Hi Liz,

I'm still here but haven't had much to say for the past few days. I guess everyone was just too busy with holidays to post.

I, myself, did OK with the holiday. I ate and drank some things that I normally do not but I did not have any candy (other than about 4 jellybeans) and did not over-indulge that much.

I did the cooking on Sunday so I was able to make the dishes a little lighter than the traditional recipes. Granted, there is no way to make leg of lamb and leeks au gratin totally health conscious but I cut fat and calories where I could by using light ingredients and keeping a close eye on how much butter I used in the dishes. I even went to the gym on Thursday, Friday and Saturday so that I could make up for the holiday goodies BEFORE I ate them.

I don't know that I lost any weight this week but I am hoping that at least I didn't gain any...that is the short term goal for my Wednesday night weigh in.

Good for you on handling the holiday without candy and with a run to boot. I'm with you...staying away from the clearance aisles this week!

I thought I'd poke my head in and say hello. My in laws are here for a visit so I haven't had much free time. I have not been logging my food or going to the gym since they've been here. They will be leaving tomorrow and I'll be dusting off the scale. To be honest, I'm really nervous about it. The dress I wore Easter Sunday was much more snug than it was when I got it several months ago. Since our weather has gotten warm I've been mostly in gym shorts and t-shirts. They are much more forgiving than jeans or dresses. I fear I've done more damage than I thought (not just this week but over the course of the past month or so). So, tomorrow I'll face the music and have an official weigh in. I must commit to something more than the "two weeks on/two weeks off" mentality. Otherwise, I'm not going to be Almost There anymore! I'll post my weight tomorrow no matter how embarrassing it is. Otherwise, it will be too easy just to go along pretending none of this ever happened.

Take care, all.

Phew well I am glad you're still alive. I feel so far from my goals sometimes and it is discouraging. I know my problem is not with exercise because I do plenty of that. It's just my terrible eating habits. I have logged every single thing I've eaten so far today (something I've been slacking on) and I am really buckling down. I have a wedding back home in 2 weeks to go to and I don't want to look heavier than last time I was there and everyone remarked on how great I looked since I've lost weight!

:wave: Hi! I'm here!

I ate terribly, but I managed a great gym workout on Sunday with the future in-laws! :D

DF and I walked for MILES yesterday round London, I ate lots then too! I'm back to it today :rolleyes: with some chocolate sneaking in, just so that I don't stuff my face with it NEXT weekend! :rolleyes:

I'm off to the gym at lunch, then perhaps gym again or a run just before kickboxing tonight... I WILL shift this flabby stuff that's full of not-so-healthy grub!

I am still here also, I am still at the 160lb mark, with 5lbs to go. Which is pretty good, I stopped counting calories and started just being much more aware of what and how much I was eating and this seems to be working. I have found that if I take in tooooo much sodium I retain like 7lbs of water!!!! That was crazy, it took 3 days of NO salt and PLENTY of water to get that back out of my system. But thankfully it is gone now.

Thank goodness Easter is over. Unfortunately I was unable to avoid the clearance candy at Wal Mart. No damage done though because of all the work we were doing in the basement. The drywall is almost done. Maybe another day or two. Dh and I aren't the fastest workers but d*mn does it ever look good. I'm quite impressed.

You should be impressed! Drywall is NASTY!
I keep thinking I should stop by and post here but I instantly become empty headed and have no idea what I'd say. I've had no lightbulb moments lately.
I think I may be in a state of shock. I guess I figured that I'd always be almost there ... you know ... the old doubt thing. But I'm losing. If it sticks I'll change my tracker tomorrow.
We've been busy and I haven't been planning my life around my weightloss plan and I think that's the most surprizing part. I can be a bit obsessive compulsive about things and I guess I'm still a little amazed that the kettle will boil even if I'm not watching.
This may be a valuable lesson for me about maintenance. That I can be mindful without being tunnel-visioned.

:cheer: Go Susan! Can I have a bit of your boiling kettle??? :D

I need a good :kickbutt: although I'm LOVING the exercise I'm doing at the moment! Hooray for gyms, even if the free weight area is a bit small and the staff are dopey... :dizzy:

:( Holy, freakin' cow! 149 pounds this morning. 149- only one pound away from my absolutely, positively will NOT cross that line weight of 150. Talk about a jolt back to reality.

Now, I am not going to make any excuses. I ate poorly while my inlaws were here and I visited the whole time without stopping to exercise. I expect that a decent amount of this gain is water. I cooked with much more salt than usual since they were here (I've pretty much stopped seasoning with salt when I cook and adding only what I need at the table). Also, I didn't drink even one glass of water. So, between the extra salt and diet coke coupled with no water, some of this weight must be water, not fat. But, I feel I must assume the worst and tackle this problem full force. If some of it is water then I'll just have a big loss this week, that's all. And, if it is pure fat, so what? I won't be sorry for having given 110%. The thing is, with every extra bite I was perfectly aware of what the consequences would be. At least I own my decisions. I believe that will make it easier for me to get back on track and start losing weight again.

Susan, I know what you mean about having tunnel vision. It goes both ways for me. For instance, this week, I think I focused too much on eating in a bad way. I gave myself permission to overeat and did so with the idea that I'd have a week of food, food, food and then it would be over when our company left. I can see now that I must do a complete turn around and focus soley on losing weight. That is going to mean close attention to the foods I eat and intense exercising in the most effective ways. But, you are so right. I clearly still have a lot to work out about maintaining and finding balance once I reach my goal weight.

So, back to the grindstone. I'll be taking a walk around the neighborhood each morining then hitting the gym in the afternoon for extra cardio and weights. The kitchen is getting a food overhaul and all the junk is out of here. And that's, that.

Have a great day everyone!

Coming for tea, are you darling? Green tea!
I'm glad you're enjoying the gym. That's half the battle don't you think? Whether it's exercise or a favourite low cal food ... if you enjoy what you're doing ....

Oh Lucky we posted at the same time. You can come for tea too. Let me read what you said here ... I'll edit ...


At least I own my decisions .... very very wise!

This may sound a bit airy fairy but I honestly believe that there is a purpose for everything. And I think the reason I haven't got to maintenance yet is because there are a few little things I don't 'get' yet. And while I don't expect maintenance to be a breeze once I get there, I do think it won't have to be obsessively stringent.

Lucky - I just read TFL key #5 - nip it in the bud on maintainers. It makes a lot of sense. I can identify with you, although I have no idea what I weigh today I know it's bad! I can feel it jiggling with every bump in the road! UGH!

Something else that might help too... I've been reading a thread in the Chicks In Control section, about not being "perfect". Because I place a lot of pressure on myself to have a "perfect" eating day, a "perfect" exercise day, then it all goes out the window on a weekend and I have a terrible weekend, never an ok weekend, or an average weekend, or a good weekend with a couple of treats. It's bad and it stays bad right through to Sunday night (or Monday this week) when I end up moaning at DF about how bad I've been and how ill I feel and how messed up I think I am. So today, I'm not trying to be perfect at all. I've eaten 3 chocolate hob nobs (chocolate coated cookies) and ENJOYED them, but I've also moved my butt to the gym and back, I'll be running and kickboxing after work, so I think I may have deserved them. :D

:wave:

Phew! What a workout I had yesterday! I ran to the gym, did some weights, ran back at lunch. Then before kickboxing I ran round the block for a bit, then I kickboxed, then I slept for England! ;)

Today I have a gym induction at 7.30, however I finish work at 5, so I will nip down to the gym, do some more weights, then do a body conditioning class at half 6, then get induced at the gym! BLIMEY! I'll be rock solid after a week! :rofl: I'm really loving it though! I hope I can keep up! :lol:

2F -- Just your posts make me feel like I'm burning calories :faint: ... You're just too darn busy girl, BUT keep it up :high:

I feel almost buoyant these days girls. I feel so empowered, I feel like I could float! I actually know I'm almost there. It's awesome ... frightening ... and awesome! I can hardly sit still.

Susan~~Congrats on 125!!!!! :woo: Was painting the trick?

2frus~~I would have slept for England too. I don't know how you do it! Keep up the good work.

lucky~~Good for you for not making excuses and for getting focused and back on plan. How did the food overhaul go? That's something that I really need to do as well.

Gonna~~Salt is nasty isn't it? I know after a high sodium day I can retain 3-5 lbs myself.

I had a great day yesterday and wasn't even hungry at all. It would be so easy if every day was like that.

Gaylyn

I've had a few minutes to think on that ... the painting thing ... and it's actually a bit of a kick in the butt.
I think I've added activity to my life and I do lift weights (for a short time most days) but the truth of the matter is still that I'm :censored: sedentary!

Well, Susan, whatever you are doing is working so keep it up. WOW! 125. I bet it feels like floating in air. I'm really proud of you. You are an inspiration to the rest of us. And goodness knows I NEED inspiration these days!

Gaylyn, the food overhaul was hard but it had to be done. And I do feel better now that all of the junk is out of the house. Since my inlaws were here I did a lot more baking than usual (my father in law has a sweet tooth) and our meals were a lot less scaled down than usual. We had a decent amount of leftovers and with each container I had the same conversation with myself - "Don't throw this out. It is just a few slices of keylime pie. You won't eat it, but somebody will." Of course, I knew deep down that I probably would eat it so out it went. Some of the snacky stuff I sent to work with DH. Now the problem is that we don't have ANY food. I've got to get my butt to the grocery store pronto.

2frus - Thanks for the advice. I agree with everything you said, I just have to figure out how to apply it. One thing that also helped me was to go back and read some of my old posts. There was another thread that I used to post on regularly but one by one people started dwindling off and I was the last one standing. I read through what was left and I could hear the excitment and motivation in my own posts. I had let myself forget how good it felt to really throw myself into losing weight and exercising. I want to feel that again and the only way to do it is to JUST DO IT. So that is what I'm going to do.

I've found two things that I've been doing wrong. First of all, I'm not keeping myself busy enough. I'm avoiding housework, yard work, etc. just because I'm a little burned out after all of the projects we've been doing. But, those are the things that keep me occupied and out of the kitchen. Starting today, no more sitting still if there are other things I could be doing. My second problem area is not listening to my body. If I'm tired at 9:00 pm then I need to go to bed at 9:00pm instead of keeping myself awake with a bowl of snack mix. If I'm bored with what is on TV I need to get up and take a walk instead of just mindlessly flipping channels.

I've also decided that I could really use a sabbatical to regain my focus. I think a few days alone with no responsibilty would do wonders for getting me back in the right frame of mind. So, when Memorial Day rolls around DH is going to stay home with the kids while I drive down to Gulf Shores for a long weekend at the beach. I can't wait. I'll sleep when I want to sleep, I'll exercise when I want to exercise, and I'll eat when I'm hungry and not have to worry about anyone else. I think a few days of focusing on only those three things will help me get my body back in sync with my brain.

And now, I'm rambling - sorry! Have a great day you guys.

Lucky, that sounds like a good idea. Will you have a little fridge where you can put "the only things you'll eat"?
I could do that. Walk, sun, eat, sleep, walk, sun, sleep ....
Mmmm .... what a yummy little holiday!

:beach: holiday sounds like :angel:

Susan :high: 125 Holy Moly!! I wanna be just like you when I grow up :lol:...

I will, Susan. My parents have a condo down there so it is a little home away from home, just without all those pesky responsiblities! I'm already working on my to do list. So far I've got: 1. Go to bed early 2. Get up early (All the bedrooms have doors leading to their balconies so I leave that open and have sea gulls, the sun rising and an occasional boat motoring through the bay as an alarm clock - it is heaven) 3. Hang out at the beach or pool 4. REPEAT. There is a great farmer's market on the way into town so I'll stop on my way in and pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. Plus, there is are fish markets everywhere so I'll probably have fresh seafood for dinner each night.

Obviously, I'm not going to wait until the end of next month to get back on track but I'm looking forward to really, really, focusing on what is good for ME. I think it will do wonders for helping me get my groove back. Right now, I'm eating right and exercising because it is what I have to do to lose weight. But, honestly, I don't WANT to do it. I've lost that edge and need to get it back.

This is one :hot: thread today! :lol:

Susan :bravo: on your 125 - you skinny minnie you!

Lucky - what a great idea about the holiday! I loves me some ME time! :D

Wow girls...you are all soooooo positive and motivated today! It is wonderful to read such focused and happy posts. I, too, have been pretty motivated and an happy to report that even with the holiday weekend I managed to lose 3 lbs. I weighed in at WW last night and am down to 135.2:cheer:

After my meeting I went to the gym and used their body fat scale and was happy to see that I went down 2 percent in the past month as well:carrot: I had a few weeks where I just didn't get into it, but I went 4 days last week and am trying for at least 3 this week :ebike: The cardio workouts really seem to be helping and it only takes about 30-45 minutes to burn a lot of cals.

I think I've finally wrapped my head around getting back in shape. At 40 it's not nearly as easy as it once was, but I am certainly capable of doing it. I've got 10 days left until I leave for the Galapagos and I am feeling a little better about the whole bathing suit thing, but I wish I had gotten the "bug" a little earlier. If I did I might actually be looking forward to wearing skimpy clothes. Oh well....no matter....I'm still going to be on holiday for 12 days so WHO CARES :dance:

Daisie, 3 pounds is awesome. Especially at this stage of the game and after a holiday too! Impressive to say the least. Keep up the good work and I'll bet you will be wowing people in those skimpy clothes!

I think the exercise bug may have finally bitten me. I went out this morning for about a half hour walk/jog and I actually enjoyed it. It didn't feel like a chore at all. In fact, if I hadn't needed to come in and check on the kids I would have kept going. I'm heading to the gym tonight for weights and I'm looking foward to it. I guess it is true that losing weight is 99% attitude.

Oooh lucky, I've got some of that mojo too!

I went to the gym last night, did 1 hour back and abs training, an hour's body conditioning class (which included upright rows :chin: ) then an "induction" with some hopeless people, but I learned how to use some of the machines. Oh I did my back yesterday but forgot to use the lat pulldown mahcine :rolleyes: What a clutz! Ah well, it'll still be there next time! :D

I've got 2 hours of kickboxing today otherwise I'd be gyming it again at lunch. I have my kit with me, but I need to get petrol and food at lunch! Never mind! I'm going again tomorrow night for weights and :yoga: :D

My head is back in the game eating wise, I have lots of yummy and healthy food with me today, I think I might even resist the Hob Nobs! :lol: I'm going to start cooking me some proper meals for next week, I'm getting a bit sick of non-meal-like meals! I need a stir fry or a roast or something! None of this protein bar and porridge malarky!

Well done Daisy on your 3lbs :bravo:

Daisy~~Good for you on the 3 lbs! Have fun on your vacation.

Lucky~~Your getway sounds wonderful. I find that I'm busier around the house these days and it's helping with keeping me on track because I'm not constantly thinking about what I could eat.

2frus~~Sounds like you're doing great!

We're taking an unplanned trip this weekend for my Aunt's 65th birthday party. Hopefully I'll keep it in check. Just because I'm away from home doesn't mean a food binge. Any tips??

Gaylyn

Little bits, Gaylyn. If there's goodies galore ... just have little bits.
Last summer we went to a 25th anniversary party. There were a couple of gals there that I adore but don't see very often. So when I had one alone for a bit, we walked around a couple of blocks and talked. Exercise and no food out there :)

Great advice Susan! I love the idea of going for a walk with a friend rather than lingering over coffee and cakes. What a great way to catch up and do something good for the both of you.

I've gone back to weighing myself only once a week but I can tell I'm flushing away all of this water weight I have. I can actually make a fist without feeling as if my fingers are plump little sausages. Ah, the wonders of drinking water.

I'm waiting for the twins to finish their breakfasts and then we are off to the gym. I've been doing cardio outside and saving weights for the gym but today is really cloudy and I think I'll do better in a class or on the elliptical than running/walking.

2frus, I'm glad to hear that your eating is on track. I feel better after only having two days of healthy meals under my belt. I won't pretend that I didn't enjoy the junk I ate over the past week but now that I'm eating healthily again I it doesn't seem at all appealing. I was eating my egg white vegetable omlette this morning and realized that I enjoy the taste just as much as the cinnamon rolls I made last week but it had the added bonus of making me feel good on the inside too. And talk about the calorie difference!

Gaylyn, I feel like the last person who should be passing out advice these days but I agree with Susan. Enjoy the birthday party and just keep your portions in check. I always find it helps to scope out what is being served and then wait half an hour or so before fixing my plate. It gives me a little time to think about what I REALLY want. If I don't wait then I end up just piling a little bit of everything on. Plus, if you wait a bit some of the more damaging foods may have already disappeared or been dug into so much that they don't look as appetizing. I try to make a point not to mill around the food either. Otherwise, I'll nibble this and nibble that until I'm about to pop. I put the food I want on my plate and then walk away. If there is a sit down meal I always start helping clear the table or clean up the kitchen which keeps me from staying at the table and being tempted by second helpings. I am sure you will do fine!

And now it is off to the gym with me. Have a great day!

Yeah, I'm a fine one to give advise but here goes, I find the 3 bite rule helps a lot, you get a taste of the food without going overboard... BUT going for a walk AWAY from the food is an even better idea... Also keep a glass of water or wine in one hand and a napkin in the other and keep talking, it's not polite to talk with your mouth full :no:...

Thanks for the advice!

Gaylyn

:wave:

Did my double kickboxing last night :D Was a bit tired and a little bit sore from my 2 hours in the gym the previous night, so nothing amazing! I did almost get into box splits though - I keep catching my calves on the floor so I need help to lift them up so I can get my bum on the floor! :rofl:

I'm off to the gym tonight for legs, then it's :yoga: then home to bed for some much needed R&R, then tomorrow morning is kickboxing again! :faint: Tomorrow afternoon is nap time though! :lol:

We're off to watch the marathon on Sunday, so that will be fun! :D

Food was good yesterday, no Hob Nobs but a tiny piece of chocolate after kickboxing. AND I didn't get up in the middle of the night and eat, which is progress for a Thursday night! :lol: I had a few peanuts and raisins before I went to sleep, which I think really did the trick! I'm hoping that I'll be so busy today that I won't be eating much, I have a huge fruit bowl on my desk to get through though, so we'll see how that goes! :lol:

Jenfrus? a long time ago someone told me that the reason some folks have a glass of warm milk at bedtime is that the calcium has some sort of relaxing effect. I didn't really think about it until now but ... I almost always have a bowl of yogurt, fruit and cottage cheese in the evening and I take a calcium supp then. I have been sleeping very well. In fact I don't even wake up for a drink of water.
Worth thinking about???

Oooh yes perhaps! I still got up in the middle of the night, I usually have to pee halfway through! It's just on Thursdays I tend to eat too! :lol: I might have to start with the warm milk, it's luvverly! :D

Susan....that is an interesting theory.

For the past few years I have had trouble getting a good nights sleep, often tossing and turning only to fall asleep an hour before the alarm rings.

When I started watching my weight again I started chewing on 2 fruit flavored TUMS before bed just to satisfy my hankering for something sweet. I figured that the extra calcium was a good thing and it satisfied my need for a piece of "candy".

I never gave it any thought but I've been falling asleep better and most nights I sleep right through until about 6 am. Coincidence? I wonder.

Funny that this should come up. I was just reading about it in my Straight Dope book the other day.

Milk (and I assume other dairy products like yogurt) contains tryptophan which makes us feel drowsy. It is also found in turkey and is said to be one of the reasons we might feel especially tired after eating a lot of it at Thanksgiving.

If you warm the milk you end up with a double whammy because it raises your tempertaure by a degree or two which can trigger the same slow down mode our bodies go into on hotter days. Most other drinks that are served warm (coffee, hot chocolate) also have caffeine so the effect is negated. Many herbal teas have the same effect, though, and are sometimes recommended for people who are lactose intolerant.

The book also said that there is anecdotal evidence that warm milk reminds of of infancy and hence helps us "sleep like a baby." Personally, I think that might be taking a little far but, hey, I guess it is possible.

I had a great day yesterday. In fact, I've gotten a few great days under my belt. And, for the first time in a while, I can't wait for my weekly weigh in. I've exercised everyday and really thrown myself into the workout. It feels often. How on Earth did I let myself forget how much better I feel when I live this way? Live and learn!

Hey JenFrus???
What was that about the five lbs? I'm gonna scroll back and see. I was just doing some fitday reports! hehehe!

Oh tell me about feeling better! I have zen coming out of my ears since my :yoga: ;) I even don't want chocolate! :yikes: I must practise yoga every day! I like it, and I like the feeling afterwards, even if the guy was a bit of a hippy with a stripey tassled yoga mat! :rofl:

My legs are all shakey after a nice weights workout and I've treated them with a hot bath. I'm off to get some ginger tea and read me some trash before I go to sleep!

Nighty night all :yawn:

Five pounds? What? That I've magically put on? You've lost me susan!

Oh my GOSH this thread has got long. I thought we talked about losing 5 lbs by May or something like that. Was I dreaming? I can't find the post either.