Lisa! Welcome back! We've missed you!

We've all done... ahem... not so great over the holidays, but now we're all ready to get back on track.

Glad to have you with us!

~Elisha

anyone have room for a lost chick returning to the fold????

Let me sum up the last year- stress, stress, more stress, add some extra stress to that, and time pressure, 2 hurricanes, 1 leaving us with roof damage, and no power or phones for more than 2 weeks, hubby being partially out of work due to the hurricane, and me having to try to make up for things. It's been a year of chaos, and the easiest way to deal with this was unfortunately the worst for my health. The weight is back, so I'm back at square one after so much effort.

The good news: On Friday, 12/30, we closed on the new house. Barely squeaked it in to 2005, but we now have keys. There are a few areas that need touch up, and repair, so it will be a few weeks before we officially move in. We did spend New Year's Eve in the new house to start off things right. With the new house comes a new, huge kitchen, and plenty of space to work on healthy meals and prepping.

I need to get back to what worked- planning, prepping, follow through, accountability, and support. Calendar is already set up for the new year, complete with shiny stars for days when I meet my water, food, and exercise goals.

Happy New Year, chickies, and Happy New US!

Jennifer, welcome back! YAY! It's good to see you! Glad everything is finally starting to turn your way once again.


OK, let's see...

This morning I’m off to a good start. I didn’t even use the sugary, flavored coffee creamer (I didn’t feel like making more coffee). Breakfast was right on plan. Granted, that’s as far as I’ve gotten, but at least I got it right.

I reset my DietPower software. I haven’t used it in well over a month anyway, so I figured I could go ahead and make a clean start. I’m going to reset my profile in Yourself!Fitness too, so another clean slate there. I weighed in this morning at 217.4. Not great, but that’s where I’m at. And I recorded my measurements in my Project: Me folder. I’m ready to go.

Today I need to put away laundry, clean my desk, and clean my room so that I have space to exercise. I feel the need to be clean today. I’m going to go ahead and clean things while breakfast is digesting, then I’ll get right to the exercise. That way I’ll be able to relax this evening.

Hmm… I don’t really know what else to say today. I feel good. I feel ready. Calm and peaceful and prepared to do what I have to do. I’m not angry, or resentful, or overly excited. This is just the way it is. And that’s ok. Because it’s all about to change.

Steve says we can work on picking a date today, and he just told me to look up Disney vacations while I'm online (he told me months ago that we could have a Disney honeymoon). I don't think he's going to go for my Dec. 30th date. Oh well, we'll figure something out.

Oh dear, I need to get moving. I've been online way too long already. I hope you're all having a great day!
~Elisha

G'mornin'.

Well, today I'm going back to the g-y-r days of journaling. Part of my accountability will be letting all of you know what color my days are.

I haven't decided what to use for a money jar. For Christmas, my mom got me a limited-edition Darth Vader watch. It came in a pretty (well, um, geeky and bad-*** is a more apt description) black box decorated with a Vader mask and some flames. Think that would be a good piggy bank? It's small, so I might have to use something as a token rather than paper dollars... Maybe pennies.

***

Elisha -- I didn't mean my siggy to be competitive! But as soon as you set a date, I'm going to figure out how much I need to lose per week... Right now, if your wedding is on December 30, 2006, I need to lose .43137 lb. per week over 51 weeks...

Jennifer -- Hi! Glad things are settling down.

Christian4him -- What are black-eyed peas? Other than the band... Do they taste any different than green peas?

Lisagirl -- Eh, the holidays. Now they're behind us. You and I are near the same weight. I'll cheer for you.

Forestdawn -- No kidding about sticking with a plan. Maybe you can put the two week mark on your calendar, and then come back and post to say that you've made it?

MsRD -- Yeah, 4 lbs./month TOTALLY is doable.

Julie -- Blarg! I forgot about your old apartment! I deleted your PM with the address... could you pretty please send it to me again?

Joy -- Wow, you've put a lot of thought into your plan. You definitely know what you have to do...

***

Anyway, I set up all my xcel spreadsheets this morning. For simplicity I used .5 lb. per week... that makes my goal of 149 due on April 7. I have an overall chart, a monthly chart, a chart for my goal of 149, and a long-term weight chart... Not that I'm nerdy or anything.

Happy Monday.

Hello!

I had the day off, so we went out to breakfast AND lunch .....I really tried to keep the portions within reason and the calories down!.....didn't do too badly, but not exactly stellar either. I still am not hungry, so dinner will be something light.....will have to forage in the fridge.

ForestDawn....You aren't the only one who loses interest 2 weeks into a challenge! Consistency has got to be our word of the month!

LisaGirl.....I am soooo glad to see you again! I think the holidays were really bad for weight gain, but we are ready to buckle down and make this a good year.

Christian4Him....If it helps, we consider 'water' as any sugar free and non-caffeinated drink.

JENNIFER!!!......We have missed you! Sorry you had such a crappy year, but it sounds like 2006 is already turning around in your favor!

Elisha....Your post seemed full of determination.....wow! I'm right behind you, chickie!

TBJ.....Charts, charts,charts! It may be nerdy, but I bet it is effective! Will have to break out the Excel and see if something like that will keep me on track!

I am going to weigh myself more often for this challenge.....apparently, not weighing in didn't have any positive effect....so that should keep me more mindful.
Will try to post this now.....we are having some tremendous thunderstorms here!

Hi again . Thank you all SO MUCH for the warm welcome back. It is much appreciated. Today went well for me. Eating was on plan (WW), and water was good also. I am sitting here typing and glancing sideways at my recumbent bike..it's just that I am realllyyyy sleepy! LOL! Alright, alright, you all talked me into it-I'll hop on after I post this :LOL:. You are all already motivating me.

Elisha- I read backwards through the posts, and I see congratulations are in order! Yay for you! I know you are so excited..I can't wait to hear about the wedding plans-I love that kind of thing. I can hardly believe I have been married for almost 12 years. It has just flown by.

Christian4Him- Sure, I would love to be buddies! Sounds terrific. It's these last pounds that are killing me..I don't know why I sabotoge myself EVERY TIME I get close to my goal. It's nuts . Anyway, I really look forward to getting to know you.

Jennifer- Hey girl! Long time no see..and a big welcome back (((HUG))) from me!! So glad to be starting this with you. I want pics of the house ASAP!!!!!

TBJ- Yes, we are practically the same weight!! I am glad to hear you will be cheering for me..I'll cheer for you too!! What eating program/plan are you doing?

Joy - I was really impressed with your last entry. You have put a lot of thought into your goals. I am really proud of you Joy . Way to go!!

MsRd- Hi there ! We were having bad weather earlier too. We had some hail and are still under a tornado watch. I'm with you on the weighing in. Over the holidays, I guess I thought that the scale was hidden, and so I could eat whatever-LOL!

ForestDawn- Hi there to you too! Hope you had a terrific day .

Well, girls, I did weigh. The results were not as bad as I feared. I was up to 150.4. But, boy my pants are tight, and my face is all swollen looking. Yuck! I am motivated to get back on the wagon! Who wants to climb aboard with me?????????

Have a terrific night chickies! I'm rooting for all of you. Hugs and blessings to you all.

I finally figured out what to aim for this month:

My goal for this month is to set up a routine to put me on the right track for lowering my cholesterol once and for all.

The first step I'm going to take is to schedule when I eat my meals and snacks. Once I've got myself trained as to when to eat, I'll work on balancing fat/protein/carbs within each meal/snack.

I hope to spend a few minutes each day researching which foods to avoid and which foods to eat more of for LDLs, and how in the world to raise HDLs.

I also intend to start over with the Flylady babysteps for household routines, in hopes that my stress level will go down.

***

MsRD-- The fact that you weren't as hungry for dinner shows that you chose your calories wisely for breakfast and lunch.

TBJ-- Your spreadsheet system will never cease to fascinate me. DH said he'd teach me how to use Excel months ago, and still hasn't. I bought the full version of Fitday, though, and that's pretty useful. I stopped using it when I was majorly stressed out a couple months back, but I hope to start using it again this month.

Elisha-- I remember date-picking being tricky. Too many variables! Gotta pick a date that is good for the both of you, both of your families, and even if everybody wholeheartedly agrees, it depends on the Church, reception hall, caterer, paperwork proccess, etc! Not to worry, though. It all falls into place eventually.

Jennifer-- Wow, you've had quite a time! After all that, losing the weight should seem fairly easy Fresh year, fresh start!

Lisa-- Glad to have you here! WW did wonders for me. It got me through my first 20 lbs. I'm more or less just calorie counting now, but I still use WW points as guidelines.

Joy-- Good to see you again! No food after 8 is a great idea. I love the "size 10 by Elisha's wedding" goal Maybe I'll shoot for that too!

We've been busy little chickies today, it seems!

I started my new "program" yesterday. I am doing the challenge on Discovery Health.com. If any of you are interested, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

Anyway, it's so nice to have some "old" familiar friends with us this time around. It just seems "right"! Welcome back Jennifer & Lisa! We have missed both of you!!! I'll get with both of you later!

My day today was ok. I really tried hard to fend off the afternoon sugar attack and gave away my candy that was in my drawer in the morning before lunch...but saw that it was sitting at the nurses desk in the afternoon and a resident was pawing through it...I just couldn't let that happen to good Ghiradelli chocolate!!! So I took it back!!! And ate 4 chocolate drops! Can you believe it? I just need to go cold turkey with all of the sugar stuff, but the day was not a total loss!

I ate my planned lunch...at 10:30 because I "forgot" to eat breakfast! How does one "forget" to eat breakfast!!!??? I had a SF homemade Latte for Breakfast, I guess. It's nice having a Latte maker! Sure saves me some $$ every week...and they are just like Starbucks! In fact, DH bought me the Starbucks coffee and SF syrups, so they are exactly the same!! That's only 100 calories for the milk...so

So at lunch, I was hungry again and got chilli from the neighborhood burger place! I figure about 200 calories for a cup of chilli. So, not too bad!
I made up "boiled dinner" (I roasted it in a small roaster) with keilbasa for supper tonight. It's not exactly on the menu for the body challenge, but it was a good substitute. I used Turkey keilbasa which made the calories even lower! I think maybe the salt wasn't a good idea, though! I'm sure thirsty! I had lots of cabbage and carrots!

And....wait....I worked out too after work tonight!!! I tried for 30 minutes, but have I mentioned how out of shape I am? I did about 24 and was about done! I don't think I got my heart rate up for long enough either, but I did try! One has to work back up to these things at my age, you know??? I keep forgetting that I'm not 24 anymore!!! LOL!!!

OK, well...I've had a successful day (almost, probably a yellow day on TBJ's scale) and I still have a few calories to spare even with the woops! Maybe I'll go eat a yogurt! I really want something else, but....I PROMISE....I'll be good!

I hope that I can stay the course here. When I'm not working (weekends) I feel very motivated, but by the end of a work day (like today) I am very tired and unmotivated! But hopefully the exercise will help with that!

It's good to see all of you here. Are you being accountable with your "buddy" today? I see I've received a couple of PM's today...and will respond!

I need to end with something positive. I'm grateful for all of you and am looking forward to getting to know you each a little better this challenge/year!

I'll update my goals soon...I promise!

So sorry, Lisa, I didn't officially welcome you back... But you know I DO.

Seems everyone is going great guns. You all make me so proud!

I've had some good and some not so good outcomes today. Breakfast was big.... 2 slices of fried ham and a waffle with SF syrup. I skipped lunch because we had breakfast at 10am and then succummed (sp) to 4 nanaimo bars UGH and a couple of cups of Munchie mix. Then I went out for dinner and had a small greek salad, a baby lazagna & 1 of DH's beef ribs and a glass of red wine. Good news is I was too full to eat anything after 8pm. Really thirsty tho... I must have drank about 4 glasses of water since I got home. Must have had lots of salt in the food????

As for exercise today... hmmm... I cleaned out a small flower bed and spaded the grass back from the sidewalk for about twenty feet, put away the outdoor Christmas decorations (blow up type) and picked up some tree trimmings. Was out there for about an hour and a half. Not aerobic but steady.

I have advised DH that I am going to start watching what I eat tomorrow. He came up with a funny comment... not too supportive ... but funny... he said ... "what ... you're gonna watch to make sure it doesn't run away". Anyways I told him no more cookies and sweets for me, I think he''s on board. He's gained a lot of weight back too.

I was thinking I'd do WW, but probably counting calories is easier with using fit day. I'm still trying to figure out how many I should eat, given my size and my level of activity (sedintary lots of the time).

I will go for a walk at morning coffee tomorrow. We need to pick up new leash and muzzle for my dog, they have gone missing. Did I tell you all that my old dog passed away on Dec. 23?.

Oops... it's 10:44 ... enough about me ... I'm off to bed

Joy

Morning ladies!

Well, today is back to work for me (I'm already sitting at my desk), and I'm not too entirely thrilled about that. But it is nice to have a zippy internet connection, and I doubt I'll have much to do today besides chatting, playing online trivia, and planning my Disney honeymoon, so I can't really complain. I only got around 4 hours of sleep last night--I just could NOT get to sleep--yet somehow I pulled myself out of bed fairly easily after only 2 minutes of my alarm, whereas I can usually sleep through the thing for an entire hour, and I was bored sitting at home so I came in to work 30 minutes early. Perhaps I will take advantage of that and leave early too... that would be nice!

Let's see... yesterday was a good, solid, OP day. Calories came in at 1396, and that's with a few treats. Only 70 oz of water, and most of that was in the form of SF caffeine-free tea, but that counts, so it's all good. And today I will have more water, as water at work is hardly ever a problem for me. And yesterday I reset my Yourself!Fitness software and did the Physical Challenge (about 10 minutes) and a 30-minute workout. I started to do a yoga session when I was done, but my body just didn't want to move like that. I guess I'll have to work up to it at bit. I've really slacked off. But that's ok. I'll be back to where I was in no time, and then I'll be even further along.

Today I'm all set up to do just fine. Breakfast was good, packed lunch is good, snacks are fruit. Tuesdays are my scheduled day off from exercise, since we're likely to go bowling on Tuesdays (I'm not positive if we're going tonight or not). But I feel like I should take today off anyway, since I didn't get nearly enough sleep and I think I slept in a funny position, because my back is killing me this morning.

Oh dear, I have a meeting. I'll come back in a bit for comments, unless I get some unexpected work.

Have a good one, chicks!
~Elisha

Oh please don't tell me that I'm already giving up!!! Ahhhhhhh! Why does this get harder every time I start a challenge? I am ready to do this, really, I swear! But my mind is trying to play tricks on me and tell me that I'm too tired, or too hot or have worked too hard, etc. Someone PLEASE tell my brain that I am just fine!!!

Food was good today, although the evil candy is still looming at work and trying to get the best of me. I added up the one or two little "nibbles" I had from it and it came to around 122 calories! Harmless, right? While someone is talking to my brain, could someone else please make sure everyone gets the memo on KEEPING TEMPTING FOODS AWAY FROM JULIE!!! My office partner (after she placed the box of chocolates 2 ft from my desk and I was whining about them being there and NOT on HER desk) had the nerve to say "You just need to get some will power!" I wanted to strangle her!!! She was just a bi**h today!!!

But I'm still doing well with calories, regardless of how much people want to sabbotage me! I will continue to persevere!!!!!!! Someone, quick, find that tazer!!!!

I need to do my toning exercises yet, but since DH is not home yet, I'm thinking about taking a cat nap so I can get all of the other "chores" done on my list tonight after everyone else has gone to bed! I'm sure not as young as I used to be...

OK...chickies...keep upt he great work! Let's keep each other motivated!
Hope you all get a chance to post today!

Julie: ZZZZTTTTT!!!! Consider yourself TAZED! And you'd better get those toning exercises done tonight or expect another zap first thing tomorrow! You can do it! Be tough!

Joy: I'm sorry to hear about your dog. That is always sad.
Red wine is good for you, and it always makes me thirsty. And any alcohol makes my weight jump like 3 lbs per glass for a couple of days, until I can get my system good and flushed with a ton of water. I hope your hubby stays on board with you... it's always easier with support.

Betani: If you find any good tricks for lowering cholesterol, please let me know! My HDL is fine, but my LDL's need some work! I plan to get on track with FlyLady once we get in our house. Still waiting for that to happen...

Lisa: Thanks! I already can't believe I've been with Steve as long as I have (about a year and a half). I'm so excited, and I know this year is just going to fly by! But it will be a good one, and I'll enjoy every minute! Even the minutes when I'm counting calories and doing my cardio! (Hey, a girl can wish, can't she?)

MsRD: You know I can't live without my scale! I would go crazy and gain way too much if I stopped weighing myself. I've tried it a number of times, but it never works. Eating out is a problem for me too, even when I plan... I'm always tempted by the smells in the air and the pictures on the menu!

TBJ: Hey, if you're nerdy, so am I! I've got an entire folder made up of charts and forms and so forth. I say do whatever works.

Everyone else:

OK, I get to go home now, since I came in early this morning! Yay for leaving work early!
Have a good night, chicks!
~Elisha

Hello all!

Wow! I had a super busy day today.. ..had to leave a list on my desk of where to start off again tomorrow! Food today was great.....around 1200 calories....water good......and I even did 30 minutes WATP (And did that ever kick my butt! Hard to imagine that a mere month ago, I didn't think it was intense enough!)

Lisa.....I pretty much know where I am, but will have my 'official weigh in' Friday at the doctors. Yes....time again for the ol' annual grease job and oil change. Whatever possessed me to make the appointment for January......after I have just eaten my way from one holiday into the next??!!! Doctor is going to have a fit!

Betani......You have some great goals there chickie! Great idea to break it down and take it step by step.......sure to be a success!

Julie.....OK, knock off the 'giving up' talk right now! No negativity! Kicking the sugar habit is really tough. I usually give myself a week to kinda 'ease' into it.....it allows me a few slipups without losing sight of my goal.

Joy.....Your food choices were really good! And working in the garden is the most fun kind of exercise! I was really sorry to hear about your dog... ...these pets just wrap themselves around our hearts and it is so hard to lose them.

Elisha.....You are right OP and I am proud of you! Planning ahead (and you included snacks too!) is such a great idea and will keep you from going too far astray!

I am really tired tonight, so got to scoot and get my chores done and get to bed at a decent hour!

Let's see...

I got all my water today. I stopped eating around 8pm. I found a promising looking website about cholesterol control. I almost followed my eating schedule (flubbed up before dinner when DH had to run an unexpected errand). I got a couple walks in. And I shined my sink.

Overall, not bad. I think I get a star on the calander today.

***

MsRD-- Isn't it funny how that works? At least it means you'll never truly "outgrow" a DVD.

Elisha-- I haven't explored it thoroughly yet, but goodnewscholesterol.com looks helpful and user-friendly. I hope to look at it more tomorrow.

Julie-- "ATTENTION JULIE'S BRAIN: JULIE IS DOING JUST FINE. NOW STOP TEASING HER AND GET TO WORK PRODUCING ENDORPHINS OR SOMETHING ELSE USEFUL!" There. Hope that worked.

Joy-- My DH is like that. If the door opens for a good line, he'll barge right in and think about the consequences later. Nutrition.about.com has a very informative calorie counter. I don't remember the exact link, but it's under the Women's Nutrition Guide section.

Hi everyone ! Just wanted to check in! Last night, I did ride my bike for 30 min. I was proud, and then I don't know what happened to me..I just had a little eating episode..well, not too little- took 15 of my flex points! Anyway, today I rode again for 30 min, and ate really, really good. I'm still on track. It's the "mind trick" of the flex points that helps me get back on the wagon. I am still OP. I have 20 flex points left if I need them-and I am hoping I WILL NOT!!

Betani- Glad to hear about your star! You did great! I, too, am thinking about cholesterol. Mine is a bit high, and I need to address it. Thank you for reminding me . Oh, and you shined your sink!! Flylady..way to go! That's another thing I need to work on..keep posting about it, so I can see it can be done.

MsRD- Yay for your good day too! WTG with the WATP! You are awesome . In no time, it will not be challenging enough for you once again.

Elisha- Did you enjoy leaving work early?? I know that was a treat. How is the Disney vacation plan coming along? Sorry for all the questions..LOL!! Hope you had a good day.

Julie - Girl, you CAN do this. I know you can. You are doing great. Just like MsRD said..you may need to ease into the sugar limitations. I am proud of you..go Julie!!

Joy- Thank you for the welcome . I, too, was sorry to hear about your dog. It's amazing how our pets become just like family members. As far as the weight loss issue, I am trying my best to get my DH on board with me..our doctor told him he needs to lose at least 50 pounds, even 75. I worry for him so much. But he won't listen to me..stubborn guy!! LOL! Doesn't he know I am always right ???!!!

Alright, it's off to bed with me........that darn alarm clock rings so early!!!