Flex Talk #5
 

Here's a place where we can discuss Flex and WW, as well as issues of our everyday lives. New Flexers are always welcome, so please join in, to give and get support and encouragement on your weight loss journey.

Flexers that attend meetings, At-Home Flexers, and anyone just curious about Flex are all welcome here.

#4 was getting a little long. So here's the new one :D

Here's a link to the previous Flex Talk if anyone needs it!:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137086

Wednesday!
 

Happy Wednesday, Flexers :D

Kel - Yayayayayayayay!!!! :carrot: You got that trip weight off and then some!!!! You stuck with it, and you moved past it! :broc: That's what this is all about :D Keeping at it! :cheer2:

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Oh boy did I go to sleep early last night. And it felt great to just sleep for a little while. Though I did hit the snooze alarm twice in my sleep this morning. Oh well, got to work plenty on time.

Got to finish a few things before noon, so off to actually getting some work done I go!

Have great days, all! :dance:

Thanks for the new thread Faerie :)

I read an article today about how people who get 8 hours of sleep end up weighing less over time than people who get too little or too much. (I think it was like people with insufficient/too much sleep on a regular basis end up 4lbs heavier in 6 years.) So you probably needed that sleep in more than one way! :D

Here's the link if anyone is curious:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.../nsleep101.xml

The weight differences aren't much but I still found it interesting. Just something to show those who ridicule me for going to bed at 9 or 10 so I can get my 8 hours :p

Man, I have been incredibly thirsty the last few days. Like when I don't have water sitting next to me I have this terrible parched salty feeling on my tongue. It's good because I'm definitely getting all my water in, but it's rather uncomfortable when I find myself without immediate access to water. Then I don't pee for hours and I wonder where the heck this water is going, huh? Bodies sure are crazy things. :dizzy:

I'm pretty sure I'm a little insane today, my brain has kind of officially gone on strike. As I said in the avocado thread, just... don't listen to me for a while. :lol: At least, not when it matters. I'm writing a report on effective methods for providing feedback to college students right now at work, and I'm pretty sure when I read it tomorrow it's gonna be full of stuff like "The best way to provide feedback is to say, 'Hey! Dimwit! You sucked on this essay. Do better.' Then storm off laughing maniacally. The student will see the value in your point and appreciate its presentation." Needless to say, I bet tomorrow will involve lots of editing.

:crazy:

keli - congrats on getting the rest of your travel weight off!!

& thanks to all for the words of support regarding my friend situation. I'm gonna stop being mad about it and just move on. I can't afford to be sidetracked by being mad at someone who's being irrational. :)

Thanks, ladies!! Your support means so much!! We went for a looooooong walk tonight. I was probably like a 5K, I think I measured it once and it was something like that. It felt good to be able to do that without feeling like I had to train for it. We just got to a certain point and I said if we go around this corner we'll be at the next road. So we did!

So, that was the part I'm proud of :o then we got chinese, I got shrimp & broccolli and DH got general tso's chicken. Well, the plan was to split it between 2 nights. We didn't eat it all, but ate more than I needed too that's for sure.

I actually had that feeling that I'm full, but this is so good I'm going to keep eating. :T Then I had that "just eat it all and get it over with" :eek: but I didn't, then sanity kicked in again and I boxed up what was left.

Lesson learned, if the plan is to save half, do that first and then start eating, then I would have had that feeling of eating it all without eating so much of it. :D

I still feel great (probably not so much when I get up after sitting):sunny:

Hi! I am new around here, just started WW at home (online) a week and a half ago. So far I haven't lost anything but I'm not going to give up! Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a SAHM with two daughters, 8 and 2. I take care of my 1 yo nephew during the day which makes life a little hectic - 2 toddlers to chase after; which is the reason I can't do meetings right now. I just started taking them out in the double stroller, they will ride for about an hour which is great. That's about it for me!

Hi there Yodaeyes & :wel3fc:

So glad to have you join us. Hopefully we can all be your "meeting" and you can chat about what you need to with us ^^ Keep on posting! Best of success to you!!!!!

Oh dear, this may be my new favorite place! :) Congratulations on a great choice, yodaeyes! I love the flex plan, and I think it's the most sensible way I've ever found to change your eating habits.

Congratulations, Kelijpa! I had a similar success a few nights ago while out to dinner with some friends. We'd gone to this "family style" Italian restaurant with AMAZING food. But, I split a salad with a couple of buddies, and I didn't even overdo it with that. I worried, on my way there, that my willpower would falter and I'd eat a huge plate of fettucine alfredo! THEN, they ordered this MASSIVE piece of chocolate cake. I had two tiny bites, and let them have the rest. I was proud of this. :)

Alright, ladies. I have a bit of potentially unhappy news. The scale is being bad for me again. I've been doing all the right things. I've been using my FP's Wendie style, and I've been exercising regularly. Yet the scale has moved away from the lovely onederland range and back up to 201-203ish. BUT, I have been failing miserably at drinking the appropriate amount of water this week (something I was really pushing myself to do last week), and I've also started BOXING this week. (Like true, for real, actual boxing, where you hit people! It's awesome!) I have significantly increased my exercise over what I'd been doing, so I'm hoping that has something to do with it, as well. I'm definitely dehydrated though...

SO.... I'm going to go to my meeting anyway and just face up to the scale. I know it can't be a real "fat" gain, as I've been consistently on plan and exercising. I have to fight this battle I've got going with the scale-fear. Still, it's sad to see my ticker move in the anti-thin direction.

Yes I have been hating my scale lately too!
I just started Wendie plan, and so far nothing has happened! No loss!
In fact, I only lost around 3 pounds for the ENTIRE month of March...really depressing as I expected to lose at least twice that.

I talked to my boyfriend about it and he said I probably just haven't been diligent enough. I know it's probably true. I did have a drinking binge around 3 weeks ago, and then I ate 15 points over my planned flex points last weekend. I am just hoping I can be 100 % completely on track this week and see a loss.

Can drinking alcohol make your gain weight even if you are in your points? For example, I have to consume 44 points on Saturdays for my Super High Day on the wendie plan. If I drank 5 shots (10 points) worth of alcohol, but still stayed within 44 points, do you think it will make me gain weight????????

I'm really wondering if that is what has stopped me from losing.

Happy Thursday Flexers!!!
 

Suite - Neat article. Getting sleep is just another thing on the long list of "must do's" for me to be healthier, but... one thing at a time. :D I was so thirsty on Tuesday I thought I might have grown gills overnight, so I know what you mean. And I totally lol'd at your amazing writing skilz with how to give feedback. :lol:

Kel - Awesome job on the long walk :carrot: And I'm glad your sanity kicked in just in time so that you got to save some of that dinner for another meal!

Aero - Woohoo :D So glad to have you posting with us! I'm sorry the scale is not being a friendly buddy at the moment, but it's always a love/hate relationship. And you know you're doing things right. And you know that you changed two things this week (perhaps not getting enough water and starting BOXING omgosh how cool is that?! You have to tell us all about it!) that probably have affected the scale. Get that water drinking up and you could potentially see a good difference next week :D Oh and one more time I have to say "boxing" so that I can this this cute little guy: O-(<_<Q) ... It's a guy throwing a punch! Hee hee ^.^

Vday - I understand your disappointment with March, because in February I "only" lost about .8. That's right. The entire month. .8. The point is... you're moving in the RIGHT direction. DOWN. :hug: It might not be as fast as you want, but it's a heck of a lot better than sliding back up the scale to where you used to be! Now to address your questions... Because you went about 15 points above your points just last weekend, it's going to take some time for your body to use that energy and lose the weight associated from that. So you may not see a loss for this week or the next as your body does that. Basically, your body has no reason to use it's stored resources (read: fat, muscle etc.) because you've given it more than enough food. Your boyfriend may be right. It might take a little bit more diligence. Patience. Planning. You can do it! The alcohol... very, very individual unfortunately. I know some people who can only have about one drink a week or for whatever reason, their bodies react strangely to what their having and holds onto more weight. (Could be that when they drink they forget to have their water... but I'm not them so I don't know.) It's something you're going to have to experiment with on your own. From what I see, what I think has stalled you this very week is the 15 extra points above and beyond. It WILL GO AWAY. Be vigilant about this week :) Track every single thing. If next week doesn't seem much better, I know we'd all love to help out by taking a look at what your week looks like food-wise!

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Weigh-in day... woo...hoo! :D hee hee I'm always happy about weigh-in days... just because I love meetings so much! I'm about to eat my yummy breakfast and get to work. Not so excited about the work part. Plenty to do today as usual. Tonight it's out to a friend's house for our pretty much weekly game.

Hope you all have a great Thursday! :broc:

Hi everyone! Not new to 3fc but I am pretty new to online WW just signed up last friday. I'm a SAHM to a 4yr old and an almost 2yr old, and like my name says i'm married to a soldier. We have been busy moving and getting settled and all the weight I had lost while the hubby was deployed has came back so this time I decided I needed more help and here I am. Love reading inspirational posts on here :) ~Amber

Hi Amber :D Welcome to the WW area! Keep on posting. We'd love to get to know you better ^^ Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Our combined WW experience & knowledge should be able to help out. And we can all be your support group (along with the rest of fabulous 3FC!). Best of success!!!

Keli - WTG on taking that long walk! It sounds fantastic. As terrible as it is, I want nothing more than to devote an hour or so to exercise in the evenings but I simply can't right now. It's like having a broken leg or something - this exam that's looming is like having a crippling injury. All I can do is go to work, come home, cook dinner, study. Sleep, repeat. So I've got total walk-envy over here. :p

yodaeyes - Welcome!! You must be busy busy with those little ones, but I bet they keep you on your toes (in a good way - exercise!). You know they love being outside, too, so they're probably enjoying the long walks your giving them :)

aero - You know the scale is not the most reliable indicator of our progress. You've impressed the pants off me that you've started *actual* boxing, that must be so much fun! And you say you've been staying OP, that's fantastic! The weight will come off. Unfortunately you can't really choose the speed at which your body lets go. Your weight could be hormone-related too, which is entirely not something you can have a say in! Maybe put the scale away for a week? See if you feel more confident in what you're doing when you don't have constant scale feedback? Hang in there, keep doing what you're doing!

vday - I'm in the same situation - I had about 15 over my FPs last week and was up at my last WI, and I'm not confident that this WI will be much better (takes time to undo a gain, plus I'm expecting my wonderful monthly weight gain this week). But I know I've been OP all week, and if I stay OP next week I know the scale will start showing me some love again. Just gotta hang in there :) I don't really have any input on the alcohol thing, hope you get good advice somewhere!

Faerie - I'm the same way! I get so excited when I go to bed Friday night because my meeting is first thing Saturday morning. I just love going to my meeting, even if the scale doesn't show me something good, I still love being there. My leader has this alter-ego thing person that she brings in every now and again, her "cousin" Delia from Tennessee. It's really funny. She brings in a wig and talks in a southern accent and tells us that if we want to lose weight we just stop eating, right? :lol: She's full of bad information but somehow it's really funny coming from our leader. :p She's scheduled to makea "visit" this week so I'm excited.

Amber - Welcome to the WW area of 3FC :) Moving and life change sure can pack on pounds, can't it? WW is a great program, I'm sure you will find the success you're looking for here. Hope to see you around!

--

I said I'd stop griping about my friend, right? So I guess I won't complain about the fact that before class she wanted to stop at Starbucks, which is fine, but I told her I didn't want anything. I was just gonna wait in the car, eat my grapes and cottage cheese before class. She asked if I was sure I didn't want anything, I said yes, off she went. She comes back. "I got you a latte and a cookie." ...I said I didn't want anything. "Oh, and I forgot to ask for skim, I know that's what you like but you won't mind this once, right?" And you know Starbucks cookies are something ridiculous like 11points each. I didn't have room for a whole milk latte, either. I took the coffee and said I didn't want the cookie right now. I definitely dumped the latte out in the bathroom when we got to class, and I didn't bring up the cookie so she still has it. It's just aggrivating. She knows I'm doing WW, and I'm sure she's trying to be generous, but sometimes I get the feeling she doesn't quite have the most innocent of intentions (me losing weight may be making her feel uncomfortable with her weight, so why not stop me from losing?).

Annnyway. That was just a little hurdle which I managed to overcome quite easily, actually. I was so irritated that it didn't even occur to me that I should eat her cookie.

Guess what, everyone? Tomorrow's Friday!! :D

Suite - :hug: You are so strong. I am so proud of you for dumping that latte down the drain. I'm sure your annoyance at your friend helped you trash it. (Heck, it'd probably make me feel REALLY good getting rid of that latte and forgetting about the cookie.) I've gotta say, I'm kind of looking forward to the day you can go for long periods of time without that toxic sort of relationship going on around you. *whew* But you're handling it well! More hugs for you! :hug: :hug: :hug:

And that other personality your leader does? Hilarious! :lol3: My leader dances and sings (badly). :lol: She knows it though, so she's always joking that she's going to put on a concert for us. It just goes to show that finding the right leader is so essential!

Faerie – thanks for starting a new thread here. And as for sleep, what is UP?? I have been sleeping like 10 hours and could totally do more if I didn’t need to get up! Normally I’m an “up and at ‘em” kinda girl but lately…I don’t know what to make of it!
Suite – bodies ARE ridiculously difficult to understand! And I think that your suggestion is a great way to give feedback. Make an impression! By the way, I didn’t know you were in school!! That’s great (though it clearly doesn’t feel that way now…)!! OH MY GOD just reading your second post – what a horrible thing to do! Is this girl jealous of your weight loss or what’s her deal?? Anyway, good job resisting the latte AND cookie!
Kel – hey I had that feeling of “this is so good just keep eating” and then I put down the fork but then an hour later…whole thing gone and I feel sick! Haha I just saw that you struggled with The General – after I ate all my pad thai (this was last night, during class) I got home to leftovers that my boyfriend brought me from Chinese – General Tso! He’s on the warpath, apparently…
Yoda – :welcome2: I’m doing WW online, also.
Aero – Boxing?? That is SO COOL!! And your gained poundage must be from increased exercise coupled with lack of water. How do you FEEL?? Stupid scale…mutter mutter mutter…
VDay – I remember a thread on the 20-somethings board about how alcohol totally affects weight loss…I don't know how to post a link to it but it's called "boo alcohol." and just so you know, I’ve been really off the past few weeks, too. Vowing to get back OP today!!
Married – welcome to WW online!! Good luck!! This is such a great source of help – I went on the boards on the WW site a few weeks ago and it was like bizarro world…I stick to 3FC now!!
--------------------------
As for me, I have been so so so sick of planning everything out and counting and don’t want to go grocery shopping. I do want to be healthy (like, I’m not in binge mode...well not today) but I haven’t been doing such a good job of it. Like I said in my response to Kel, I couldn’t resist the half a thing of pad thai that I wasn’t actually hungry for, and felt so overly stuffed last night, only to come home to an egg roll and general tso (which I did not eat, but it was tempting, especially since egg rolls don’t really taste the same the next day).
But, I am really dedicated to the weight loss. I am. Let’s just keep reminding me of that. My scale is on the shelf so that I am forced to only look at my behaviors (the scale has been too kind to me lately, letting me get away with bad behavior that I know will catch up with me!). Today, so far so good (i woke up an hours ago). I’m planning on a 3 mile jog in a few minutes, and then I’ll head to the gym tonight for some weights or a class. I’m actually getting excited for that. I’m going to go on the planning thread now…I never use that. Any suggestions for kicking myself back into gear would be appreciated (I am thinking again about switching to Core for a week, but not today. Maybe Monday).
S

it's been a while since i wrote!! i've been reading a lot.. just haven't had the time to sit and bang out a post. but here i am!!

thank you everyone for your input on my friend situation! i took all your advice and did what i needed to do. one i realized this was more my own thoughts and problems with things i was unhappy about in my current situation and i was taking it out a little on her. i decided I myself am going to save up money (and take this opportunity where the one i spend the most money with will not be able to spend any longer) and rack up a good down payment for my OWN house/condo/what i can afford. it will be a while and i'm really ok with that. things will come to me. and i have spent plenty of time with the friend spending no money. we do often anyways cause she was getting herself into credit card debt, but even MORE time now. and it's been fantastic. and let me tell you watching me pay off all my bills and still having my bank account increase is making me feel better in and of itself (seriously me and this friend like... had a PROBLEM with thinking we were rich when we weren't and spending way too much money HAHA). and i talked to this friend. about everything i was feeling about these changes and stuff. and she totally understood and was there and made me feel so much better. and i went and helped her with her house (it's a REAL fixer-upper) and we imagined things in it together. everything just really helped a lot. thanks everyone for your advice as well!!

on another note - my last week AWFULNESS turned into basically saying eff it and "i'll start over monday." and yeah.... let's just say i didn't change my tracker, current weight, post in the loss threads, or anything. maybe cause i didn't want to admit to myself that for a week and a half i did pretty rotten and gained over 4 pounds. but this week i'm TOTALLY back on track and already lost about 2.5 of those pounds since monday (i think a lot was just still in my system) and all in all i feel so much better about myself. (could be the sun and warmer temperatures too!) i'm still not gonna change my tracker cause i'm pretty determined to get back to that weight by next weigh-in and keep on trucking.

suite - i've been reading through your friend problems and some others (i think i started a trend!!! haha) that's awful about the latte. you're so strong i think i would have thrown the latte in her face. (not really haha) good for you throwing it down the drain though!! i had a friend who's not my friend anymore who i suspected of doing something like that. she was really insecure ... she was actually doing weight watchers which was awesome cause she was doing something for herself, but she still just didn't like herself and would do things like trying to make a friend and i eat junk, or when we tried on clothes and things looked OBVIOUSLY ridiculous she'd say they looked really awesome and we should so buy it... just things like that. i sound rotten saying it i guess you'd have to know her. i'm not friends with her anymore. she was really toxic. so that's that.

anyone have an annoying dog??? HAHA sorry just as i'm writing this one post (which is prob another reason why i can't post these days) i have had to run after my dog eating things from my room like 10 times. he demolished a reciept (who knows where he found it) so i really hope there was nothing to return on there. stole my shoes, my CAT haha. he's got it all. he's lucky he's cute.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...littlecute.jpg

ok that's all for me!! keep up the great work everyone. :carrot:

Lizzy - One day, one moment at a time, chica! You are dedicated to losing this weight for good, or else you wouldn't be here. :hug: I really think that NSV thread is going to be awesome for you. Honestly, hun, pick one thing you think you can improve, and work on it. Don't do that "all at once" thing, because it seems it might burn you out. (Hey check out that article Suite just posted! It might help put things into perspective!!!! http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138855) I hope you enjoy your jog! :running:

Hope - You are just awesome for talking with your friend about all the issues, and for planning ahead with your expenses! :cp: I wish I could be so open with people. I'm so glad to hear you're back on track this week and have already rid yourself of 2.5 of those pounds. And that is such an adorable picture of your dog & cat!!!! Awwww :D

Thanks for the words of support, all. I think you're right. The constant scale feedback isn't good for me. I had my boyfriend take it away for several days, but when he was leaving town the other day I had him return it. I knew the curiosity would get the best of me. :rolleyes:

It's so strange how that small piece of equipment can cause me to doubt myself so easily. I mean, I have a log of everything I've eaten, and the exercise I've done. I'm actually pretty good at writing everything down! But when I see the scale start to creep up, I start thinking "oh, maybe I binged one day and didn't realize it!" or "maybe I've eaten too much!" :o It's completely ridiculous.

The boxing is AWESOME! I have a pretty stressful job, and I tend to take a lot of the stress home with me, so this has been a perfect outlet. I've only done it a few times yet, but I seem to be a natural :shrug:. Who knew? It's a good feeling to have the instructor tell me that I have a perfect build for it, too. All these years, I thought I was only perfectly built to be a couch potato! :^: Unlike the dreadmill or elliptical, which I HATE with a passion, when I go to the boxing gym, I really feel like I leave it all there. I go in all wound up, but by the time I leave, I feel a HUGE release! And it makes me feel so STRONG :club: (or tough.... one or the other)!

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Suite----Glad to hear you did the right thing with that Latte. Right down the drain! :high: It makes an uncomfortable situation when you've said "no, thank you" but the friend buys you something anyway... Because then you feel like you have to eat/drink whatever she's bought for you, but you already said you didn't want it... Maybe she felt a little guilty for having a whole-milk beverage herself, and thought if you had one too she wouldn't feel so bad? I know I've done that before. After Thanksgiving, if my dad had an extra piece of carrot cake after dinner, I didn't feel so bad having one myself. It's ridiculous, yes, but it was how my brain was working at the time. :^:

Lizzy----I know how you feel with getting tired of planning sometimes. I feel the same way at times. Your jog will probably help a lot. I find that running clears my head a fair amount, plus you get all those feel-good endorphins! :) The other thing that helps me get back in the groove of planning is cleaning! When I'm feeling kindof "over it" as far as planning goes, I clean my house really well. By the time I'm done, I usually (for whatever reason) have a renewed energy to focus toward keeping my body healthy, too.

Aero -- thanks for the advice! I find cleaning to be a terrible chore, personally...esp with 2 cats and a dog around, cleaning is almost a joke. But, when I'm in the mood, it's a fantastic outlet!

Faerie and Suite -- yep, that article seems pretty applicable, as I slide further and further into debt, I definitely can see the tie-ins with diet. I can't think about it too much, I get too stressed and feel powerless. Blah.

IFindHope -- Wow, what a friggin cute pic of the animals! Ours are so not lovey...the house soundtrack is cat hisses and the dog whining/barking at them when they fight. I'm pretty sure it's the new kitten's fault, she likes to mess with everyone, and it seems to me like she's a big bully. I wish we could ever find them cuddling up like that!! As for you friend, so good that you worked it out with her and within yourself.

----------------------------------------

Yep, just back from my jog! Still planning on the gym tonight, as well...I have got to get off of the computer.

S

Hi Everybody,

Welcome to all the newbies, this is a great place to just sit and chat.

:?: Well WI did not go well, infact gained .2, totally second guessing myself. I was on the Wendie Plan, for the second full week, did eat all but 12 of my FP and 1/2 of my AP, and of course all my daily. I think I doing something very wrong, just going over my journal, I ate 17pts in snacks in one day. You know those 1 or 2 pt 100cal packs. :o So I pretty much know what I did wrong, now some suggestions on how I can "eat" those points wiser. I think I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too, {sorry but just popped into my head}

Sorry to be such a downer, for all the "losers" this week, Great Job :carrot:

Ya know what else, I tried something new this week, did not step on the scale all week, not until at my meeting today, I guess that didn't help much either.

Aero - That boxing sounds like so much fun :D

Liz - :hug: Just because hugs are always good.

Institches - .2 is a very teenie tiny amount. So don't stress! But you're doing the right thing by taking a look back over your week.

So, let's take a look: If you're following the Wendie Plan as posted, you should only have 5 FP left over.
+0
+5
+4
+15
+0
+4
+2
= 30
Which means only 5 should be left over. Are you following this pattern? Or have you come up with your own FP schedule? If you are following something a little different would you be willing to share with us so we might see how it works?

Okay then. Those 17pts worth of snack foods. Let's see how wiser choices could have been made:

1 oz of sunflower seeds = 4pts
2 cups of grapes = 2 pts
1 large apple = 2 pts
Cut up veggies like broccoli & baby carrots & celery with 4 tbsp of reduced fat dip = 4pts
Light String Cheese = 1 pt
Hardboiled Egg = 2 pts
A piece of 1 point bread toasted with a tbsp of Jam/preserves = 2 pts

All that food is 17 pts as well. And it's probably a lot more satisfying than those 2 pt 100 cal packs. Really, those packs are great if you're craving a little something, but they're not meant to be used with several meals a day. Even then, air popped popcorn if fantastic as a snack because you get 5 huge cups of it for only 1 point!!!! 5 Whole cups! Compare that to the amount of cheez-its we get for 100 cals.

This coming week what I think you might have to do (your homework assignment is! :lol:) to keep some quick & healthier alternatives to those 2 pt snack packs on hand and ready to go! (And buy less of the snack packs of course.)

Boy are y'all chatty today! :chat:

sonja - I've been dragging my feet on the writing everything out front too. Somehow I find it easier to do here on the boards than in my little journal at home. No idea why.... WTG on the jog, and have fun at the gym tonight!

tarah - Glad to hear you got your friend situation sorted out. :hug: and OMG your dog and cat are adorable!! I'd love to have a dog but I think it would terrorize my poor cats. I have to tell one of my cats "you're lucky you're cute" far too often, the little bugger :p

aero - Yes! What's wrong with us that we do everything right and when the scale doesn't budge, we blame ourselves? Our conscious actions? You're doing GREAT, and make sure you remember that, even when the scale doesn't. And yeah, I do that "group rationalization" thing too, which is why it's good to hang out with people who are concerned with healthy eating :) Influence is good!

institches - wow, 17 points of 100 calorie packs! I can totally understand though, I knew those weren't for me when I ate through almost a whole box in one day. I just kept rationalizing it... they're 100 cals! I can have another! etc etc. Faerie has some great suggestions for snacks and they'd be just as easy to grab when you're in need if you take some time to prep ahead! The 0.2 gain is nothing, you'll be over it by the next time you weigh :)

Faerie - you're just so helpful! I loved reading your snack ideas even though they weren't for me. Made me want to go get some veggies to munch on :p

I don't have anything new to add, just wanted to respond to people! :D

you guys are just fabulous.
just got back from the gym and completely stuffed my face with my planned dinner! so hungry!
OP day so far, though. :D

Frrrrrrriiiiiiiiddddaaaaaaayyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Yahoo, Flexers! It's FRIDAY! The weekend is alllmmoooost here! :carrot:

Suite - I often just type to respond :) I'm glad you liked the snacks. I'm sure we could all come up with a TON!

Lizzy - WTG on your OP day! :hug: Hope everything continued to be okay! ^^

---

So, I'm in a good mood. Dropped 3.6 this week. Got another 5 lb star to stick on my bookmark that's on the fridge. I'm so close to my halfway mark of about 90 lbs that I can taste it! (And it's 0 points! :lol: Oh... ww humor... ;))

I'm also REALLY close to being 1 year on program!!!!! 2 more weeks and I'll have been making healthy changes in my life for an entire year. That's really the milestone for me. In my head, at least, it's as though... if I can make it just one year, then I can do this for the rest of my life. This also means that I have two more weigh-ins before the 19th :lol:. I'd love to get 90 by that point, but we cannot control the scale, so I'll be happy with whatever it is. I'm sure I'll gush uber about this on the 19th, so I'll save it all for then, but I'm just getting excited about it and had to let it out a little.

Non-weight related issues:
I've been getting really... kind of angry about this: My roommate has called out from work for 3 occurrences in just 2 weeks. We work at the same company, but in different departments (thank all that is good and holy...). She was out for 4 days last week. (M, T, W & then F) And this week she called out Yesterday & Today. AND SHE'S NOT SICK. That's right. She just stayed up too late every night playing video games. Now... I'm a gamer, too, but I know when to suck it up and go to work anyway if I didn't get enough sleep. She got fired from her last two jobs for ... guess what? ... NOT GOING! And I'm pissed because she'll at least get a huge warning for it, and at most get a pink slip.

First of all, I'm mad at myself for ever getting an apartment with her. Lots of reasons, but I should have realized that she's always going to be irresponsible. With money & with her job. Secondly, I'm mad that we have one month left (May) on our lease so if she does get fired, I don't know how she's going to pay bills. Her disregard of the fact that MY finances are now under pressure because of HER actions... ARG! And lastly, we had already discussed earlier and agreed that we'd get a new lease for 5 more months so that we'd both move out after I got married (in October). And if she's going to get fired then I need to find a place right-quick by the end of May that I can go for the 5 months before my wedding.

Deep breath. Sorry for the huge 2 paragraph rant, but I'm steaming. :mad: She's just SO inconsiderate. I swear most days I just want to hit her in the face. Okay... okay... I'm a little better now. *sigh* Thanks for letting me get this all out :o Don't think less of me! >_< :lol:

Anyway, back to happy thoughts!... ahem :)

My fiancé and I are checking out one last Bed & Breakfast this weekend to see how it might work for the wedding. We'll then go over money stuff and make a decision! Dun dun DUUUUUN! :D I'd actually like to let you all know where we decide to have it. So I'll do that as soon as we know ^^

I hope you all are having marvelous (financial problem-free) days! ;)

shrink - Mmm, planned dinner. :D Gotta love knowing that you have a big, satisfying meal waiting for you even though you're trying to lose weight. Hope the rest of your evening went well!

Faerie - Hey, way to go! You are SO close to the 90lb mark, that is so fantastic! And what a loss for the week!! I'm so excited for you! :woohoo: As for your friend... that must be tough. I can't even fathom just... not going to work... repeatedly... because I stayed up too late. :rolleyes: It's kind of counter-intuitive. Does she have some money saved? Can you ask her somehow about it, say that you're concerned for her and want to make sure she'll be okay if the worst does happen? (but of course you're secretly concerned with paying rent....) Jee, I hope it works out okay. Hey, maybe slip her a sleeping pill with dinner, she'll be out like a light by 9 and ready to go to work in the morning! Then she won't get fired! :lol:


I started my day this morning with a nice NSV, though I'm saving it for our NSV thread :) I feel kinda weird because despite all the freakin' water I've been drinking I know I'm holding a lot right now (as particularly evidenced by the way my wedding ring is fitting). I'm not sure what's happening in there. My NSV leads me to want to be optimistic about my weigh-in tomorrow but I know that the reality is this is the week I ought to expect my hormonal gain, I usually see a maintain or up a pound. That might be the reason for the water holding too. Who knows. I wish there was like... a device... that plugged into you somewhere and would give you a readout like "sodium levels high" or "repairing muscle" or "hormones wonky" so you could know just what the heck was going on. All this guesswork drives me crazy.

I am SO happy it's Friday, guys, you have no idea.

WOOOOOO! :dizzy:

Have a good day everyone!

Suite - Way to go on your NSV! I hope the WI goes well ^^ :goodluck: If you invent that device, let me know! I'd love to plug it in on those "up" weeks just to make sure it's something out of my control. So that I don't drive myself bonkers :dizzy://About the roommate. She doesn't have any money saved. (And is constantly complaining about how she can barely afford things... oh like her new car. :rolleyes:) I did talk to her last weekend to make sure she was okay physically. You know what, I'm not far off from trying that sleeping pill idea!!! :rofl:

Hi guys. I need your support today. I have been consistenly losing and things have been going pretty good, until this week. I have been following a simplified version of the Wendy plan. I have been drinking all of my water, trying to make sure I get all of my fruits and veggies, protein, milk etc. Also, this week I have exercised every day at least 10 minutes usually more like 35. However, I got on the scale (yes, I'm addicted to it) this morning and I am up 2 pounds....My weigh in day is tomorrow morning. If I truly have a gain, this will be my first. I'm not sure what went wrong. People at work have had all kinds of goodies - chocolate and doughnuts, and I havent eaten any. (I keep picturing them glued to my rear) So, now, I'm wondering what I have done wrong....I feel like crying. Have any of you ever experienced an unexpected weight gain? No, its not tom - I have had a hysterectomy. I cant think of anything that would have caused this. I havent even had extra salt. I'm sorry this is so long and such a downer. Thanks for listening.

Dawn

Dawn - First lots of hugs :hug: :hug: :hug:
Second, we're not actually sure that it is indeed a gain. Tomorrow might look very different!
Third, let's look at what you've been doing. Exercising, eating right, being healthier. Sometimes our weight does strange things that has NOTHING to do with what we've been eating. There sometimes isn't any reason that we will ever know of that caused a gain. I wish I could say evil magical weight goblins put it on, and at least then we'd have a reason and just accept it for what it is. Mandalinn (a member I look up to very much so) has a quote in her signature that goes something like this. "We use the scale, because it is convenient, NOT because it is an accurate measure of our success." The scale is just a number. The scale does not high-five us if we've been healthier, and moving more, and taking in more water. It just spits out a number. In reality, perhaps you've lost fat this week, but retained water, or your body is repairing itself from all the exercise you've been doing. We don't know! Remember: FEEDBACK, NOT FAILURE!

Finally, and I believe most importantly. This may be the single hardest week of your entire weight loss. Seeing that gain may "break" you, or "make" you. It's how you react to this that will make every single little bit of difference between continuing to soldier on, and stopping where you stand.

Please let me tell you about my experience with my first gain week. I had done well that week. Nothing extraordinary, nothing out of ordinary. I hadn't weighed myself at home or anything so I didn't see it coming. I stepped up onto the scale at meeting... Up the tiniest little bit. .4 . Hardly anything... that little .4 staring at me. I was shocked... confused... a little scared... I felt a million things running through me as I stood on that scale for longer than I should have. Perhaps the weigh-in lady thought I was crazy. As quickly as I could muster I said "Oh.. OK" and grabbed my things to go sit down in meeting. I was disappointed. I was worried. I was embarassed. I sat down before meeting and thought in that empty room. At first I thought about what I had done wrong, disappointed that maybe I just goofed something up... I was doing everything right, it turns out. Then I worried about what if I've gone as far as I ever will... looking back now... how silly I was being. Then I was embarrassed having to deal with the fact that I gained... even a little... that week, but I shouldn't have been, because EVERYONE gains. Finally, relief. ... That's right. Relief. I knew when I began WW that at some point I'd have to face a gain. Straight on in the face. I knew that I was facing it right now. And that how I decided to deal with it right that very moment as I was sitting alone in that room was going to determine the way that I faced this long road of losing weight and continuing to be healthier forever. It was okay to be upset,... it was not okay to quit. It was okay to feel disappointed, ... it was not okay to let that disappointment keep me from continuing to be healthier.

If you can move on from your first gain, you can move on from every gain after. Those gaining weeks have helped me prepare for my future maintaining far more than every loss week I've had. Those gaining weeks are a blessing in disguise. Trial by fire weeks.

Am I still disappointed when I gain in a week? Of course I am! I'm human! But, I look back and see how far I've come already including all those weeks that I've gained, and look forward to see how much further I can go if I just keep stepping forward, and that disappointment is lessened greatly.

This is a blunt question, but we all have to face it with our first gain week. Will I quit & fail... or will I continue despite this setback & succeed?

Faerie,

Thank you for the inspirational and meaningful response. Yes, I will continue. I have to keep going for my health. I want to have a long, healthy and happy future. I am prediabetic. I guess I expected to see a loss today because I have every other week. I am very picky about my points - a points miser:) So, I thought a gain wouldnt happen to me. I honestly knew it would happen at some point, just not for a long, long time. I guess we will wait and see what truly happens tomorrow and then let it go. I think I will have to reevaluate the way I have been breaking out my flex points. I just talked to my husband also....He said that maybe I need to change my workout around, that maybe my body has adjusted to what I am doing. So, I guess I will be trying something different, maybe I will get an aerobics tape.

Thank you again for the support. I seem to be having a pitty party day.

Dawn

Dawn,
Let us know what happens :hug: We'll all be here no matter what! :yes:

You can have your pity-party, we certainly all need them some days, just don't let it turn into an "end-of-the-world" party ;) :lol:

Dawn, just like Faerie said, we all have gains, but it's what we do after we get the news, that will make the differance. Faerie knows her stuff, she is a smart cookie :hug:

Faerie congrats on your weight loss this week :bravo: :dancer:, good for you WTG ;)

Thank You Faerie for all those helpful hints, I think I just needed a reality check. Yes, Suite those packs are so handy, and they can add up quick, that day was my all time high/low which ever way you want to look at it, I actually looked over the rest of my week, so I can see where I can improve. A great start is all those snack ideas, they will help alot, I wrote them down, and plan to use them when I need some new suggestions. :carrot: I do not plan to buy any for a while, and I know I can not have those mini rice cakes, in the mint flavor, VERY bad idea, I had. They were on sale, next time will not give in to so many! Thanks for the shot in the arm, I need that :grouphug:

Well, No I did not make up my own plan, I googled wendie plan and a whole bunch of entries came up, so I just went down the list and tried to find out some information on this plan. The lady actually broke down for every daily point values. So for me it went like this- Day one for me was Friday, {day after WI, another suggestion}

29/-1
43/+13
28/-2
32/+2
30/0
28/-2
33/+3 +13for wk/ and I used 10 more/ +23 for week

it also stated not to eat any AP on high days unless hungry (which I was not)
and on your low days to eat all, I only ate 1/2. Faerie, can you tell me where that post is, maybe I would have better results with the plan you are on.

Faerie-Sorry your room mate is giving you so much gief, I sure hope she realizes that they can fire her, before it's too late. Sounds like alot of un-needed stress. Have fun at the other BB you plan to visit ;)

Suite-I would Love to get one of those handy devices too, let me know :carrot:

Hope everyone has a great Friday :exercise:

Institches - Absolutely! Here's that link: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99187

That's what I read. It'll take a few minutes, but it's well worth it. If you want to follow what the above thread says your points would look like this:

30/+0
35/+5
34/+4
45/+15
30/+0
34/+4
32/+2

We're not regularly supposed to be going below our base target points. So there shouldn't be days that you frequently go below 30.

Just a tip, I had to make sure the Super High Day was on my Saturday (far away from my WI and on the weekend so I could have some fun!). My WI is on a Thursday, I always begin a fresh new week with fresh new FP on a Friday. So this is what my week looks like:

Friday: 35 (+4)
Saturday: 46 (+15)
Sunday: 31 (+0)
Monday: 35 (+4)
Tuesday: 33 (+2)
Wednesday: 31 (+0)
Thursday: 36 (+5)

It's the same pattern, just shifted to fit my weekly schedule. Hope that helps!

Thanks Faerie, hey if I can do half as well as you did this week, I'd be very pleased :D

Wow everyone is so chatty!!
InStitches -- good luck. I'm sorry, I have no advice to give, so far, I've been very UNcareful about how I split up my points...if my loss stalls, I'll probably revisit that, though.
Faerie -- your roommate reminds me of my boyfriend/roommate! haha. not funny. but my boyfriend's not just a lazy...well, I don't want to start name calling your roommate, but she does sound lazy. That is crazy!! God I feel sick with guilt every time I've every called out. Well, good luck, if you need a roommate, lemme know, I'm happy to just take off from Boston and land wherever the wind blows (of course, I'm unemployed and in terrible debt, so I doubt I make the best roomie right about now).
Suite -- argh, i forgot to go read about your NSV. Ok, just read it! yay belt!! fabulous!
I know I'm forgetting folks but I'm getting very sleepy...
I do just want to say real quick that I just babysat all morning, took the kiddies to the mall to play in the indoor playspace, and I do not know how people manage to be mommies and still lose weight! I ate fries and a few bits of hot dog, a few bites of pretzel...gah! I just tracked my points and I basically ate all of today's, without have actually ordered any food for myself!!
Gymn later. Nap now.
S

Thanks lizzy, hope the rest of your day is better! Yeah, I wonder if we could bottle up kids activity points, Hey wouldn't that be so cool :carrot:

Lizzy - Aww :hug: Thanks for the support. If you wanna know something funny, I'll be moving about 45 minutes from Boston after I get married.

Wow, this thread moves FAST! :dizzy:

Dawn--- I know EXACTLY how you're feeling. I haven't yet had a gain week at WW. Not because there haven't been weeks when I stalled or gained, but because I skipped my meeting on those weeks. I always felt like I wasn't strong enough to endure a gain week. I feared that it would knock me on my butt and I'd be too disappointed to get back up and keep going. WELL, I haven't gone for my official WI yet, but I'm fairly certain that I'm going to see my first gain this week. I am still afraid, but at the same time, I'm trying very hard to be logical about it: I know I've been on plan, I know I've been exercising, I know there's no possible way I've put on an extra 3-4lbs of FAT this week! Instead, I'm trying to focus on what I've done right. I've exercised (and hard!), and I've done a great job of drinking plenty of water for the last couple of days. I figure that my "gain" this week is probably due to being dehydrated earlier in the week and due to my muscles trying to repair themselves due to all the exercise. Like Faerie (and others) said, the body is a mysterious thing sometimes... I don't know that I'll ever understand why I weigh 3lbs heavier now than I did a week ago. :?: But, I do know that I've been doing a great job sticking to the Flex Plan! And I also know that if I continue to do that, the weight has no choice but to come off! That's a pretty long-winded way of saying that I hope you'll keep your chin up (though it may be quivering and stinging with tears for a few minutes) and keep right on trucking. You're doing a great job! Let's not let that scale stand between us and the great feelings of accomplishment that we both deserve! :hug:

Faerie--- Sorry to hear about your "dead-beet" roommate! Luckily, I've never had a roommate like this (at least since I lived in the dorms in college), but I have had friends who behave this way. My boyfriend's sister, for instance... She always talks about how she wants people to treat her like an adult (she's 22, but she acts 10), but she absolutely refuses to be responsible for her own actions. She was recently kicked out of school and only works part-time. Her parents still pay her phone bill and other miscellaneous bills... it's so sad. I just want to shout at her "if you'd act like an adult, maybe folks would treat you like one!" :mad: But, she's got problems of her own that she's trying to work through, I suppose. I try to understand and be patient with her....I guess that is all you can do. Unfortunately, if you're the one living with someone like this, the situation is probably much more sticky (you have to come up with rent money, after all!). I wish you the very best of luck, though... Wish I had better advice!:^:

Faerie - where will you be moving 45 minutes from boston? just curious i'm from the area.

Hope - Probably Acton/Boxboro area, if all goes according to plan.

Thanks, Aero :hug: I hope that some day your bf's sister grows up to realize that being an adult means acting like one. And it is I who am causing this chatty mess!!! My lips are flapping in the breeze, I'm talking so much! :o

Ooh, faerie, i used to manage one of a small chain of restaurants, one of which is in acton, called O'Naturals.
I don't feel like they are particularly WW friendly, but they have very good choices with salads and soups, just gotta be careful with the sandwiches. Anyway, all hormone free meats and stuff, which I like! And delish! I've been promising myself a trip out to acton some Friday when I have the points to spare. Not this week, though!!
That's so funny! Just as I'm planning on moving out of the area!
Hope -- where are you from? I'm living in Watertown...
Aero -- i'm on a no scale kick, myself, so i'm just sayin, forget the dang scale! though i know it's hard on WW, they're so scaley...

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