I know we all want to be free of this excess weight we're carrying around, and we want the freedom to move without pain, have the energy to do whatever we want, without limitations. Join me in declaring our independence from this baggage, and setting ourselves free for good!

We all seem to be struggling again, whether it is planning ahead, or following through with our best laid plans. Summer is now in full swing, and it's only going to get hotter, and more miserable. I don't want to be hiding in jeans on the 4th of July- and for shorts, well, the time has come for some serious action!

Set your goals...whether it is planning, follow through, healthier eating, changing programs, getting enough exercise, or a combination, let's make this month one to celebrate with fireworks and a nice loss at the end of the month!

Morning, chickies- Happy June. For me, Happy First Day of Hurricane Season. Took forever to get in this morning because of pouring rain. I am sooo glad we spent the time to rain-x all the windows on Tuesday. That made it much easier to see everyone else on the road.

I weighed in this morning for my official weekly #, and I'm down .8 more. Woo Hoo. Now, I just need to keep this going. Food has been good for the most part, and water has been ok, but I need to be more focused, and also be more consistent with some kind of formal exercise. Right now, the housework, unpacking, and yardwork have been the only real exercise that I am getting, and it isn't enough. I need to plan, and set a schedule, and stick to it. Who's with me?

Today's plan:
Breakfast
1 cup Constant Comment tea w/ splenda & ff vanilla creamer
2 packets cinnamon & spice oatmeal
18oz water

Lunch
1 1/2 cup faux hamburger helper (93% lean ground beef, drained, and elbow macaroni w/ 2% cheddar
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, drained

Dinner
to be planned before the end of the work day today- no excuses.

I'll check in later today with some specifics- time to work with the New Girl for our mandatory training session. Lunch-time sneak in is a possibility.

Morning chickies!

Well, this morning’s weigh-in has me at 214.0! Woot! That’s down about 3 pounds from last month. My ultimate goal for June is NOT to gain those 3 pounds back again, like I’ve done in the previous 8 months.

Seriously, I want so badly to be below 200 for my wedding. 5 pounds a month would put me at 194—the lowest I’ve been since I was on the way up. So I need to be ultra-consistent this month, and all summer, in order to stay on track. I know I can do it, I just have to stay focused. And plan, plan, plan. That helps more than anything, and it makes everything easier.

Anyway, scads of work today. I’ll try to pop in later for some comments.
Have a great day, chicks!
~Elisha

Good morning ladies-

June sure came up on us fast. I just bought 2 bikinis so my goal for this month is to wear them without feeling to insecure.

June goals
3200 minutes of exercise
75 miles walking/running

I will try to eat healthy the majority of meals, but I also want to be able to indulge in some summertime treats and not beat myself up over them.

elisha and Jennifer-congrats on the losses!!! You're both doing terrific.

Gotta run, but I'll try to check back in later.

Elisha, I'll prod you if you prod me back. We'll get you under 200 before the wedding!

Brandy, I am sure you look just fabulous in those bikinis- and with all the exercise, you'll have no problem standing tall & proud, knowing you look good. You've worked hard- enjoy the oogling & attention you are bound to get!

Mom had her weigh in this morning. She's up 4 pounds from last week (oops, maybe the long weekend with me wasn't keeping her on track!) and I am down. I felt bad telling her I had a loss, but I also did more physical stuff, making sure she stayed out of the sun because of her blood pressure meds. Gotta take care of my mom & all.

So, dinner- hubby has an appointment scheduled for 4pm, he'll be home later than me, so dinner is now planned as chickarina soup, and a chicken or turkey breast (deli meat) sandwich w/ ff cheese- I'll make it on toast, and warm it up so it'll be like a melt sandwich, minus all the added fat calories.

Going to try to get in here as well if hubby isn't on the computer, until I can get mine set up. I'm going through withdrawal for sure!

Have a wonderful evening, if I don't get back here until the morning.

Morning chickies!

Jennifer, Consider yourself prodded! We’re in this together, you know, so let’s get down to business and lose this weight!

Brandy, I’m sure you’ll look fabulous at the beach. I can’t wait until I’m brave enough to strut my stuff in a bikini! And you’re right—June did get here fast! Where did spring go? All of a sudden it’s just summer! Not that I’m complaining, it just seemed so very… well, sudden.

Julie, Joy, others… where are you?

Work has calmed down for the morning, though this afternoon promises to be jam-packed with crap to do. But at least I have time to post, right?

The scale said 213.6 this morning. Yay! : Yesterday was good. Calories came in at 1611, water was around 100 oz, and exercise was 30 minutes on the My goal for the weekend is to drink lots of water and not gain any of that weight back!

On the menu today:

Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/hazelnut creamer, 2 c. multi-grain Cheerios, 1 c. skim milk
Lunch: 3 oz. diced chicken breast w/½ c. brown rice and ½ c. corn in tomato sauce, sprinkled with LF shredded cheese
Snack: 100 cal pack of popcorn
Dinner: No idea. Depends on how late I’m working. If it’s late (as I suspect it will be), I’ll probably order a salad from Bob Evans or Ruby Tuesday (the two closest restaurants). If I’m not working late… perhaps one of those skillet Lean Cuisine things we’ve got in the freezer. Who knows.

OK, I’ve got to get moving. Things to do! Have a wonderful day, chicks!
~Elisha

Wow! This is a great thread! I've been playing on the message boards all morning, and just came upon it by accident. I'm actually going on vacation the weekend after the 4th... to the lake! The thought of shopping for a swim suit is terrifying! I'm working toward 10 pounds lost by the 4th. Which means instead of watching all those great summer shows that are on at night I actually have to get up and go walk/run. I deffinately won't be in a bikini, but maybe I could find a cute tankini right before I leave.

It's Friday!!!!! Yeah! Another weekend, and just in time, too. I've been more tired than usual this week, and I think it's from everything we did this weekend, having no down time, and PMS kicked in. I just wanted to stay in bed this morning. Too bad there's no telecommuting for me, just yet. If only I can convince the powers that be....

Elisha, thank you! that frying pan prod made me sproing, sproing, sproing! LOL. Maybe it's the eyes on it, just tickled me. All right coach, let's do this thing! Drink that water! Make those plans! Get your biggest glass out, and leave it on the counter as a reminder- drink that water this weekend!

Julie, Joy, MsRD, Betani, Angela, Diana....come out, come out wherever you are! We miss you!

Ok....yesterday I stuck to plan, so bonus point for following through on the plan. I managed to get 3 18oz glasses of water in at work, plus I had 2 12oz cups of tea, so a lot of fluid going in. The girls here laugh at me, because up after getting up at 5 & the first bathroom trip of the day, I get to work by 7-7:15, start with the diet coke, and the water, and lately a nice cup of tea to go with my oatmeal, and by 8:45, they are taking bets to see if they can time the "Potty Sprint." I am peeing myself sensless! Ok, maybe not senseless, but this morning, 9:05, then again by 10:45. On glass #3 of the water, and had both water & diet coke with lunch. I'm sure there's a potty visit looming just after the posting of this entry.

Plan (mostly executed)for the day

Breakfast
2 packets apple & cinnamon oatmeal
1 cup constant comment tea w/ splenda & ff vanilla creamer
12oz diet coke
18oz water
1 vitamin (remembered to leave the bottle at work)

Lunch
1.5 cups faux hamburger helper
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
12oz diet coke
18oz water

Dinner
TBD- hubby should be home by 7- wondering if I should eat before him, or wait for him. Depends on hunger level by 5:30 once I get home & comfy.

Laundry night...I'll get 2 loads done, and that will free up some time for this weekend. While that is processing, I have 2 boxes of stuff that I have to find homes for in the master closets & bedroom. Also found a box of my shoes- I'm sooo not the stereotypical woman with 300 pairs of shoes, let alone 30, but I found my box of kicky shoes that was in storage, and then buried in the garage. I've got 2 pairs of open-back sandal-y type shoes that are perfect for this time of year. If I can get enough stuff done, I think I'm going to reward myself with a home pedicure. And probably in another 10-15 pounds, my feet will be less puffy & I can wear them comfortably. C'mon, NSV!

My weekend project- stay out of the pantry, or the fridge. Keep myself outside, and away from random grazing. Last weekend with the parents over was hard- Mom has to keep her blood sugar stable, which meant snacks between meals, and before bedtime. Outdoor work meant everyone was starving & ate portions like it was our last meal. There will be no repeat performance. NO GRAZING! There is a new middle # 4 pounds away, and this can be done in the next week as long as I pay attention and keep the short term goals in mind. And then there's putting together 4 outdoor lawn chairs w/ hubby, and more purging/unpacking/putting away, and potentially some planting in the front yard.

Ok, lunch is over, and I've got at least another hour of training with the New Girl. I'll be out of here at 3:45 today to get a jump on weekend traffic, and I am bringing the laptop home for the weekend, to be able to check in, even if I can't get on IM on this machine. I'll try to check in with updates.

Have a good weekend- hope everyone gets a chance to relax a little!

Welcome, Forme! Glad you found us! This is a really great group of ladies here. 10 pounds sounds like a doable goal for the 4th. The weather here has been so nice, it's easier to fight the urge to sit inside and veg.

Have you looked at Land's End catalog for swimsuits? I've seen some nice separates, and they make them in cuts and sizes for real people, not stick figures. Looking for the least trauma, ya know?

Hello
I'm very new to the board and hoping I can join in on your July 4th challenge. My goal is to be down 13 #'s by then.

I don't follow any particular food plan, just making a HUGE effort to eat healthy, watch my portions, and drink TONS of water! I started May 1 and I am down 20.4 pounds...so far so good. I joined Curves this month and am really REALLY enjoying it. I am also make a conscious effort to keep busy around the house...yard work, house projects, etc., anything to get me moving and keep me from getting bored, which always means munching on junk food for me!

I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and finding support, inspiration, and motivation!

Morning gals-

Just a quick post to wish everyone well on the weekend. I've got big plans for the day and not much time. Hello and welcome to all new comers.

I've got tickets to see "Wicked" in Detroit this afternoon and I am just about ready to burst with excitement. Looks like it'll be a beautiful weekend so I hope you all get out and enjoy it. Relay for Life is today and we're scheduled to walk this evening so I'll be busy and hopefully add a few miles to me chart.

Sorry for the quicky. Have a great one.

G'morning all you chickies!
I'm so sorry I have been MIA this week! I have read all the posts and every time I went to post myself, soemthing would happen and I would never get back here! So now I have my cup of coffee and am going to sit glued to the chair (phone..BRB...another interruption) OK...I think I can sit here for a minute without another interruption!! Grrrr!

Anyway...First things first. My goals:
This month I am going to really concentrate on my food plan. It sounds simple enough. Stay within my WW points each day.
How am I going to do this?
Log my food in my food journal. I would say I would do it here, but, well...you know my history with that!!!
Plan out my meals one day a week and stick with it.
Keep my points low in the morning. Eat a healthy, but filling lunch and the same with supper.
Plan any "special events" into my points

As far as exercise goes...I am going to just concentrate on getting the food back under control for this next month. When I have lost 10#, I will start my exercise plan. I pretty much know what I have to do and it's not that I am a "couch potato" these days...I mean, I swear I walked 5 miles just at work yesterday! And summer is always so busy for us...we are on the go all week and all weekend! Lots of activity for this chickie! That way, I am not too overwhelmed with too much at one time. I'm pretty sure this next week, I will be down at least 5# (total) since I joined WW. It doesn't seem like much to some, but those 5# have been lurking over me for too long now! So for me, it's a time to celebrate (not with food, either!)

My overall goal this month is to lose at least 5 more pounds so that I will be down 10# by July 4th. Then I will be at my weight I was 2 summers ago! That will make me feel soooo much better. And I beleive it will inspire me to keep going and following the plan! My overall goal for weight loss is to lose 50# to bring me down to 130. I would be ELATED with that #!!!! I haven't been that weight since High School....and that was SEVERAL DECADES ago!!!!!! ...OK...I just went to look at some old pictures...that took me aout 30 minutes. I suppose I should get this closed and get moving with my day!

I'm going on a hike at the State Park and have to meet at 10:00. I still haven't showered or gotten anything ready! I'd better get a move on...

Hope you all are having a great weekend. It's beautiful here today!

Evening chicks!

I hope you are all having a wonderful, relaxing, sun-filled weekend!

Welcome Tabu and Formeiwill! The more the merrier!

This weekend is going well for me. Lots of exercise, food is going well, even water is coming along ok (though not great), and we're even getting some stuff done around the house. Yay! Now, if I only had about 3 more weekends right in a row I think we'd be all set!

Friday was crazy at work, but one good thing did come of it. I got an R+ (Positive Reinforcement) in the form of a $50 gift card to Target. Yay! I went shopping for clothes today, and didn't find anything I liked, so just bought a few random odds and ends and saved the rest of the card for later. I know my boss nominated me for it/gave it to me because I had such a crappy time in NJ last week. It was a bribe, of sorts. But hey, bribery works for me!

Anyway, tomorrow is laundry, cooking, cleaning, perhaps a few more house tasks. What fun. No idea what's on the menu this week. But I AM going to plan it all out before I cook anything. Planning is a good thing!

OK, time to go relax now. Today has been jam-packed, and I'm tired!

Have a wonderful night, chickies!
~Elisha

Well, everyone's having a busy weekend! I'm just now getting settled down, and I'm on the verge of crashing. I just thought I would check everything before doing it. I went shopping with my mom and a friend today. Got some new running shoes that I'm really excited to break in tomorrow. I didn't do any formal form of exercise today, but I wore my pedometer and took almost 12,000 steps. Eating wasn't extremely great because we were eating on the run, but it could have been sooooo much worse. I kept myself pretty in check.

Thanks for the tip of swim suits Jennifer! I hadn't look there, but I have the catalog wrote on a sticky note stuck to my computer. I may do some looking tomorrow.

As for now I am turning in for some much deserved rest. Have a great night everyone!

Hi everyone

I didn't get any formal excercise in today but boy, did I work my tail off in the yard! 8.5 hours! I got SOOO much done and the yard is looking SOOO nice. The best part is I kept myself busy all day which means I didn't have time to get bored and munch YAY!

Hope everyone had a great day!