[buckneram]

Good morning everyone. Had a real good day yesterday. Today is going to be even better! I'm going to do WATP 1 mile and start counting my calories. I need to so I know what I am eating. Also gotta clean downstairs. Sounds like everyone is doing great. Great job! Well, ttyl later. I'll post my results tonight!

[**Jennifer**]

Hey chickies!

Long time getting here today- many distractions, and had to cover the front desk from 1-2 for the receptionist's lunch. A free hour of reading the "Cathy" cartoon page-a-day calendar.

Ok, after much mulling over, I kick started my food back into some semblance of order. breakfast was 2 cups of Capt. Crunch. Lunch was a small portion of baked ziti. 1 100-calorie pack of wheat thins for snack. Dinner tonight- haven't thought that far in advance. Water has been good, but I need to change my allocation. Used to be I'd try to get in 96oz before leaving work...well, that was fine with a 5 mile commute. Not so much anymore! With an hour ride, I can't be pulling over to the side of the turnpike for emergency potty breaks. last beverage consumption of the workday is 2:30, with me leaving at 4pm. Then when I get home, I will pour a large glass, and start working on that. And be within running distance of the potty!

Exercise needs to be formalized soon- right now, with the unpacking, and the dealing with boxes, and soon, the clearing out of the old house & dumping of debris, clearing out storage, etc, I'll have a lot of strength training / cardio, but not if clearly defined workout periods. Once I get the VCR unpacked, and find my WATP videos & DVDs, then I can work on a more formal schedule. Basically, any extra movement counts, and I need to be doing it, pronto.

I had a nice surprise this morning. The scale has been sitting on the bathroom floor since I dragged it to the new house 2 weekends ago. When I stepped on it then, I was NOT a happy camper, and figured I'd start my counting over from that point, since I've been giving 5% effort for most of the last 12 months. Not proud of that at all. But, hard to make time for me, and put forth the effort to plan, and follow through. This morning, feeling achey, and sore, I stepped on the scale. With all the work in the house, I am down 11 pounds. Yes, the stress, the aggravation, sweating my butt off in a 95 degree garage/sauna- not the best way to lose weight, but heck, I can finally change my tracker!

Um...other than that, it feels good to be focusing more on what I need to be doing. I'm starting to feel less tired. In another 20 pounds, I'll start to move easier. Then, as I build momentum, I'll fall back into a groove, where things just start working, and I want to eat better, and I want to exercise, and it is habit to work on my health, and doesn't feel so much like work. I need to get my head back into that place.

Ok, comments galore!

Julie- thank you for the May challenge. Hope your first day at WW goes well- come report in with all your news! You can do it, chickie!

Brandy- Welcome! 3150 minutes is darned impressive! You are definitely setting the pace, and inspiring us to move our tushes!

Joy- so glad to see you back! Congrats on overcoming your anxiety with the hill. Your success will start to spill over into other areas...and believe in yourself- I already know how amazing you are- time for you to see it, too.

Diana and Angela- welcome to the group!

Elisha- what colors did you decide on for your decor? And that show- I saw one where the older son was trying to run away on his bike, and his mother stopped him. I wanted to yell at her, let him go, and then drive after him- it's exercise!!! but then again, that's just me being snotty while laying around like a lump myself.

MsRD- I know all to well your Leslie suffering. I'm thinking of leaving that box until last, when I come across it. Just tuck it into a dark corner of the garage & act like I didn't notice all that exercise stuff just languishing there Ok, ok, I know, I've got to get back at it, but sometimes you just want to throttle her, don't you? If I hear one more time about Linda being a grandmother.....

Lisa- Congrats on being at goal, and surpassing it! We miss you! Come around and poke us & prod us- we need all that extra support, and you're just proof positive that it can be done. And with those 3 boys, if you can find time to do it, then I think we can all manage to find the time to spend on ourselves to make this happen. Love you, chica!

Betani- glad you're back at this, too. 3rd time better be the charm- I don't know how many times I can keep regaining this weight without getting more fed up.

I'm hitting the road- have a great night!

[DewCan]

Hi, thanks for the welcome, you're a friendly bunch

Jennifer, WOOHOO That is just fantastic, 11 pounds is lots. Almost as big as that baby of mine crying in the next room, (don't worry he's just starting to fuss a little). And he gets heavy after a while of lugging hijm around. That is no longer on your body!!! I really wish I could say the same for myself. Congrats on your new house. We just got a new one on Nov 30. None too early as we had a baby a month later.

MsRD, yes I know that 11 is a lot for one month. I'll set a much lower one for June, I just need a good kick start. You mentioned your coworkers, the insane ones are the ones I really don't miss since I've started with my kids.

Julie, I'm starting WW tomorrow as well. I already signed up on-line, so I ahve to go. Don't get me wrong, I want to go. I understand your disappointment with yourself as to how far the weight issue has gotten out of hand. It's something that amazes me everyday, and it makes me so sick. But I know that if I don't do anything about it right now, it will only get worse.

Elisha, I like that you plan your food a whole day ahead of time. I think that would be a good idea for me too. Especially once Is start WW. I've seen that show too. It opens my eyes too.

Lisa, congrats that's fantastic that you got there!!! I know all bout those baby pounds, I have 11 more to go myself.

Betani, interesting Johari thing, I might just do that.

Angela, doesn't it feel good to have a good day. It makes the next day a bit easier for some reason. A sense of accomplishment does a person good.

Hope I didn't miss anyone, if I did, I'm sorry.

[ArtsyGirl]

Hi everyone-Thanks for all the welcomes!

First of all exercise-I did a 70 minute walk yesterday and then a 50 minute TurboJam workout. Today did my 4 miles in 65 minutes. I am very sore so I skipped a second workout today (thats kinda unusual for me, but I'm worn down from stress and need to listen to my body.) I'll more than make up for it tomorrow. I am celebrating my birthday with TONS of activity (spin class, walking, and a softball game!) It is truly a great year to celebrate because a year ago I couldn't do half of what I'll do tomorrow!

Jennifer- Congrats on your 11 pounds! Thats terrific. Sure sounds like you have been incredibly busy moving. I hope your life starts to return to normal soon. It looks like you've thought out a terrific plan to kick up your healthy lifestyle!

Angela-Glad to see you here! It sounds like this week is off to a terrific start! Great job. I hope you figure out the calorie counting thing-that still baffles me to a certain extent.

Betani-good plan! What kind of exercise do you like to do?

Lisa-Congrats on meeting your goal! I hope you're enjoying all those games (even though I know with that many going on it gets overwhelming) My parents did it for me and my bro. and sis. from my 1st grade to my sis's graduation! On the plus side, it instilled a love of playing and both my sis and I play together on 2 recreation leagues now-good fun and exercise!

Miss elisha-what is yourself fitness? I'm always on the lookout for new workouts to mix into my routine.

hike- please try not to let that negativity get you down. I let it hold me down far longer than I should have. You are not a weak person for letting your weight get out of hand. You are strong and can take control-You being here proves that you're headed in the right direction. Remember that we all feel a lot of the same emotions no matter how much we have to lose on our journey.

MrsRD-Thanks for the compliment. I'm doing my best to figure the maintenance out, but at the moment I'm just guessing a bit. Gotta start somewhere and I think it's a bit different for everyone so I really need to play around a bit to feel like I know what to do for me.
Well, I'm off for the night. Hope you all have a wonderful evening.

[MsRD]

Hello all!

DH is taking a nap, so I will slip in here and do the puter thing. (Once he wakes up, I will have no excuse to not get on with the housecleaning!)

A quieter day today.....but got quite a bit done at work. Co-worker made lemon-poppyseed bread for us, so I indulged.....but the calories tallied up today at 1400, so still acceptable.

Julie.....Today is your day to join WW. Tell us how it went! Weighing in may be painful, but you have to have a starting point.

Elisha.....I am so glad you had a good day! Little Ella is getting you out every day for walks.....have you posted a pic of her yet?

Lisa.....Welcome back! I am so glad to see you again! Congratulations on exceeding your weight loss goal! It is good to have chickies here in different stages of this journey.....it gives me a totally different perspective (like maybe this is actually do-able!)

Betani.....You sure have a lot of exercise minutes....so I know you are going to be busy!

Angela.....I do WATP too! I generally do the 2-mile (30 minutes)......I have not exercised in the last 3 weeks, so it is like starting all over again! If you sit down and journal your food everyday, it helps to count those calories.....also to highlight if there are any nutritional problems too

Jennifer......Great job on losing those 11 lbs! Perhaps you have hit on a new weight loss program there....lifting and toting eleventy-four full packing boxes for your health!

Diana.....New House! New baby! You have had a busy year! And you are so right in joining WW now.....doing nothing about your weight is the worst thing you could do!

Brandy....Happy Birthday! And you got the best present ever.....a healthy new body!

Well.....Leslie.....and the vacuum cleaner await!

[hikein2005]

WW tonight and I am disappointed with my starting weight, but not shocked as I was pretty sure the extra 5# have crept on in the last month or so while I was feeling sorry for myself!!! Grrrr!!! 185!!!! I told my husband and he was shocked! He said "Weren't you down to 165 not that long ago??" Well...it was 2 years ago that I was at my lowest weight (in 20 years) of 165 (which I only stayed at for a few months), but I have gained the last 15 or so since last summer, and probably 10 of it since Fall!!! It just disgusts me, but there's no turning back. I just have to move forward and start getting a more positive attitude!

So...I'm a little in a funk with this new "system" of Weight watchers. I haven't been even counting calories, but the thought of counting points is a bit overwhelming for me! I know I will get the hang of it soon, though! I just feel very disorganized right now. I want to get a notebook and do my own spreadsheet, so I can plan my meals and count for them easier! I'll get it figured out, but....when??? LOL!!!

OK...well I won't go into my (food) today, but let's just say it was a last Hurrah! It could have been much, much worse, so all is not lost! I did work out this morning on the bike for 25 minutes, so I will add that and the 20 from last night to my totals! I'm going to get up tomorrow morning early and bike again! It felt good...AND (drum roll, please)...my foot doesn't hurt near as bad tonight! I've been stretching it again both in the morning before I get up and at night before I go to bed! That seems to be making a difference along with the workout! YEA!!!

Comments everyone!

Diana...Yea for you on your weight loss and the baby! So much work, I remember (mine is now 6.5 and into everything!!!) but so worth it!
Maybe we can tag team on the WW program. I'm doing the points system because I think it will just be easier for me at this time...I may switch down the road once I lose a bit, but I need that "flexibility" of being able to sneak a piece of chocolate in now and then! My goal is to lose 5# this week! Did I just say that???? If I do, you will be hearing screams from this chickie! And then, my overall 10% goal is to be down 20# by my birthday in July!

Jennifer...Yea for you on losing those 11#!!! I am very proud of you!!! Now let's get cracking on the exercise! Where are your goals??? I'll be hounding you until I see them!


Brandy...Thanks for the feedback. I will try to improve this attitude I have right now. I'm not usually so negative (am I girls?) so this will definately change! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! You are a great inspiration for this "old" (in reference to those of us who have been with each other for a while, now) group! I'll be glad when one day I can say I'm doing even ONE hour of exercise several times weekly!

MsRD...Glad you are here! Post your anticipated minutes when you get a chance. It only keeps us accountable! Go you with the WATP!!!

Lisa...Now there's a familiar face! So glad you are at your goal! That must feel wonderful! Hope you are staying healthy and keeping those boys out of trouble!!! You'll have to pop in whenever you have a free minute! We miss you!!!!

Betani...Yea...so glad you made it here! You will do just fine this month...and yes...3rd time's a charm!!! LOL!

Elisha...You are doing so good with your calories AND your exercise. I'll be suprised if the scale isn't good to you again this next week! How was that sandwich from Wendy's? They look good on the commercial!

Angela...Glad you are with us. It's always nice to have new "faces". Your goals look great! Looking forward to reading how your day went later!

I think I included everyone, but if not, it's not because I didn't try! This post took forever to finish. I started around 7:30 and it's now almost 10!!! That's what happens, I guess!

So far we have a grand total of 8410 minutes or 140.16 hours of "pledged" exercise. May I just say how incredible that is with nine of us!!!!!! You chickies rock! But, we still don't have Jennifer or MsRD's totals yet! So that will be even more awesome!!!

So chickies...we are off to a grand start this month! Let's just keep up this mojo!!!!

[buckneram]

Well, I thought I was going to have a good day, but this afternoon I got hit with the flu. I have been throwing up all day and have a fever. I don't feel well at all. I am going to take it easy all night and tomorrow so I can recooperate. My bf had it so I must have caught it.
THANKS for the warm welcome everyone!

[ArtsyGirl]

Angela- Feel good soon!!!

My b-day is off to a great start. We did 4 miles in 65 minutes this morning. My truck window is fixed so I can get to spinning class later this morning for another hour of exercise, and softball tonight shouldn't get rained out!!!! Thanks for all the well wishes.

Hike-I love biking! Haven't been able to get out in a bit over a week, but love being out. I live kinda in the country so travel lots of dirt back roads to avoid the traffic problem. We don't have any really close trails to use unfortunatly. Good luck on the WW!

Have a great day everyone!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Wow, what an active day this board had yesterday! It’s great to see all of you chicks here!

Comments first!

Brandy: Happy Birthday! Sounds like you’ve got an action-packed day planned. Yourself!Fitness is a virtual personal trainer I use on my computer (it’s also available on PlayStation and Xbox). The trainer, Maya, tests your fitness through a series of calisthenics at the beginning and after every 10 workouts, tracking your progress. She also asks during the workout if it was too hard, just right, or not hard enough so she can adjust the rest of the workout and future sessions to your fitness. You can check it out online (just google Yourself!Fitness), or you can get one of those Go Active meals from McDonalds in the next few weeks—they’re offering a 15-minute Y!F DVD with them, a different one each week. They’ll be a little different from the actual program, I’m sure, but they would most likely give you an idea of what to expect.

Angela: Hope you feel better soon! Make sure you drink lots of water to rehydrate your body!

Julie: You and I reached our lowest weight at about the same time, and we’ve been gaining those pounds back together for the past 2 years. Let’s take this opportunity to turn it around once and for all! You will get the hang of it soon and will be on your way to a thinner you! Good job on the exercise! And it’s great to hear your foot is finally feeling better—keep up that stretching! The Wendy’s sandwich was ok, pretty good for fast food, but I kept thinking that I could make something better at home with less calories. I guess that’s what I get for forbidding fast food!

MsRD: Did you go walk with Leslie? I sure hope so! Good job fitting the treats into an acceptable calorie range. I don’t know how you do it. Treats always send me way over, unless I’ve planned my day around them before eating anything else. I posted a picture of Ella at the bottom of my post, and one of our cat Maggie when she was a kitten, just because it's an adorable picture.

Diana: A new house and a new baby—wow! I don’t know if I could handle that. We just bought our first house in February, then we got a dog, and those two things are about all the stress I can handle! Good luck with WW! Let us know how your meeting goes!

Jennifer: Great job on dropping the 11 pounds! That’s a whole new middle number in one fell swoop! Now it’s time to build on that great start and really get your system working for you once again (we know you can do it!). As for our decorating scheme, we (meaning I) decided to go with the brown/tan and light aqua combination that’s so very popular right now. I was thinking of painting the walls aqua but now that I’ve got the curtains up I really like the plain beige walls, so I’ll probably just accent with bright bits of color. Perhaps I’ll post a pic one day, if I ever get it finished (and cleaned! )

Betani: Welcome back! Have things settled down for you a bit? Your goals for the month look good!

Lisa: Good to see you again! Congratulations on reaching your goal! I think it’s great that you want to start a toning routine. We have to have something to work towards to keep us motivated.

Joy: Where are you? I know you’re out there somewhere! You should be posting!

OK, let’s see…

Yesterday was an ok day. Water was ok, but not great. Food went pretty much as planned, but I had some Baked Lays with my sandwich at lunch (didn’t know they offered those at Wendy’s!) and no salmon cakes for dinner as I didn’t have room in my calorie budget. Calories were already a bit high yesterday, and I came in around 1950. Exercise was 45 minutes on the bike with reading the new 3 Fat Chicks On A Diet book! The scale this morning was down to 214.4. Yay! I even made it to bed around 9:30 last night and feel like I got a decent night’s sleep. Or that could just be the cappuccino talking!

This morning was decent. I thought about going for a walk, but then decided to get on the bike instead. I did 20 minutes at a higher level than usual, so that’s a good start. I’ve admitted to myself that I come up with excuses to not go for a walk because I just don’t really like being outside. Yeah, I know I’m a big weirdo. I don’t know. I’d rather just be inside in my own private little sanctuary where no one can see me. It’s my comfort zone. There are about 10 days out of the year when I feel like going outdoors, and today is not one of them. And I don’t like taking Ella for walks in the evening because there are so many people out in their yards or on their porches, and Ella is such a sociable dog she wants to go visit every one of them, and I really don’t want to deal with that many people. And when I do take her for a walk, I’m trying to get some aerobic benefit from it, and she is either dragging me along or trying to get away from me, and it just frustrates me and I don’t get much of a workout.

But before anyone complains, she is NOT being neglected, because Steve takes her for a walk every day, and he’s just as social as she is, and he’s not much concerned with getting an aerobic workout.

OK, menu for today:
Breakfast:
1 c. coffee w/FF vanilla creamer
1 cappuccino w/6 oz. skim milk, 4 oz. coffee, and 1 teas. chocolate coffee syrup
1 hash brown (made with NO oil)
1 fried egg (made with 1 teas. oil only)
2 sl. whole wheat toast (NO butter)

Snack:
Small can of low-sodium V-8
I ate breakfast early this morning, around 6:15 instead of my usual 7:15, so I know I’ll be hungry well before lunch. In fact, I’m already getting hungry.

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine Glazed Turkey Tenderloins w/whipped sweet potatoes (yummy!)
Small salad w/2 tbsp. light ranch dressing

Snack:
LF key lime yogurt

Dinner:
Chicken of some sort. I picked out a few recipes to make, but I haven’t decided which one I’ll go for tonight.

Anyway, this post is already way long, and I need to get some work done. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

Maggie.jpg

Ella3Resize.jpg

PS. I just saw these new icons and just had to post them because they amuse me.

[**Jennifer**]

oh, poop! I just spent 35 minutes writing a post, that I just lost with a single keystroke. Grr! I'll have to come back later & update. Grr!

Angela, feel better soon, sweetie!

Brandy- Happy Birthday!

Longer comments later, when I don't have to worry about losing this again. Did I say grr?

[MsRD]

Happy Wednesday!

I took the dog for a walk in the woods after work today. We have had spring showers for the past couple of days and everything is green and beautiful! All of the wildflowers are out......the woods is just carpeted....purple and yellow and white and pink flowers. (I know....it started out to be an aerobic walk, but I just had to stop and admire the flowers!)

Julie.....I am so happy you have joined WW. They will give you some structure and get you back on track! I forgot all about my exercise minute challenge, so put me down for;
1st week.....120 minutes
2nd week....150 minutes
3rd week......180 minutes
4th week.....180 minutes
Do we do anything with the final 4 days of the month? If so, add another 120 minutes in for that one. I started out slow as I have not been exercising and need to ease myself into it (and not pull any major muscle groups!)......but already I have done 90 minutes, and it is only Wednesday!

Angela......Take it easy for a few days. Pamper yourself if need be. And get better soon!

Brandy.....It sounds like you are having a wonderful birthday! Hope your softball game doesn't get rained out!

Elisha.....That is a beautiful pic of Ella! What a sweetheart! You keep kicking up that exercise....inside or outside doesn't matter.....just do it!

DH told me this morning that we would go out for dinner tonight, so I took it easy on the breakfast and lunch calories (and no snacks!). Then, he called and said he didn't feel well and could I bring home Burger King.......so my calorie count is only 790 for the day! I think I will go forage for something semi-nutritous to fill up the emptiness!

[buckneram]

I've had such a bad day (again). Found out that I need to take out another student loan (like 10 grand isn't enough debt for a 22 year old already). plus, my depression is doing a number on me. I'm bipolar and since the weather has been nice i've been really depressed. i think it's cause i only go to school and not much more. i babysit sometimes and clean, but i think i need a regular job. i know that i wouldn't be able to handle a job and school so i guess it's just school right now. anyways, eating wasn't so bad today.
Lunch: lean pocket
Dinner: pasta and meatballs
Snack: handi snack
lots of water and gingerale!

[ArtsyGirl]

Good morning gals-Had a great day yesterday-my exercise totalled 190 minutes for the day!!! I had so much energy I freaked out one of my piano students!! Today I've done a kickboxing workout and have spinning scheduled later. My body aches are finally gone so I'm ready to go.

Angela-Hang in there girl. I know you've got it in you.

MsRD-You are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to go walking. Makes me want to jump in the truck and drive somewhere to hike. Glad you got to enjoy the incredible signs of spring.

elisha-Y!F sounds cool. I may look into it more. Good job on all the biking.

[hikein2005]

This morning I am feeling very emotional and having a really hard time turning off the tears. DD and I had a unique conversation last night about her birth mom (she's adopted from China, for those of you who don't know) and I am just feeling sad about all of it this morning. When I am done here, I will try to at least do some sort of exercise and maybe those endorphins will start to kick in and help me feel better! I really don't want to go to work today, but I need to...

Alas...yesterday was a good day food wise! I am allowed 24 points with 5 extra points for flex points each day (or 35 a week). I used exactly 24, so that made me happy, although I didn't follow what I had planned at all. Life gets in the way some times and I really need to be more dilligent about planning AND preparing my supper meals! I was pretty grouchy by almost 8pm when I ate supper last night! DH always gets the brunt of it and I gave it to him good last night! I warned him, though!

I need to change my minutes on my tally. I have worked out every day for at least 20 minutes since I put that up and will hopefully do something today! DD's afterschool activities are infringing on my exercise time in the evenings...She has soccer practice and horse lessons and with my WW meetings, that's 3 nights a week! UGH!!! Oh well...I know she is enjoying her activities, so that makes it easier!

I have nothing planned today for food. I need to go grocery shopping! Don't have much time for that either! Good thing my work has slowed down a bit or I'd be a basket case again!

I'll make some comments later tonght to everyone. I just dont' have time right now! Hope everyone is having a better day. Thanks for being here for me to share with you all! You are the best!

MSRD...I will add your minutes to my tally!
Jennifer...Are you going to have minutes of exercise this week and for the rest of the month?? You probably put them on your post that you lost, right??? LOL!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chickies!

This is going to be a quick post (for me anyway), because I have about a zillion things to do at work today.

Well, yesterday was a decent day for me. Water was good, like 124 oz. good. Calories came in at 1804, which is a tad high, but I’m not too worried about it. And I got in another 25 minutes on the bike last night, plus my weights. The weights were almost too much for me as my arms were feeling heavy, but I forced myself through it. I think I’ll skip any weights this evening and give my arms a chance to rest. The scale is up to 215.4 this morning, but whatever.

This morning was another 26 minutes on the bike, and I’ll do something different this evening. Food today will be fine, as will water.

Breakfast:
2 c. coffee w/FF vanilla creamer
2 sl. ww toast 2/1 T LF mayo, 1 sl. FF American cheese, and 1 sausage patty (blotted for grease)

Snack:
LS v-8

Lunch:
Healthy Choice Country Breaded Chicken
2 mini Snickers

Snack:
LF yogurt

Dinner:
Dunno. Lots to choose from at home. I’ll find something.

OK, I’ve got to get moving. Hopefully I’ll have some time this afternoon to stop back and comment. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha