Nicole, You didn't just step into Onderland, you leaped in with both feet! Congrats! I know you felt it was going slowly, but it is going. And you are managing to stay on track for over 3 months straight. That is great. You have to be feeling much lighter. Have your feet noticed yet? I think my feet are starting to notice and be better. I went for a 3.5 mile hike on Monday while we were camping and was still able to walk the next day. Major progress since earlier in the summer walking to starbucks caused me to limp back to the office (and it is 1 block away).

Joan, One month is not so long. I'm sure you can be totally dedicated for that long if you make a priority for yourself (sounds like you are). 8.6 pounds may or may not be gone, but at least some will. Even if it is just a pound a week that you lose, you'll still be 5 pounds down, and 5 pounds makes a difference.

Angie, I guess it is human nature to want to achieve a goal and be done with it... and when you get a compliment, it is like you've reached a goal, so let's celebrate. Also humans have celebrated by eating for milleniums.
Perhaps part of your motivation for dieting was to gain approval from others (and who doesn't want that really?) So when you get positive feedback you feel a lack of motivation since you are getting what you wanted. I think I just have had a tendency towards self destructive self indulgence. Weekends are not a reason to over indulge. Neither is because the food is free. I'm pretty sure that there is some corporate sponsored fat on my body somewhere. There are also a few free sample cellulite bulges somewhere too.

Barbara -- I would like to think that you're right about dieting and losing weight to gain approval, and then when I get the compliments having less motivation. I do think that's somewhat accurate. I'm very afraid that it could be a tendancy to self destruction; that's scary to me because if it's true I don't really get it -- I'm not sure what being overweight is protecting me from, you know?

I was traveling early this week and jumped back up to 246 but I refuse to change my ticker. I'm totally bummed because I joined the latest biggest loser challenge and when I weighed in for that I was at 241.something -- dammit. I have to at least be there for the first weigh in next week, I'll feel awful if I post a gain in week 1.

Kim -- How is your new plan going?

Hey all,
still doing it over here. 1st week down. I'm now on rapid results and am getting sick of the food choices, so I hope the results are super rapid so I can move on!

Angie, considering I have been dieting since I was 8 years old, the opportunity to psychoanalize myself about the exact same issue has presented itself MANY times. For me, "once I lose the weight" has prefaced every goal I've ever set. Or " if I was thin..." being overweight, for me, has been an excuse to fail and hold myself back my whole life. if things didn't work out, it's because I'm fat. Then I realized (speaking to myself) "HOLY ****, do you any idea how much weight you've laid on losing weight". I have layered so many scary things one on top of the other on losing the weight, so now it's a terrifying prospect. What's my excuse for failure or fear of moving forward going to be when the weights not there... Losing the weight means leaving a very safe place for me.

Joan- You go!!! You can do it! plus, there's nothin like feeling sexy in Vegas...it's a sexy place! Plus think of the shopping you can do to reward yourself! I'm so jealous, I love Vegas!

Kim- I hope your plan is going well! What is IP?

Barb- I hear ya about the moving better. My biggest motivation for finally doing this weight loss thing for good was my knees. They got so bad that I wasn't sleeping at night I was in so much pain. I limped all the time, and was living on ibuprophen and tylenol. Now some days I don't need to take anything. I am working towards being able to take a yoga class without worrying about hurting my knees.

Nicole- How's the scale hag treating you??

If I missed anyone, I'm sorry Im new
Have a great day
Tracy

It is going really well - it is amazing how much better I feel physically - nothing hurts in the am like it used to. I think it is totally the food intake and not any weight loss that is making me feel better. I'm not hungry at all, sometimes I have an emotional craving for food, but I have managed to get those to pass on. Grocery shopping was really the worst emotional craving that I had, and I just walked past everything. DH is going to have to give me a list of things he wants to eat or else he is going to suffer terribly while I do this, LOL - since I did not buy one thing that wasn't a veggie or a protein!

Don't worry about the 4lbs - I am sure that you can get them to come off. Water water water!!!!!

Tracy - IP is Ideal Protein - it is a doctor/chiropractor supervised program that is low carb-ish. It was just US approved in 2008, but it has been around for many years in Canada and Europe.

Good morning, well the scale is the same as yesterday but I figure if I get on it every morning, it will keep me from gaining. I really feel that I am in the right frame of mind right now. I have never wanted to lose weight so bad it seems. My work out on Tuesday was so brutal that i still can sit down to pee...pathetic eh!
Tonight I have company and they are all meeting for chinese food. I am going to join them but I will eat more of the vegetable and chicken dishes, no egg rolls and crap! I think I have it under control.
My water intake has made a big difference in the past few days. I have set times where I have to drink my water during the day and it seems to be working. Pea pods and cucumbers have become my favorite snacks.
31 more sleeps till Vegas.....and yes Tracey, I really want to feel sexy!
Barbara- I know I need to be thankful even if I lose 5 pounds. I guess I am aiming pretty high but who knows, maybe I can do it. If I could lose 2.5 pounds a week, that would be amazing!
Have an awesome day!

Joan

hey everyone. just thought i'd take a quick second to post and say hi. DH's leave time has been great. he leaves to go back on sunday. but it's been great having him here, even if it is a short time.
i put together 3 different pictures of myself to show the changes..the first picture is from 2003 when i was pregnant with my DD and at 320lbs, the second picture is from 2008 and i was around 190lbs and the third picture is from this month, Sept 2010. lots of differences..especially with the hair!

hope everyone is doing well. i'll post more next week.

Wow Jillian, that is amazing! You look absolutely AWESOME now! LOL. Glad you and Pete had a good reunion. Sorry he has to go back, but hopefully this will be the last time for a loooong looong time that you will have to be apart.

Oh my Goodness you look wonderful!
and far less pregnant!!

Jillian, I can't believe your hair is already that long! You are unrecognizable in that first picture. You've really undergone a huge change, and you have every right to feel so proud. Sad that the leave is already dwindling, but you are amazing at being a proud army wife.

Angie, I don't know if it is really being purposely self destructive when I indulge, even if the end result is self destructive. It is just a bad form of self indulgence. Really to be thin in our culture takes a firm commitment, as food surrounds us in a way that it didn't even just a few generations ago (when folks were thinner). I had an LAWL counselor that would say to me, ask yourself what do you really want. Then ask yourself are you willing to make the changes needed to get that. So next time you are about to indulge you just have to ask that question. If I stop and do that, I make so much better choices, and it is such a simple thing... what do I really want? (99.9% of the time it is not that food item)

Go Kim Go! Hope this IP thing sparks your motivation and gets you to where you want to be.

Tracy, So great that your knees are feeling better. I was watching some show on cable TV once that was calculating the force on the knees of a man who was close to 500 pounds and it was amazing that he could even walk really. You know, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about expecting life to be so much better or perfect when you lose weight. On one hand, you will still be you and all your faults and insecurities will stil be there. On the other hand, our society is so harsh on those who are obese. Especially women. So there may be more opportunies open up. You may get hired easier when you are thinner than fatter, because people assume that the overweight are not going to have the energy to do the job well or that they will have more health issues. Which is not entirely unfair either.

Tracy -- That may be it for me too...without the fat what could I blame for when things don't go my way? Your dogs are super cute by the way!

Kim -- I've noticed too that I'm never hungry on my high protein plan. Often I eat less calories than I should; it's hard to get in a lot of calories when I'm following the plan to a 't'.

Joan -- I did the same thing with chinese food at a gathering recently. I ate only the chicken/veggie dishes and I overdosed on water...it was fine, I didn't even see the expected water retention gain the next day or two.

Jillian -- Love your transformation pics! Enjoy your last few days with your DH; how long will it be before he gets leave again?

Barbara -- I used your strategy just tonight, I wasn't hungry, just feeling the munchies a bit. I opted for a sugar free jello rather than making a poor decision I'd regret in the morning.

I'm going out with a friend for dinner/movie tomorrow -- it's going to take everything I have to NOT have popcorn, but I have to do it. Send me some willpower vibes please!!

Well, week one is over, and I am down 8.2lbs. And that is with us going out to dinner last night! If I were to grade myself for last week I would give be a B+ - since I had a few wanderings over the weekend. I am very pleased with that!

Angie - here - Funny - last night at bowling, my friend went into the bar and got some popcorn. It kind of smelled gross (it was the BOWLING alley, after all) and I had no desire for it, yet at one point I caught my hand reaching for it. I didn't want to eat it, it was just habit. I don't know if this new found resolve of mine is because the program is new to me, or because it really does work that well, LOL.

Barbara - You are so right about having to be ultra conscious about food intake. I always laugh when I read about actresses who claim that they eat really well - "and my typical breakfast is one hardboiled egg with olive oil drizzled on it" (from a Shape magazine article on Marisa Tomei). I laughed my a$$ off at that one. I don't want to get to that point, but I do want to feel better about myself. I am 100% addicted to golf, and my weight is holding me back in certain ways from getting to the next level, AND, preventing me from buying cute outfits(darn it!). It has only been in the last 2 years or so that I have felt that I am limiting myself from fully accomplishing something because of my weight, and I don't like the feeling. I don't want to be known as "that really good woman golfer - you know, the fat one". Ugh.

Hi girls.

Sorry I have been MIA lately.....DH is out of town, AGAIN, and, on a more exciting note, my DD, Bethany, was accepted into the Jr. Miss St. Louis Pageant, and I have been busy making brochures for her and helping her to get sponsors...along with the rest of my regular chores....so there has been very little time for social computer stuff.

KIM...wow, keep up the good work woman. I honestly barely read the posts of the last few days, but I looked for your ticker to see how your new plan is treating you. Looks flippin' fantastic.

You know, a side note here......whenever I see any of you guys on facebook, I always get a warm fuzzy feeling. You guys are my true cyber friends xoxo

And Jillian...........wow.....it's like two different people. And you know what......it is the perfect illustration on the battle of the fat girl and the skinny girl. I think Pete needs to make a cartoonish like thingie with these pics, deplicting the daily sturggle between the two that live within each of us.

Ok, so, now I am going to show you all the press release for Bethy, and then I am going to give you info to help sponsor her if you like. I am not all in on the pageant thing, but I am pretty excited for her to attempt this at 15. If she were younger, I think I would have a problem with it, but this will be such great experience for her........and, there is NO swimsuit competition. It truly does seem like they are judged mostly on personality So anywhoo, here goes:


Ok, and now:
If you are interestedin sponsoring Bethy, you can do it one of three ways. You can let me know how much you would llike to donate, and mail a check to us, you can send it via paypal to my email address, or you can call 1-800-565-9015 and give her full name and/or this number: ACC-25191. If you do decide to donate, please let us know so we know when it is time to stop looking for sponsors If you can do so before Sunday a.m., that would be wonderful

Bethany Massie
3106 Onondaga Drive
Maryland Heights, MO 63043
[email protected]
Thanks,
Nicole

Ok, girls, have a great weekend And lets all strive to lose 0.2 lbs by Monday a.m.
XOXO

p.s. and yeah, Barbara....I have been treating myself to healthy eating since June 4....and it feel AWESOME!

Nicole - I had briefly scanned over your FB post where you said something about "pageant mom" and I couldn't figure out WTF you were talking about! CONGRATULATIONS TO BETHY!!!!!!!! Wow - she is beautiful (as they all are). How much do you need to raise?