Every Tuesday I do manicures (my version) for the ladies at work and then I go eat lunch! Blech! I have to wash my hands about a thousands times before that all comes off! LOL! And yes...the ladies LOVE their nails painted, so that is something you all can do (to help break the ice if you need to) for the people you go to visit in the nursing homes this upcoming holiday season!

Joy, you said: "Thinking back about my feelings when I DECIDED to blow it....I kept thinking about it, planning what I would eat, my mouth was watering and it was like a physical urge. I have to remember these symtoms and find a way to overcome them in the future."
I couldn't have said it better myself! That is exactly what happens to me when I PLAN to eat something I KNOW I shouldn't!

Birdiegirl, you said: " 3. Go back later and re-assess, Does it still seem overwhelming? Is it not really in my control (even if I wish it was)? Do I need to just LET IT GO? Do I need to work on it now and "get it off my desk/task list"."This is a wonderful way of thinking. Sometimes I really get overwhelmed (especially at work) and have to really work at letting it go! And the other...working on it NOW...that's really something I have to work on, too! I tend to procrastinate (and turn to food) if it's an overwhelmingly large task!


Alright ladies...tomorrow's goals:
1. Journal ALL my food as I eat it
2. Work out at least 20 minutes
3. Drink 80 oz. water
4. Be happy with my accomplishments for the day! (I have a presentation to give at a local college tomorrow...I'm a bit nervous, but all I can do is be myself, right?) Wish me luck!

to all!

Okay ... I'm back to comment as promised.

Julie I know you'll do well with your presentation tomorrow. Confidence is the best antidote to nerves. You know what you're talking about and feel strongly about it = you'll have no problem expressing it. I know that you can keep all your daily goals tomorrow - If "I" can do it - "You" can do it.
MsRd WOW ... painting and walking the dogs and with Lesllie too. I'm in your awe. And thanks for starting the discussion re: alzheimers - now I realize that I have to go visit my Granny instead of feeling guilty about not doing it and turning it into something that's about me - not her. Have I told you lately that I still haven't finished painting my bathroom. It's only been a year and a half If "You" can do it - "I" can do it. I think I can see a trend starting....
Birdiegirl Let me first welcome you to the group. It's great to have more perspectives. I particularly enjoyed the the "problem solving" and logical plan to avoid eating due to stress. I'll sure try to think about it that way. Maybe that's what I really need to do - stop and be analitical about the whole "emotional" reaction to stress. Some great ideas there.
Elisha I'm SO PROUD OF YOU ... the way you're keeping on track with your eating... ... the way your scale keeps budging downward ... and you're getting to be such a great bowler too. I hope I'm not TOO LATE for the exercise challenge... can you put me down for .... drum roll please 90/240 I didn't end up taking the dogs for a walk - I couldn't locate the leashes ... but I ended up washing walls, ceiling and tiles in the bathroom and moving furniture around in the games room, relocating the carpet shampoo'er (downstairs) and did 30 minutes on the e-bike.
TBJ I'm so glad my hubby's home. I didn't really think that I get lonely ... but I'm sure that's some of it. I sometimes think I'm trying to prove I'm too independent to miss somebody. But I have tried to be more upbeat and cheerful and lovey and demonstrative since he came home... and it feels great. So now that the bar application is in what's the next step for you? Do you have to wait for an exam, how long is it away or are you done all the exams and are waiting for approval? I don't know anything about the process. When can you're dogs get out of the quarantine? Have you been to visit? Can you take them for a walk there? What kind of a job are you looking for while you wait for the bar application? Sorry didn't mean for this to be a thousand questions....but that's what came up????
Betani I'm on vacation (again) too. Not doing much either. Gotta get my reading done by tomorrow for my course "Organizational Behaviour" because I have signed up for a seminar on "Contracting for Services" Thursday and Friday - should be interesting (NOT). I guess that means lots of reading tonight and tomorrow to get it all done for class on Saturday. I've been doing some decluttering too - got rid of the "collection" of old pillows that I was hanging on to for some reason. Lord knows I don't love them - so they are GONE. I've been trying to get ready and organized for the holidays too.

Well that's about it for now ... DH wants me to look on the net for a "Kowasaki Rhino".

Wanted you to know that it's 7:37 pm and I'm on track. Only 1200 calories so far... room for some PLANNED popcorn later. Water has been 60 oz (including tea - and I'm having more in a minute).

Hugs everyone and for being here for me (and each other)

Morning chickies!


Well today is starting off one bugger of a day. I'll be glad when this one is over!
Readers' Digest version? Power went off overnight--no alarm, overslept, no water, no shower, no light, no hot breakfast, no coffee. Tried for cereal but the milk was bad. Got to work an hour late to find email down and the whole office just barely hobbling along. I hope they just send us home, because this weather is going to get worse as the day progresses, and by evening all of the rain that fell last night will just be one big sheet of ice from here to Ohio.
Finally got some coffee and a bagel with LF cream cheese at work. I SSOOOO wanted to stop at Hardee's for breakfast, but I didn't. Oh yeah, and the scale was all the way up to 213 this morning. Miss Elisha is NOT a happy camper this morning.

Haha... I just saw the new emoticons they have up! How funny they are!
:

Emoticons amuse me. I'm such a little kid.

Yeah, so, yesterday... water was good yesterday, something like 120 oz. Calories came in at 1494. Dinner was heavy (cheeseburger and mac and cheese). Did 30 minutes of Y!F, mostly yoga. Wasn't a hard workout last night, and I'm ok with that.
Food today... who knows? If the power is still out at home it's likely to be a nice greasy Hero Hut with fries and blue cheese. But the rest of the day will be light, so it'll all work out. Oh dear... if the power isn't back on, how can I work out? I'll find a way. I'm hoping it won't be a problem.

OK, I'll come back and post comments when I'm feeling a little more positive. I hope you're all having a better day than I am!
~Elisha

Minutes are listed Actual/Goal

MsRD: /240
TBJ: 40/140
Elisha: 30/180
Julie: 25/160
Joy: 90/240

Total: 185/960

If you've given up your favorite treat for your diet, we've got good news. It turns out there are dozens of healthier alternatives to ice cream. An average ice cream bar contains 260 calories and 17 grams of fat, but dip into sorbet or low-fat frozen yogurt and you'll save at least 100 calories and 10 grams of fat. Nonfat fudge bars, ice pops, and low-calorie ice-cream sandwiches are other yummy ways to indulge while watching your waistline!

This one should have been mailed to me yesterday. Before I dove into the tub of chocolate hagen daas, never mind the 3 additional cabbage rolls I ate over the sink, and the bad of popcorn laden with butter and parmesean. What to do about ME

My only goal from NOW until I create an unwavering habit is to
REFRAIN FROM EATING AFTER 8PM. .
I was trying to turn this goal into a positive... any ideas how to word it?
I WILL achieve this goal by:

• creating a evening tea ritual (sweetened with spenda) and celebrated by lighting aroma candles
• reinforcing and remembering my no food in the livingroom rule and eating only at the kichen or diningroom tables
• going to bed when DH does
• crochet or do crafts while watching TV
• brush my teeth
• go for a walk
• go to the pool
• post or journal

On a more positive note for some reason the scale was back down to 237 this morning (it must have been water weight) ... and... I love emoticons too!

Hi everyone!

Joy, how about, "I will concentrate on metabolizing after 8pm, and I won't eat then because it would distract me."

Ah, Chicitas, it's been an interesting few days. I feel kind of down, because Hubby is gone, and I have been wanting to overeat and not to exercise. Fortunately I haven't completely blown it. I've been cooking comfort foods, but at least I've been cooking and not restaurant-ating. I've been craving lots of sweets, but have stuck to my one-treat-a-day goal. I haven't wanted to get out of bed, but I have done some chores.

I know I'll feel happier if I spend some more time out in the pretty Hawaiian sunlight and do some sort of physical activity. I felt a lot better Monday morning when I went for that walk. Today I'm going to visit the animals at quarantine, which means I'll spend time outside with my pets, and that is sure to lift my spirits.

Yesterday a scary thing happened. A while back, the mirror in the bathroom had fallen off the wall and hit a light. The landlady came in and fixed the mirror, but she didn't fix the lamp shade, which was broken and sharp.

Well, I was in the bathroom and putting on some sunscreen. As I moved my arm up in the air, my wrist caught the broken lamp! I pulled my wrist away, and there wasn't any blood. But then a few minutes later, my wrist was bleeding. I was so scared... obviously I hadn't severed an vein, because the blood wasn't gushing, but it was freaky to see blood dripping from my wrist.

I'm not too good with blood regardless of what injury the blood is coming from, so I started to feel somewhat panicked. What if I passed out while my wrist was bleeding? Forutunately, that didn't happen. I put a paper towel over my wrist and laid down on the bed with my arm up in the air. The bleeding stopped, and I put a band-aid over the wound so that I wouldn't feel nauseated by it.

Now I just have a pink-ish scrape on my wrist. There isn't even a scab. Apparently I just nicked the surface. But I'm glad the incident is done.

I watched a tae kwon do class last night. Watching the class was one of those things that I didn't feel like going out and doing, but that I did anyway. I'm glad I did, because I didn't like the class. I don't think tae kwon do is for me. Now that I know that information, I am closer to joining a martial arts group. I'm pretty sure I'll go with the jujitsu group that I visited. I am going to visit one more place first, though.

All right, I don't mean to be self-centered and not respond to people's posts, but I've written way too much here! I'll comment later.

Happy Wednesday!

sorry for not posting. seems like i missed alot. way too much to comment on. i just havent really been in the writing mood. its been taking all i have to respond to ppl's emails and check on things daily. i did okay for the past week. some days were a little too low cause i just didnt feel like eating. but on average-1850- it was okay although a little lower than my low end of cals (i usually try to stay @ 1950). weighed myself and came in at a loss of 4.2 lbs so that was good to see. i hope to have a pound lose next week to finally be out of the 330s. i've been in there forever. so my goal is to stay around 1950-2000 cals instead of the 2100 i was on the week prior to last. well hope i made sense. hope to catch you gals tomorrow. (and i'll promise to read the past posts in full- i jus glanced over them )

Rosie

Hi... looks like I've got a lot of time on my hands... so you all can breath a sigh of relief... tomorrow and Friday I have a course to go to.

Rosie... so glad to hear from you. I hope you're feeling a little better. Your weight loss should help with that. {{{{{{{{Rosie}}}}}}}}}

BS (blood sugar) this am 6.5
Water so far 60 oz (7pm)
Exercise:

• 30 minutes e-bike
• 15 minutes toning routine as follows: (10= one set)
  10 push ups
  10 ab crunch shoulder lift
  10 ab crunch lower body lift
  10 (each leg) low leg lift
  10 (each leg) lay on side leg lift
  10 (each side) lay on back and roll hips side to side
  10 Flying (lift legs and arms laying on stomach)
  10 (each leg) lunges
  10 squatts
• 15 minutes dancing.

So mark me down for 60 more minutes Elisha.

Food was good today but had to have a sweet that my sweetie brought home. A TH cinnamon bun with cream cheese icing... figured 314 calories for it ... but still under 1500 calories so a GREEN day.

I WILL NOT EAT ANYTHING MORE TONIGHT. I WILL HAVE A NICE CUP OF TEA.

Okay gotta go watch Law and Order.

Oops! Guessed I missed posting yesterday! Sorry chickies~

Food was not good yesterday and there was no exercise (except for the billion miles I walked at the college for the presentation I did...it went well, thank you!)

Today is a sad day here in our household. DH is going to take our 13 yo male Husky to be put to sleep today. He called me this morning at 6am from work, sobbing. I feel so bad, but Nikai's life has been a good one and he just isn't able to control his urine and BM anymore...and because Winter has arrived here in W. Michigan, it would be cruel to keep himoutside all the time this winter. He would just be tortured! We both feel it is time...and have known it was coming for a long time. He's been such a wonderful dog and lived a good full life for only having 3 legs all of his life! I'll try to attach a photo of him.

Not much more to say...We have about 6" of snow on the ground this morning. It's cold...and I will try to get some exercise in this morning!

Joy...You could phrase your goal as: I will only allow myself to eat up until 8pm when I will only drink water or tea....or I will only drink water or tea after 8pm.

I need to get going...the rest of you are doing good...let's get motivated and really kick this exercise challenge up a notch!!! Who can do more than 30 minutes today????

Hugs!

Do you have any trigger foods, times of day, or other specific triggers that you are aware of? What substitutions can you make for your trigger foods? What else can you do to avoid your triggers?

Morning chickies!

Well, yesterday was a decent day for me. Calories came in at 1430, plus a small salad with light dressing I forgot to add in, should add another 50 calories or so, so we'll say 1480. Water was good... about 110 oz. Exercise was 45 minutes of Yourself!Fitness.

However, the scale is up again this morning. Yesterday I was 213.0, today I'm at 213.4. That's just freaking crazy. Before I was losing weight on 1600 calories per day, but now that I've gotten used to eating fewer, I'm gaining on 1500? That's not fair!

But today is starting out a better day than yesterday did. I had coffee this morning, and there was power, so it's ok. I'm going to keep my calories down around 1300 today and guzzle water like there's no tomorrow and we'll see if this mystery weight comes off. I want to be 210-211 on Monday!

I just don't know what is up with that stupid scale. ToM is still a couple weeks away, so it's not that. I don't know.

I know I shouldn't worry about it so much, since I know I am being healthier now, and that is what's really important. And honestly, I'm not exactly depressed about it. I'm just confused. *sigh* Well, I'll just push myself a little harder for a couple of days.

I really need to go back to planning my meals a little more accurately. I need to whip out my Dr. Phil guideline sheets and write down exactly what I'm going to eat, then stick to it. That is very difficult for me, but I know it can be done.

So I did a 45 minute workout last night. I still can't make it through some of the marathon cardio sessions she gives me, but I can tell that I'm making progress. I can jog in place longer and do way more jumping jacks, so that is a good thing.

I'm scheduled to do only 30 minutes tonight, but with this scale thing, and Julie's challenge for the day, I think I'll bump it up to 45. I really think I need to work out for longer anyway. 30 minutes should be the bare minimum--NOT the norm.

QotD: What are my triggers?
Chocolate. When I have even a little bit of chocolate, I want more, and I want it all the time. Sometimes I'll allow myself just a little bit of chocolate every day, and that works alright, because I can usually limit myself. But I find that if I just don't eat it at all, the cravings go away after a couple of days anyway.
Same thing with pretty much any starchy or sugary carb. If I let myself have a little, my body just keeps wanting more and more. It's better for me just to avoid them, but it's so dang hard. I don't want to do low-carb, but I know I do better if I avoid carbs in the evening. That, unfortunately, seems to be the hardest time, with potatoes and pastas or rice for dinner quite frequently. I try to limit my portions though, sometimes it even works.

Julie: Sorry to hear about your dog. They are such a part of the family, aren't they? It is always sad to see them go. Our shepherd is going to be going soon--she's gone deaf, all her hair is falling out no matter what we do, and dysplacia is settling into her hips. But she is 13, and we know she has had a good life. Although it may not feel like it, we both know it is better for them to be at peace.

Joy: WAY TO GO on the green day and the exercise! How about, "I will get all of my daily nutrients/nourishment before 8pm," so you're looking at what you CAN have instead of what you cannot.

TBJ: I don't do so well with blood either, at least not if it's my own. Someone else's and I couldn't care less. One time I cut my finger opening a can of cat food (honest!). It was so bad... I probably should have had stitches. I was home alone, and I just panicked. I called my grandfather, who could tell I was panicking, and he drove all the way (about 20 minutes)over to help me and calm me down. I still have the scar from that one.
Have a good visit with your pets, and get out there in that sunshine!

Rosie: 4.2 pounds, that is great! I know you can lose that other pound this week, no problem! Hope you are feeling better soon!

OK, enough chatter from me for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
~Elisha

Minutes are listed Actual/Goal

MsRD: /240
TBJ: 40/140
Elisha: 75/180
Julie: 25/160
Joy: 150/240

Total: 290/960

I can't believe it but I lost 2 lbs over the last week! That really perked me up.

I weighed myself on Tuesday, forgot to post about it yesterday.

I'm doing much better about food at work...work is where it's easiest to eat JUNK, also I have a sitting office job (very awful) combined with a LONG commute (doubly awful). I used to work 4 days a week, which I loved, but as of last January, business was purchased by a demanding boss, who insisted I work at LEAST half days on Fridays...so another long commute each week.

I'm clinging to my 1/2 day Friday's now...I take about every third Friday as a vacation day, as it's been so draining.

Work in a small town, so hard to get good food at lunchtime. However, they are finally building a big grocery store that will have good fruit/etc to pick up at lunch time.

No time for packing lunches with my routine.

Later
Birdiegirl