Morning chickies!

Yesterday was a good day for me. Calories came in around 1135 or so—I was planning to eat something else, I just never got around to it—water was 100 oz, and I did 30 minutes of Y!F plus the Physical Challenge. I will admit though that my workout session was rather half-hearted, as my body was just feeling tired. Thankfully, today is my day off from working out, so it’s all good! However, another thing I noticed was that all of my levels tested in the PC only went up a tiny bit. 1 more crunch than last time, 1 more pushup. Last time my levels were improving by 8 or 9 with every PC. But this time around I’ve only been doing the weight loss workouts rather than the strengthening ones. Last night I did a core strength workout, and I figure tomorrow I will do an upper body strength focus. I know I need to work on my strength also, I was just using the weight loss workouts to get myself back into the routine. But now (By George!) I think I’ve got it, so I can go back to the variations.

So the scale was down to 215.6 this morning, so that is good. If I can make 215.0 by next Monday, that will be about 2.5 pounds for the month. If I can keep up even that pace, that would be about 25 pounds off by my wedding, and I would be perfectly happy with that. Granted, I’d like a little more, but I’ll take what I can get!

OK, my mind just went blank, so I guess that’s it for me today. Have a good one, chicks!
~Elisha

Morning, chicklettes. Tired, and sore. This is going to be a busy week- tomorrow I have a phone-in / online training class, and my loan consultant is going to be in a 2 day meeting in Tampa, so that means doing triple duty again. It does make the day go faster, for sure!

Poor hubby got sick last Friday night, so we had a slight delay in heading to the house. I didn't want him nauseous in the car in traffic, so we held off, did more laundry, hit the storage unit, and stuffed the Beast full. The hardest part was setting up the bed- Julie can attest to this- she's got the same bed. The commercials all say you can put this bed together in 30 minutes, which is a load of crap. By the time you get all the stuff unpacked, lay it out, and then start working on it, you've put in 45 minutes. And used every square inch of floor space. We only had 2 fights over it, mostly when hubby didn't want to listen to direction. The base was totally set up, and he got pissed and went to Publix, so I got the mattress part totally done while he was gone, and made the bed. Takes 2-3 hours, depending on the number of people impeding the progress

That sucked up most of Saturday afternoon, but at least we got to sleep in the bed, and not on the floor with that air mattress. My knees and back were thanking me on Sunday when I didn't struggle to get up, and walk like quasimodo to the kitchen, clutching all the hurting parts.

Got my breakfast in, working on my first 32oz of water, getting ready to make my first trip to the ladies' room, and get back to the poop at hand. Hope everyone is having a good day! More later

Good morning girls!

Yesterday ended up a good day for me (eating wise that is). Water was a little low, but better than I normally do..so today I'm more focused on it. No exercise last night. I was still up at midnight making 100th day of school treats for both boys. I made a cake that spells out the number 100, and also made a giant cookie for my oldest's class that says Happy 100th Day of School! We will be decorating the 100 cake in my 6 year old's kindergarten class..we will put 100 M&M's on it. I love this day! What fun!!!

DH is kicking my butt all the way around..both with food and exercise. I am so tired(sorry to whine...) and I am running around like a mad woman. I am the world's worst emotional eater..gosh this is hard for me. I am not obese, no, but a binge eater!! Just ask Julie..she'll tell you it's the truth! :wink: Nevertheless, my eating is within my points, and I'm making smart choices. I am below 150 lbs now, which means only 20 WW points, and that is not a lot. I can eat that in one meal!! LOLOL!!!!

OMG..I must tell you this! Yesterday, my 3 yr old and I are in the car, I had just picked him up at school, and was running back and forth taking my Dad to Dr. appointments, for x-rays, taking some things to my Mom, running an errand for DH, buying things for teachers, buying supplies for DH's diet, etc. etc. etc. So, I stop by Wendy's to get us a lunch. I got a hamburger with no mayo, and no fries either, and a diet Coke (8 points). I stuff it in my face, driving fast, trying to make it to my Mom's office and back to get my oldest off of the bus. I get to my Mom's office, pull into the parking lot, and my cell phone rings. (IT is my Dad's surgeon. I listen to the biopsy results: not cancer, but pre-cancerous cells. It would have turned into cancer, and they think they got it all. We will have to be careful, and do all kinds of tests every 3 months.) This is good news, yet I am in tears from the sheer emotional aspect of the past 2 weeks. Anyway, I grab my son, run into the office, and my Mom says she wants me to meet her new boss. I smile, make what I consider to be clever conversation, shake his hand, etc...I talk to my Mom for a min. more, and then rush out. When I get to the car, and start to back out, I look in the rear view mirrow.......and.........I HAVE KETCHUP AND MUSTARD ALL OVER MY FACE!!!!!! OMG!!! LIKE A LOT! AND WHY DID MY MOM NOT TELL ME???????? sheesh!!

Gotta love a day in the life of ME! Oh well, what to do but laugh about it-right??????

Hugs and blessings to you all today. Let's be strong, take care of our bodies, and lose this weight!! Thanks for listening to me ramble. You're all the best!!

Hi everyone!

Green day yesterday. Today is planned out... no excuses.

***
Julie -- YES, your clothes can weigh a lot. My husband says his jeans weigh two pounds.

MsRD -- Mmmmm-hmmm, it would be a shame to give up now, when you're so close to your goal. In a week I bet you'll make it. And then think... you only have to repeat what you did eleven more times, and you win.

Elisha -- Yay for you on the weight loss.

Jennifer -- Ugh, it can be frustrating when some people don't follow directions. But at least now you have a bed.

Lisa -- 20 points always seemed a little low to me. WW probably keeps it low so that it won't take forever to lose the last few pounds. Plus when you go to maintenance, then you'll feel like you're splurging! ARGH about the ketchup and mustard!
***

Arm is still sore. I'm glad I have a day off from jujitsu.

The Strattera is helping somewhat. I am confident that I will finish all my studying today. Back in college and law school, I used to eat so that I could procrastinate. I think I've been doing the same thing now as I study for the bar. So now, I am not doing anything before I am done studying for the day, with the exception of taking half an hour to catch up on 3fc. Feel special, y'all.

to let you all know that I did 30 minutes of the e-bike tonight! Yea!!!
That's 2 days out of 2 for me. I don't know if I said how many minutes I was going for this week, but I think I said 4 days of the bike...so 2 more to go!

TBJ...sorry you are still hurting! Glad to know that we rate up there with the studying! Would it hlep to know that we are getting hit with one of those Clipper systems tonight with lots of wind and some snow! It's really blowing out tonight and they are predicting the waves at Lake Michigan are going to reach the 10 ft level tonight! OK...thought that would make you feel better!


Jennifer...too funny with the bed story! I told DH and his friend that if they had read the directions FIRST, they might have saved a little time! LOL!

Lisa...So glad you checked in! 100th day of school, eh? Is that a big deal for kids? Sorry...I guess I do remember Kaleigh's pre-school celebrating that! Too fun! Glad you are enjoying doing all those things for your kids, but your days just make my head spin!!! You have waaay too much energy for me! HA!

Elisha...I meant to tell you in my last post that I understand what you are saying about only lasting a month with consistent exercise...I was thinking about that today...and it seems that 2 weeks is my longevity! Hmmmm...I need to do something about that! Back on track for me too!

MsRD...Hope your visit with your Mom and the team there went well! I know you have a hard time with those visits! Did you have a plan this time?

OK...the rest ofyou...sorry if I didn't comment. Gotta go finish watching American Idol! Love the beginning of that show! the tryouts!

Hugs to all!

Hello all!

All in all, I think we could call this a good day. I was up early, as I had an 8am appointment with staff at Mom's assisted living home......it went well, no changes in care level. They seem to take such a personal interest in Mom....they think she is 'so cute'......and are so good to answer all my questions. Just being able to talk to someone about her makes me feel better. Anyway, then it was off to work (yikes - the roads were slippery!) where I got half a mountain of work done, stopped at Subway on the way home for dinner, yakked with DD for a couple of hours, paid the bills and......well, thought I better check in here before I fell asleep!

Elisha.....You really have quite a workout routine! I am impressed! And seeing the scale go down must make you feel good too! I wanted to ask you......why do you take a 'day off' exercising? Just to have a day off .....or is there some metabolic reason involved?

Jennifer.....You got a lot accomplished this weekend.....despite the 'help'

Lisa.....You are an absolute whirlwind, chickie! You leave me breathless! And you probably made a memorable impression on MOm's boss too

TBJ......You mean I have to go thru this for 11 more months? What was I thinking? Glad your study schedule is settling down.....and that you take your break here at 3FC......we appreciate your input!

Well, my kitchen looks like it has been bombed........DH just doesn't quite grasp the concept of housework....so maybe that will be the next think I tackle (the kitchen, not the DH!)
Have a great evening!

Morning chicks!

Comments first!

Jennifer: You are always so crazy busy! But once it’s over and you’re all moved in, you won’t have to worry about it anymore and you can just enjoy your nice new house! I can’t wait until we get to that point.

Lisa: Is that what it’s like being a mom? Oh dear, I don’t know how I’m ever going to handle that! I hope my kids are as reclusive as I was so I don’t go crazy running them around! Haha… I’m just kidding. But it is good that your DH is at least being supportive about the whole weight loss thing, even if you’re not doing exactly the same thing.

TBJ: Congrats on the green day! Only 262 more green days to go until my wedding! You know, 3FC is what I do when I need a break at work. Glad to hear the Strattera is helping.

MsRD: The main reason I take 2 days off of exercising per week is the guilt factor: I know perfectly well that I’m not going to manage to exercise every single day. Some days I’ll get dragged into doing something else, some days I’ll have to stay late at work, some days I’ll be just plain tired. But if I have off days planned into my routine, I’m not really messing up, I’m just rearranging my schedule. Besides, I try to push myself during my workouts, and by the 3rd session or so I’m not performing as well as I should be. A day off really feels like a treat and helps me relax and rest, and by the next day I’m ready to go full steam ahead again. I know that this might not work for everyone, and I also know that if I take more than one day off in a row my routine usually just goes right down the drain, so I have to be careful with that. But I guess I just like having a day off to look forward to.

Julie: Way To Go on the exercise, chickie! It sounds like you are taking it like I am this month—not worrying about duration, only that you actually DO IT! For me this challenge is all about consistency, because I know that is what it’s going to take for me to get where I want to be.

Perhaps next month I will set up a consistency challenge of sorts, something like Joy’s star system and TBJ’s points system from last month, with the major point being for us to just meet our goals consistently, no matter what they are. (Hey, I think one of my goals would be to put my shoes away every day after work rather than just let them pile up on my floor.) After all, we all KNOW what to do and how to do it and why to do it, it’s the actual DOING, CONSISTENTLY that gets us. Am I right?
What do you chicks think of that idea? Let me know.

OK, so what about me? Yesterday was good. Calories came in at 1366, water was about 105 oz., and no exercise, as it was my scheduled day off (man, did that feel good!). The scale read 214.6 this morning. I had to step on a few times just to be sure, but it gave me the same reading all 3 times (which is hardly ever does—hence the multiple stepping upons).

And I finally figured out a computer problem at work that I’ve been working on for literally WEEKS, and I did it WITHOUT the IT guy or Steve or my brother (both of whom are also IT guys)! Of course, now I have other things to fix that got messed up by the fixing of the previous problem, but they are somewhat easier things to fix.

However, I didn’t sleep well last night, and it hit me again that I have no idea how I’m going to pay for this wedding, or my house, or anything else I need to pay for. I woke up so depressed this morning that I almost didn’t come to work, until I told myself that I certainly could not afford to take a day off. Then I managed to come in even though my car was sliding all over the road and I was scared to death and gripping the steering wheel so hard my hands hurt all 26 miles. Gotta love January weather! Gah… hopefully this will clear up by this weekend so we can go fix the gutters. I’m not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened.

So today I feel like being really strict about my diet, because today it feels like that is the only thing I can really control and have any effect on. Today I just want something to go right. I brought a Healthy Choice for lunch, but it doesn’t sound remotely appetizing, so I may end up getting something else. It’s sesame chicken, which I like, but today… bleh. I might eat it anyway, just because I don’t need to spend the money to buy something, and I don’t want to have to drive anywhere I don’t absolutely have to.

I don’t know. I want to be fired up and motivated to do something about something, anything, but instead I am simply frustrated. I’m ready for something to change. Again. Still.

OK, I’ll stop being depressing now. Have a good day, chicks.
~Elisha

Hi everyone!

Pkittsy -- What nice comments people made!

Elisha -- Yesterday was another green day. So 261 more green days to go... Sure, a consistency challenge would be nice. Joy's stars are a good idea... a daily accounting. Glad to hear the scale was down again.

MsRD -- Go tackle the hubby. That counts as exercise.

Julie -- Ooo, ten foot waves on Lake Michigan. Surfin' time!

***
The arm feels better and I'm going to jujitsu tonight.

I was sick this morning, and Hubby went to the store and bought some diet 7up and shortbread cookies. I ate one of the cookies to see whether I would be sick again. I was fine... but I sure am glad I didn't eat more than one. They're 90 calories a piece!!!

I'm feeling better now. Made some stir fry for lunch and have the rest of my day planned out so that it should be green. Only a few hours left of studying today. I better go do it...

I feel like I'm in a constant state of starting over. I'm finally feeling more human again after my cold, and I'm starting over at 15 minutes per day exercise. I am well enough, though, to refine my calander star requirements. I now need to stay under 1800 calories per day, while drinking 4 glasses of water per day, exercising at least 15 minutes per day, and eating only at scheduled times.

If I can remember to do it, I'm going to weigh in tomorrow for the first time in weeks. I'm a bit nervous about it, since I've been at a standstill for so long.

DH and I are going to play games tonight, so hopefully that will keep my mind off eating. I do need at least 400 more calories, though, 'cause I'm pretty far under for this time of day. Micro-mini-babysteps!

Hello all!

I came home from work today to find DH waiting for me in the truck.....told me we have to go to hospital NOW! (This is a chronic thing with him.....a condition that causes him pain....and sometimes the pain gets out of control and we end up in the ER) Anyway......ER got the pain under control, we stopped at McD's and came home. Every day is an adventure.

Elisha.....When it comes to weddings, it is sooo easy to lose control, trying to make it all so perfect. Sit down and make out a realistic budget.....and hold yourself to it. There are many places that you will be able to cut back and save money. And remember, whether you have a small affair with only friends and family, or a sit down dinner for 500......the end result is that you and Steve will be married; that is what counts, so don't lose sight of that fact.

Pam......Yes, we all struggle on this weight loss journey. And that is why we are here....to encourage one another. Doesn't it make you feel great when someone else notices your weight loss! I am at the point of where I feel like I am losing weight and toning......but sure would like someone else to notice it too!

TBJ.....Shortbread cookies! Now I am sure that would cure me of almost anything! They are soooo good!

Betani......It is so frustrating to have to begin over again. Believe me, I know the feeling. But....you are also making a positive step in the right direction, and this time next week, you can look back and see the progress you have made!

I just tallied up the calories.....about 1500 for day. A little higher than I would like, but the cruise thru McD's didn't help much. Tomorrow, one of the girls at work is bringing lunch in for all of us....that should be good!
Well, my brain just shut down......will go throw another log on the fire and go to bed.

It's been a busy past couple of days. Busy but good, actually. I went to bed at 7:30 the night before last, but stayed up late last night to watch CSI with DH..oh and also American Idol. Staying those few days with my Dad got me to watching t.v.! I usually say it is all mostly "brain rot"! But...well....a little t.v. can't hurt! Usually, I prefer a good book and a bubble bath in the evenings. Anyway.... Food has been really good. Water has been really good. Exercise has been non-existent. I don't know what is up with me, except that I am so tired. That treadmill stands there mocking me! And, I really really wanted the thing.

I have a sore throat this morning and a stuffy nose-probably the result of working with preschoolers and Kindergarteners a lot. Tonight, there is nothing on our calendar- you have no idea how much this thrills me . I have barely spoken to my DH this week, and not out of anger..just the fact that we have been so busy.

I need to go right this minute and get on that treadmill....

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now for my comments !!

MsRD- Goodness, that must have been overwhelming to come home to a DH in pain like that. I am sorry....hope he is feeling better now. About once a year, I get a migraine so bad that I have to go to the hospital and get a shot. When you reported 1500 cals. total for yesterday, I was thinking "not bad!", considering the McD's trip. I think I could eat 1500 cals just at McD's-LOL!!

Betani- Yes, I agree with MsRD..this time next week, you will have a week of success under your belt, and you will be feeling good . We can do this .

TBJ- Did you end up on a green day yesterday? I am finding that I am liking your system of Red/yellow/green days. It is a nice motivator for me. Hope you have a good day.

Pam- I know how you feel...people noticing my weight makes me feel better too. I guess it's just a human thing to want encouragement like that. What type of strength training do you do at the gym? Have you been doing it regularly? Just curious...I need to get on a schedule!

Elisha- You made me smile when you talked about how crazy my life seems. I was thinking, "...And she didn't even hear the part about homework, dinner, baths, phone ringing off the hook, dog barking, doorbell ringing, juice spill in the living room floor, potty accident (not me!), etc. etc..." LOL! Yes, it's a zoo. But, I love my life, I really do, and I wouldn't trade it-even with all the chaos !! I know how you feel about wedding budgeting. We were on a STRICT budget for our wedding. It was simple, but tasteful, I think. And, yes,..you will be married to Steve, and that is the most important part.

O.K...off to exercise...I promise!!! Have a great day girls! Stay Strong!!! And, as MsRD says...nevergiveup, nevergiveup, nevergiveup, nevergiveup!!!!

Morning chicks!

Yesterday was an ok day for me, even with all the mumbling and grumbling that started it off. Water was at least 105 oz but possibly as much as 130 (I can’t remember if I had 3 or 4 big glasses at work), but either way I made my daily goal of 100 oz. Calories came in at 1337, and that’s even with lunch at Wendy’s, though I forgot to add in 1 small piece of hard tack candy which I have no idea how many calories it had. Exercise was 30 minutes of Y!F with a core focus, so not really a lot of aerobics, but I’m glad I did it anyway. I think I may try doing a 30-minute weight loss routing followed by a 15-minute strength routine. Perhaps I will try that this evening, if I’m feeling energetic.

The scale this morning was down to 214.4. Only 0.2 from yesterday. Not that that’s bad, I’m just testing a theory, kind of. For the past couple of days I’ve been limiting my carbs in the evening, and I’ve had a drop of 0.6-0.8 pounds per day. Yesterday I had JUST carbs for dinner, and I ended up down only 0.2. The amount of carbs I get during the rest of the day doesn’t seem to affect it much, just how many I get in the evening. And that’s fine. I can go one meal a day with limited carbs. But that’s part of the Dr. Phil diet plan—whole grain carbs at breakfast, possibly at lunch, and only non-starchy carbs at dinner.

The funny thing is, now that I think about it, I know I’m craving carbs less already. I had carbs for dinner last night because that’s what was already heated up (we just had leftovers last night, so a bunch of random food)—about ¾ cup of rice and ¼ of a potato, both with a little margarine. But I just thought for a moment about what I would like to get for lunches over the next few days, and I thought about the frozen chicken fettucini alfredo that’s in our freezer, but the thought of pasta right now is just… bleh. And I *love* pasta (especially alfredo). What came to mind when I thought about lunches was chicken and veggies. Some of that Lean Cuisine Thai Style Chicken I had last week (did I mention how deliciously scrumptious that was?), some of those Healthy Choice meals where they give you the full chicken breast and a separate portion of veggies, some cucumbers in a bit of FF yogurt with some dill… yum. I’m glad I get to go grocery shopping. I need some produce.

But I’m glad that my body is starting to want these things, even my brain. There’s a theory out there that when you exercise consistently you want to eat healthier, like you know that you’re trying to take care of yourself, so you want to do all you can. And that’s a good thing.

I’m still not sleeping very well though. All week I’ve been waking up around 3am, and this morning I even woke up before my alarm went off, which is practically unheard of for me. I think I would feel a lot better about a lot of things if I could just get one really good night’s sleep. *sigh* Perhaps this weekend.

But I’m feeling better today, at least mentally. My mom and I sat down last night and made some “Will you be my bridesmaid?” cards (all of my bridesmaids already know they’re bridesmaids, I just saw the cards online and thought they were a cute idea), and even though they didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned, they’re still really cute. I think I just feel better because I actually got something done, and it wasn’t even that terrible. I mean, I got other stuff done too last night besides those cards. Progress makes me feel good, even if it’s only a little. I should remember that the next time I feel like procrastinating.

Our loan officer says she expects our approval today, which means we’ll get an actual closing date. And the weather is supposed to break Friday, so we should be able to go fix the gutters this weekend (knock on wood). I’m SO ready to be in this freaking house! I want to get out all of my nice kitchen stuff that I've been keeping in storage for when I get a house—I have a nice set of Analon cookware, a cappuccino maker, a new wok, just random stuff I can't wait to use.

Anyway, I’ve got some work to get done today, so I’d better get to it. Have a good one, chicks!
~Elisha

Hi!

Elisha -- Hey, .2 down is .2 down. Interesting theory on the carbs. Hope it helps you keep pushing in the right direction.

Pkittsy -- Ew, shoveling! Hey, if you like it, I bet you could make serious money by helping your neighbors. You're the only person I know who likes doing it.

Lisa -- Yes, I had another green day yesterday! Even better, I've had three in a row. Sorry to hear about your cold. Yeah, it's hard to exercise when feeling run down. Maybe you could do some arm curls with the kleenex box?

MsRD -- Ooo, sorry about your hubby. You seem to be the caretaker in your family. It's great that now you're taking care of yourself. 1500 calories isn't bad at all.

Betani -- Hope your weigh in went well. We all hear you on constantly starting over. Maybe Elisha's consistency challenge will help everybody next month.

***
Yep, another green day yesterday. That's three in a row. One more day until weigh in... 260 more day's 'til Elisha's wedding.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner. I have plenty of calories saved for a nice meal. I just hope that the salt won't ruin the weigh in tomorrow. I've worked so hard... five green days a week generally results in a loss.

Jujitsu was fun last night. Nage -- throwing -- arts. I did a mini-jujitsu workout today. Class tomorrow night is the Circle of Fear <ooo, ahh>. If Sensei keeps to the calendar schedule. He hasn't done so in the past.

Well, I'll just stick to my plan for today and hope for the best tomorrow.

Take care!