Flex Talk #9
 

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.


Here's a link to #8: http://3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141593

We reached that magic #100 on our old one so here's a fresh start!

Sonja - My favorite part of the wedding dress is in the back. The red goes around the back and flows down in two ribbons/tails/things... it's really pretty :) That being said, I never want to plan a wedding ever again :p As for your heart thing - that has DEFINITELY happened to me before, I attributed it to smoking too much. It only happened a couple of times but it is the weirdest feeling. Usually happened when I went to lay down and try to sleep with a ton of nicotine still coursing through my veins...

vday - look at all that hair in your new pic! Goodness, wonder how much it weighs? :lol: You have gorgeous hair. Good luck finding a place to live!

free - did you try flipping a breaker or replacing a fuse or anything to help with your light? That's really weird - I would definitely just hope the landlord doesn't notice when you move out... Congrats on the smaller sizes, and I'menvious of your beautiful weather! though today is supposed tbe gorgeous here....

institches - :wave:

keli - Our wedding was small too - about 35 people. Just the important people. I thought I would mind looking at the photos afterwards, realizing I had tons of time to lose weight beforehand but I didn't... But I don't even really think about it when I look at them, that day was not about my weight, you know? And that's so true about your bro & sil - "sometimes quick losses don't teach you the important things, like how to keep it off." You're wise beyond your years, I'll have to keep repeating that to myself....

mod - :wave:

Kim - Thanks! :hug: As for more wedding photos, let me see if this works - this is supposed to be a "public" link to my facebook album, I've never tried to share a FB album before so hopefully it is indeed public. Let me know if this works:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...46a&id=1531000

Manick - This Biggest Loser challenge sure is kicking our butts, huh? Especially with the exercise! I didn't even make it to the next beach last week but I feel like I should have been medivac'ed the last 100 miles or so :lol: I don't know how I feel with those get-sick play dates.... Hmm... I guess it's good to get it out of the way before it gets complicated as an adult or something, but it just seems so cruel! I remember the chicken pox being such **** when I was a kid!!

luvmyfam - Well, you're here you know, and here's a good place to be. Be very proud of yourself that you're not just sitting around complaining about having gained weight and not doing anything about it. You're being proactive! Yay! I'd love to see your photos if you want to share them.

Faerie - yikes, that effected you all the way up there? Boo! Well good luck playing catch-up. Forsake 3FC in favor of getting work done and preserving the sanctity of your Saturday! Come back when you can :)


Last night was work work work... tonight and tomorrow will be the same. I took on an extra project at work to get some extra money, but it's not as easy as I figured - it's DIFFICULT to make yourself work in the evenings when you've been at work all day anyway. Boo. It'll be over in a couple days, but then I'll have the chance to pick up yet another project... We need the money but I think I'm going to drive myself crazy if I keep doing these.

I peeked at my scale this morning and saw good things going on (hello, 197!)... But of course that can all change by the end of the week so I'll just take that as validation for the weekend and move on. I'm not gonna look again until Saturday... daily fluctuations are dangerous territory for me!

Gorgeous day outside - bike sitting next to me ready to be ridden (rode? rided? :lol:) home this evening. :D

have a good day everyone!!

Hey Suite: Yes I miss my long hair!! It got wayyy longer than that, like down past my chest...and then I cut it because it was getting to long to deal with. And now I MISS IT! super bad...ah well it will grow back.
-Daily fluctuations are my enemy as well...I was driving myself CRAZY weighing every day. I have moved the scale back into my bathroom and hope I can stay off of it until Saturday.


As for me, I gained 2.4 pounds this week. I am not sure why. I had a 3.8 loss last week, so I am thinking maybe I just lost too much in one week? I have no idea. I am so sick of these ups and downs though. But oh well. I forgot who posted it (and forgive me for this) but someone said that their doctor told them a .4 weight loss a week is healthy and you are much more likely to keep it off that way, meaning only losing one pound a month. So I have at least reached that! hahaha...well it makes me feel better anyways

Hi Ladies:)

I'm a retired receptionist with two children a girl thats married and a boy thats a confirmed bachelor,living in another state.On my weight loss journey I have been with WW for 10 years and lost a total of 40 lbs.but only to regain most of it do to a hysterectomy.After moving to Ma. I went on the South Beach and Atkins to find my numbers stalling,so now I back to WW again.

I'm a flex er that would like to join the thread. I've been on WW for now 6 weeks this Thursday,[second time around]but only lost 2 lbs. so far. Two weeks was my fault for plateauing, once my leader found me using the wrong pts for my soy milk. Have to be careful that it doesn't happen again as it can be so frustrating when you have the information but you don't use it correctly.

Hugs :) BB

Hey yall! I've been using 3FC for about a month now, but have yet to officially join a thread such as this one, so I decided to do so today!
I'm Katie...this is my 2nd time on Weight Watchers. The first time I did not make Lifetime..and then I went through my senior year of college and had a new boyfriend and did way too much drinking and partying---Have since graduated and grown up in many different ways (and no longer have that boyfriend!!)
I'm 22 and working on my Masters in Public Administration. I'm not married--yet, and I don't have any kids--yet. :) I've already lost 26 pounds on Weight Watchers, and only have about 3 more until my goal, and then my maintenance. I'm training to become a receptionist and then hopefully a leader after I make Lifetime! I love WW and the fabulous results I have seen!
I'm constantly on here looking for new recipe and meal ideas, and definitely always look for support in the area of exercise :dizzy: but I'd love to be able to share my life with you all and get to know yours! Thanks :D

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Beach Bum - :wel3fc: We're glad to have you here. We hope you stick around and continue to post with us.

Vday- sorry about the gain. Hopefully things will level off and you'll be back on track soon.

Jaime- Loved the pics!!! Thank you so much for sharing! The pic with your DH and the flower girl with the swan in the background is priceless! Sorry about the extra work not leaving you much time for fun. I know how nice the extra money is though.

Faerie- I hope you get caught up so that you don't have to work on Saturday. That would really be a bummer.

Everyone else that I missed comments from on the other thread: :wave:

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Well, I'm certainly having some food trials lately. I had a late meeting last night and didn't get home until around 7:30pm. We always order tacos on Monday nights. I usually eat a salad before DH brings my taco home with him. Well, I was famished by the time I got home. DH hadn't even left yet to pick up the tacos and the neighbor dropped by to bring us some freshly fried Morel mushrooms that they had just found in the woods. You can see where this is going right? I had 12pts leftover for the day, I thought "what the heck, I'll try one." Fried foods are not a trigger for me - normally. I ate about 5 of those li'l buggers! They were small pieces (justifying), but fried. I had already told DH to order me two tacos b/c I had enough pts left over, but add some fried mushrooms on top of 2 tacos and I'm pretty sure it totals higher than 12 pts. :^: Ugh! That on top of eating at the buffet on Mother's Day. Ugh! I'm skeered to face the scale tomorrow, BUT I feel like I've been so regimented in the past and this is normal. Life is going to throw these things my way and I need to deal with them. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

I was going to share a couple of horse pics, but I guess I don't have any on my work computer. I'll have to do that from home sometime.

I hope everyone has a great day.

Hi Katie! I missed your post earlier. We'd love to have you jump aboard and join us!

Hey all,

Sad to report that I'm still not OP, but, here's the bright side -- I just came home and hoovered down a piece of toast with PB, a few choc chips, and some leftover ww pasta from last night. I also popped some potatoes into the oven. However, now they're done, and I'm just full. Don't even want them. They're just sitting there (for now, hopefully I won't get into them later after my stomach has made some room).

Can anyone suggest kick-start ideas? I usually change my diet, like, South Beach stopped working (well, honestly, it never started working, but that's not the point) so I started counting calories, I sort of fell off that and picked up WW, but I really like WW! I don't want to just start another diet. This one is absolutely the most reasonable. Sometimes I will switch up my exercise routine, and that can be helpful, but none of my old standby ideas are doing it for me right now.

Does anyone have any ideas for changes that help motivate them?

Jaime -- uh oh, you're scale peeking? careful, girl! But still glad it had nice things to whisper in your ear! And thanks for sharing those pics, so lovely indeed!!

Vday -- stupid gains. grrrr. but really, 3 lbs isn't such a big deal. you can shed that off real quick. hows your fight with the monster going?

Beach and Katie -- :welcome2:

Paint -- give yourself credit for keeping count of those mushrooms. That, in itself, is a great thing.

S

Welcome, BB and Katie!

I had a gain this week, as I posted in the WI thread, I'm pretty upset (like Vday) with the ups and downs, I took out my calendar from last year, where I logged my weight and looked at this time last year...I was 182 then 159 today, so I've managed to keep off quite a few, 22 lbs. I have to be happy with that, but really want to get off this yoyo...I hate it :mad: ok, end of rant

I'm very proud of myself, I guess I should post this in the NSV thread. I turned over my entire garden by hand tonight, I was working on the second half and I realized that I had never done the whole thing at once, I'm feeling it now, but am proud of that, it's a sign of strength and fitness that my baggy pants don't really show me.

Jaime, I love your wedding pictures, you and DH are a lovely couple. Very pretty picture of you looking at your flowers, I loved my flowers... A beautiful setting, I'll have to look for some pics to share. I might have some on this pc, I'll have to look and then figure out how to get them on here, you guys are so great with your avatars and sharing photos.

I forgot, I was going to post something about the scale. I had a prob. with the fluctuations, but it always seemed like if I didn't weigh in the a.m. it set the tone for the day, so I had to come up with something that would work for me, so I write on the calendar my weight, but I'm only allowed to compare it to the week before. And I only change my tracker and keep track of my weight loss on WI day, which is Tues.

I'll have to check back on #8 to check on Faerie, whatever happened, hope you're well and back online soon. :wave:

I enjoyed reading all the posts. Have to go buy some fruit for tomorrow. Better throw some clothes in the washer, too...it never ends... :D

:sunny:

Paintfancy: don't feel bad! you didn't eat that much at all considering you were so hungry...so good job with that!

Shrinking: I am doing okay with the binge monster...I did binge a little bit when I was drunk..I had a huge bowl of cereal, a couple bites of pizza, and not to mention a crapload of alcohol...other than that I have been okay. Except I have been having too many BLT'...bites, licks and tastes

kelijpa: I hear you on the ups and downs! It's to the point where I am not even happy when I have a loss because in the back of my mind I think "it will probably be back next week".

I don't get it!:?:

Well, off to plan my graduation dinner. Can you believe my dad is trying to make me go to chuckie cheese? Because all of my siblings are bringing their kids, so he is honestly trying to make me have my graduation dinner at chuckie cheese...NOT HAPPENING! I would consider it if they served stiff drinks, but they don't. Only beer, and crappy beer at that. Because if I have to go to chuckie cheese, then I better at least be able to get drunk!:D

Hey everyone! :wave: Everyone sounds so busy!

Vday - I would say not to Chucky's too.. lol. If I am going to be successful with my food, pizza is definitely not on any menu much less me going near one. That would do it for me.

Shrink - I have been wanting to binge too. Hubby, daughter and son went grocery shopping and conducted a revolt that started in the chip isle. Actually it was more kids than hubby, but now I have 3 bags of opened chips on my counter and wonderful French onion chip dip in the fridge .. :( calling my name.... arrrrgggggggggg!

Suite - I too love your dress. You and your hubby look so nice together. I looked for a new seat for my exercise bike, but couldn't find one specifically made for a woman. The others I looked at didn't look like they would suit me so I just folded up a large towel and draped it over the seat.

kelipia - good going on looking at the big picture. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves where we started and where we are now so we don't get upset at the little things.

beach & katie - welcome to the boards! You will find this place welcoming, supportive and understanding. I haven't met (virtually) people like this on the net before. They are all treasures. :)

paint - I would have eaten the mushrooms too.. lol. And the tacos. I haven't had a taco for so long!

______________________________

This week so far has been a weird one for me. I normally am not a big meat eater, but I have been craving hamburger, steak, anything meat. I wonder if I am iron deficient? Dunno.. lol.

I am also not planning as well as I have been nor have I been writing things down. I am going to struggle through the rest of this week and then start over again on Saturday.

I grilled skinless chicken breasts the other night and they were so good I could have eaten two but I managed to stop at the one. Grilled asparagus and mushrooms too. I made a salad, but I am sick of the dressing - need to find something different to make lettuce more interesting.. lol

I have decided that I can't have any type of snacks around me. I don't think I have the willpower to avoid them. It would be sooooooo easy to go out to the kitchen and get a bowl of those chips and eat them... but I am not going to do it. The last time I threw away the chips, my daughter was a little upset. So I told her we would get those small bags and she can keep them in her room so I don't see them.. lol. She has a chest in there so she can keep the small bags in that.

I know that I am tired of drinking water. I am getting it all in plus, but I need to change up what I am drinking. I got some crystal light individual 'sticks' that you can mix in the bottle of water, but I am not sure I like it. But it is a change so I will see.

I am not getting all my veggies in. :( I need to figure out what I am going to do with that this week as well. Fruit isn't a problem, but my veggies are becoming one. I can't wait until the garden starts producing!!!!! Nothing like eating out of the garden.

Well, other than seeing some old habits trying to return (not eating and then binging on bad stuff), my week hasn't been too bad. Just a case of the blah's I think.

Hey Flexies!

Have tried to get here to post all day! There will have to be more from me tomorrow! Bosses get home Saturday from a 2 week vacation, work is crazy for me but I am hanging in!

Suite, your wedding pics are great! You look radiant and beautiful, and your hubby plays the piano!!!! Cool, very cool:cool: I will have to load some of mine to share. I know just what you mean about the weight not really being an issue that day. I was SO happy and had waited so long for that day I just enjoyed every second to the fullest! Looks like you really did too!
And yes, the Biggest Loser challenge is whomping me...I am trying not to get burnout, I want to just stay consistent and stay with it all. Glad you enjoyed the artichoke post, I've been meaning to list a couple of salad recipes on the thread you started, maybe later in the week!

Vday, beautiful new avatar photo....NOOOOO on the ChuckE! Stand firm, it is YOUR graduation! Congratulations!!!! by the way, way to go!

Beach bum...welcome! What beaches do you like to bum on? I am a big beach girl myself! DH and I went to Cabo for our first anniversary in Dec-January (we got married NY Eve 2006) it was great fun! I love Mexico but Cabo was too expensive for me...would reduce me to bum status right quick!

Kel Way to go on seeing the overall picture! It IS frustrating to wait and wait and wait to get this weight off. But you are making progress and getting there! I'd love to see any and all pics you dig up!


Shrink Glad those heart palp's stopped...and you hang in there! If you don't mind a bit of advice, get serious NOW...it gets alot harder after 40....I wouldn't have believed it until I turned 40! When I was 27, 28, 30, it was comparatively easy to drop the pounds! My problem is that I didn't stay serious about keeping them off! In that dept, if I could do it over I would!


Paint You are exactly right, this is real life and it's gotta be real! I think that realization qualifies as a NSV actually, that you dusted yourself off and just kept on! I'd love to see your horsey pics too! :)

Chey, keep on keeping on...it is hard to make this your habit, I totally understand the "tiredness" and boredom...some days I am just dying to go pick up some take out xxx and be done with it. It is worth the effort though!

Katie welcome! How inspiring that you are almost at goal! Come by anytime you want to chat or just post how you are doing.

Instich, Faerie Howdy to you both! Will have to catch up later...

I am going to bed! So tired, forgive any spacey comments...back for more tomorrow!

Good morning everyone!

OK. STILLLLL not doing so good. I feel like it maybe has to do with the end of the semester -- last week felt hard because I kept finding myself with my friends in bars, celebrating the last class, and this week, it's the end of internship, so you better believe that leads to more celebrations! Of course, deeper than that is the great fear that underlies big change, as in, I'll be done with school (for now) and moving out of my apt with my boyfriend, and when I get back from my camp job over the summer, I have no idea what I'll do or where I'll live. So in these stressful times I've been reaching for food, drink and smoke instead of healthy stuff and exercise. Maybe this gives me something more controllable to stress out about, something I can fix. But I dont want to gain my weight back!! That will feel pretty bad, too!!

OK, well, that's enough psychoanalyzing myself. I have a therapy appt in an hour, anyway. I'll let him do the work.

My final thought on all this is that I hope that when I face the scale tomorrow, it gives me the kick in the butt that I need. And maybe a new cookbook will help.

Manick -- thank you for the advice. I hope it sticks, that it means something when I'm confronted with the urge to eat and eat and eat...

Vday -- :rofl: I can't believe your dad would think of having YOUR grad dinner at Chuck E Cheese!! That is really funny. Perhaps you should remind him who, exactly, is the guest of honor??

Heather -- Yay for getting back OP!! Can you take me with you??

Chey -- it looks like a lot of us are struggling. man, I'd have my head halfway in a bag of chips if they were around. As it is, the only munchie thing we have around here are unsalted saltines, which are a bit easier to resist, but that's not saying I'm resisting them, I just feel less guilty about them because they taste like nothing.

Kel -- way to go on the gardening! That sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon, too. And it is so nice to see yourself actually be able to do things you couldn't before!

OK, I think I'll pop in the shower and get ready for the day. I need a new coffee maker. This no coffee thing is really no good, esp when I didn't volunteer for it (smashed the carafe a couple of weeks ago -- NOT a good way to start a day!)

S

Hi Everyone!!!
I'm still reading, but so sorry I can't personally reply right now.

I was at work for almost 12 hours yesterday, and today.. oh goodness who knows? Tonight I'm showing someone some tables I put up on craig's list. Hopefully they'll want them ;)

I'm just exhausted. Just body and mind tired. The kind of tired where if I were allowed to sleep, I think I'd be sleeping for a 24 hours. :lol:

Oh well, must keep up & going! Things to do.

Miss you all! :hug: Hope everyone is well!!!!

vday - I'm sorry to hear you had a gain... But you know that's still a 1.4 loss over two weeks when it balances out! So that's for sure something to be proud of! I must have missed that thing about a dr. saying 0.4 per week is optimal, that's the first I've heard it. Interesting though. Makes me feel slightly better about averaging a little over that in the past four months :p Keep at it, vday! You and me both are just gonna have to take this scale torment in stride! And uh.... how old does your dad think you are? Who exactly is he trying to celebrate by going to Chuck E Cheese??? This is YOUR celebration, not everyone's kids'. Just say no!

beach bum - :wave: Hi! Welcome to the chat thread :)

Katie - :wave: Hi to you too! Way to go on your progress so far, I hope you see that magic goal number soon!

Kim - That photo you mentioned is certainly one of my favorites, as DH didn't quite know how to pick up a little kid at this point - it looks so awkward. She just went running after those swans... and since swans are not the nicest creatures we had to send someone after her. Poor kiddo was disappointed but was quickly distracted by the koi pond :p Mm, fried mushrooms! :drool: Hope the scale is kind to you this week - if not, well, next week it all begins anew!

Sonja - how about trying one of WW's actual meal plans for a week? They give you suggestions each day on eTools, perhaps it would help you re-focus if you had something a little stricter to adhere to for a week? I'm thinking of doing something along those lines as I feel I'm getting to relaxed in my food consumption... I need a little something to kick me back in line...

keli - :hug: sorry you saw a loss this week too! Seems to be going around. But congrats on all your progress so far, imagine if you were still up in the 180s! If you hadn't changed your lifestyle, heck, you might be in the 190s :o So be proud of what you've accomplished!! :D Thanks for the compliments on the wedding photos :) I'd love to see any of yours you dig up!

Chey - it's possible that you're low on iron if you're craving red meat... the body is funny like that, if you take the time to listen it'll often tell you what it needs! Then again it could just be something in the air ;) As for making salads interesting, have you tried skipping the dressing and instead putting fruit on top of a bed of lettuce? Like berries and mandarin orange sections or cut up apple or pear on top of spring greens or spinach or something? I find I don't need dressing when there's fruit on top. Toss on some seeds/nuts and maybe some blue cheese or feta and YUM! :D I don't like those Crystal Light things either, they are too sweet for me. If I need to mix up my water I'll add a splash of lemon juice and a couple grains of splenda for a kind of watered down lemonade.

Heather - wtg being back OP and getting some life stuff figured out :)

Manick - indeed, DH plays the piano. in fact, he's written songs for me... definitely one of the reasons I fell in love with him! :love: I'd love to see any photos you care to dig up :)

Faerie - :wave: Thanks for checking in, you sound busy busy!! Here's hoping you don't have to give them your Saturday on top of all this overtime.... Then you can sleep on Saturday! :D


Today is my one-year anniversary at this current job.... which is kind of amazing to me because we have a high turnover and I seriously wasn't sure I'd make it this long. Kudos to me for sticking with it though. It's not my ideal job but I'm happy enough here, and I'm glad I didn't give up and quit on it when it was giving me trouble. Now about that raise.... :lol:

So I posted in the NSV thread a couple days ago that I can now wear my wedding band and my engagement ring simultaneously, which my fingers have been too fat for ever since we bought the rings. I am sitting here staring at my finger in disbelief. Like, really? I finally get to wear both my rings? I forgot how pretty my engagement ring is because it was put away for the better part of a year... It's nothing extravagant but is a really classic-looking piece of estate jewelry from the 40's or so. This NSV defintely means more to me than my pants are too big NSV. This is good. :)

I also wanted to share that this morning I had a wrap spread with 1tbsp peanut butter with a banana rolled up inside of breakfast and.... YUM. Took me back to childhood, complete with pb & banana sandwiches! It was super convenient and is keeping me nice and full. Yum yum yum. :D

Okay, enough from me. Not like I don't have work to do or anything, I'd just rather be here :p Have a great day everyone!

Good Morning Ladies:)

Would know what to do with my spare time on that Summer is on its way. All my clubs are all recessing for the summer months.My choir rehearsal last Wed & now my senor singer this Fri.All I have left is Weight Watcher on Thursday morning.We should all have problems like me. :lol:

Thanks for all welcomes,Hope I will be able to support you as well as you supporting me though this weight loss journey.

SUITE-Great that your scale showed a 190 maybe it will hold that way for the weekend. I used to go on the scale every day and average my total weight loss,but like you said the fluctuations can be every disturbing and frustrating. W-I only at the W-I meeting this time around.


VDAY-Sorry about your 2.4 gain,I had a plateau for 2 weeks and my leader told me that should happen the first couple weeks on WW. She looked over my food journal and found that I was using the wrong points for soy milk.I marked it down as 1 pts instead of 2. So I had 7 points that was counted.She told me that could make a difference in a lose or plateauing. WATCH THE POINT VALUES. Just a thought.Hope you had a great graduation dinner.

KATIE-Big congrats on your 26 lbs weight loss and having only 3 more pounds to reach goal. I'm a newbie to this thread but not to WW. I was a lifetimer but than my weight went back up again do to a hysterectomy.We need you here to help and tells us how you finally made it down to goal.Welcome to the thread.


PAINT-OH!!! That can happen to anyone.I know when I eat late I go for anything that isn't tied down. Maybe when coming home late again you could have some healthy rice cake[1 pt for 2 ]package in your car and when traveling home you wouldn't be so famished.

SHRINK-Binging is what got here on this thread in the first place. We have to be able to control that monster. The only think I can suggest to is go though your food companion and check out low point foods for you to binge on. My favorite is rice cakes[2=1pt] with laughing cow cheese. [1 wedge=1pt]

KELIJPA-Your doing great keep that 22 lbs off. I know, the old cliche "you did put it on that fast so..........." Its harder to lose weight the older you got. I used to lose 2 lbs a week 20 years ago but now I'm lucky to lose .5.


CHEY-Maybe your body need more protein.I eat more protein than any other food group as protein keeps you full just like fiber does.Maybe add more beans to your recipes would help.

MANIC-My DH & I always lived near the beaches. When living on LI NY we had a beautiful beach called Jones Beach,was there every weekend. Now that we're retired we walk along the a big strip of beaches on Cape Cod,Ma. We have 3 beaches that we walk along.The other beaches were in Fla Clearwater & Hawaii's beaches also.


Have great morning


Hugs :) BB

OK seriously... I don't know if I can keep up with these threads anymore!!!! :)

So in my last post I said that my clothes were fitting OK, so no reason to get on the scale. Then I realized that I LIED. Well, at least I didn't tell the whole truth! I was wearing some clothes that I pulled out of my basement a while back when I had gained about 8 pounds back. Well I was wearing those again, so I didn't have to pull anything ELSE out. So yesterday I got on the scale and - yep! I'm about 7 pounds over my goal. So its back to planning and stuff. I'm sick of the "up 5-7 pounds, down 5-7 pounds" cycle, so once I lose this time I'm still going to have to journal and plan. I think thats my problem is once I get down to the goal weight I think I can just "wing it" when in reality I can't!

Oh and tonight I get to book my Disney vacation. Yay!

mod - don't stress about keeping up with the thread :) we're happy to just to see you here. (On a side note, I think it's funny to hear people say this thread moves too fast - this thing is a snail compared to the 20-somethings chat and the TBL team chats... those things.... man, they can knock out pages in an hour! :lol:)

Thanks for being honest with us and yourself about your gain :) Maintenance is tough, huh? I guess it's that whole "pick your hard" thing all over again... Sounds like you have a plan! Have fun booking your trip!!

BB - I'd love your problem :lol: I can give you some work to do if you really need to fill up your spare time! So many things I need to do... plus I'm really intent on knitting something for my sister's and my sister-in-law's forthcoming children, but I don't know what yet and the time it is a-tickin'! Maybe I can ask them both just to ... you know... not have their babies yet if I'm not finished :lol:

Shrinking: Yes a jump on the scale is what made me re-evaluate after the two weeks I didn't weigh myself...don't feel bad! It's amazing that you are doing this weight loss journey with all of those stressers in your life! Maybe the camp will give you a good break and change of scenery. That way when stuff changed once you get back, you will already be used to it. Be good to yourself!

Suite: I hate my job but I stay there too! I just HATE looking for jobs, so I figure eh what the h, and I stay there. I'm trying to get a job at the state capital right now because my friend works there. Awesome that you get to wear your rings again! I bet your dh is glad too

Mod: I am stressing about the ups and downs too!

~~Well to everyone basically: I am not going to chuckie cheese anymore!! YAY! I sent my dad an e-mail with some plans for an Italian restaraunt that does banquet meals. Here is the menu I picked out:
-appetizer: salad and margherita pizza
-pastas: fettucine alfredo and pomodoro raviolis
-entree: chicken parmigiana
dessert:chocolate cake

I was going to pick cheesecake for dessert but I think that might be too rich and heavy after all that pasta and cheese! But anyways, my dad agreed and he paid the deposit! I basically implied in my e-mail that if we didn't do this, then I didn't want to do anything.

Needless to say I will NOT be counting any points that day due to this meal and my drinking which will occur at this meal and pretty much all night. You only graduate from college once!

Hey Heather-
Missed you last night! I was falling asleep in my chair! Way to go on being OP! Good for you!

Faerie Hang in there! Rest is coming soon I hope! Just do what you need to do right now to stay healthy and sane.

Shrink-It really sounds like you have a handle on what is going on in your head and that is actually a really great thing IMO! Self knowledge provides the keys to the action-vehicle so to speak! And yeah, WAY easier said than done, I agree! :hug:


Huge transitions ARE hard. My story goes like this: I yo-yoed weight wise thru my late 20's and early 30's. Worked SO hard at WW and exercise and went from 215 down to about 140lbs in 2002 (75 lbs folks!), stayed at 150-something most of 2003, 2004 was still working on it, but was in the 160's....

I did not diet or exercise for almost all of 2006-2007...I hate transition and change. Very resistant and I know it. During those 2 years I was selling 2 houses, moving, buying a house, getting married, living with a new person (having a ROOM mate actually IN MY ROOM :dizzy: for the first time in over 15 years!) working full time and moving our business location and building a new building for the work location. I just figured I could only handle so much and let it go. Totally. Food as reward for a hard day, food as celebration, food as a social event...you name it....the only thing food was not, was fuel for my body.

I REALLY admire you ladies here who are handling this type of stress and more AND managing to eat properly, keep a good diet and exercise too knowing that in the long run you will be more able to deal with life stresses! POWER to YOU! Y'all inspire me almost every day!!!

It actually took me several months to get over my sort of reverse body dysmorphia (I'll call it) where I could not see how fat I was! Just kept thinking "well, I look Ok" as the scale numbers kept climbing! When my head is in the game I weigh almost every day and know exactly what I am eating, when my head is not there...I go MONTHS without stepping on the scale. Denial, denial, denial! I literally cannot stop doing the behaviors that are now required of me to lose. I have to do them to maintain. Anytime I have maintained that has proven to be the case. I must log what I eat and be aware of it and how much I am moving my body.

I felt a bit like I had done a "bait and switch" on poor DH. When we started dating in 2004 I was about 164 lbs and when we came home from our first anniversary trip in January 2008 I was 218! HOLY MOLY COW...that is FIFTY FOUR pounds in 4 years! Well, at that rate, if I continued to gain 10-20 lbs every year the future was looking grim and I DID NOT WANT TO BE THAT PERSON. Not to mention I had very few clothes that fit me and I was NOT going to buy clothes in that size!

So....here I am....trying to figure it out a little more every day. Maybe this would be better on a blog...but thanks for reading.

Now to today....up .5 lb from last week, BUT I have spent 7 days last week in a row doing serious exercise. I am SURE my body is holding water because my muscles were so sore! This week I am just aiming for 35-45 minutes a day, I can't sustain my pace of last week so soon and I don't want to give up so I am trying for moderation!:lol:

Well...I walk away for a couple hours and there is more here :)

Good stuff ladies! Keep on chattin'!

Suite-really cool about the rings! What a nice thing to have on to remind you of your successes so far! :carrot: I LOVE jewelry! My rings are antiques too...I enjoy them every day still! Yep, a man who sings to me brings about a guaranteed swoon fest on my part!

Vday-Congrats again! Hope the party is really fun! (and they give you lots of money so you can buy a bike!;):balloons:

BB-I am slightly jealous of those beach walks...I'll try to contain myself! :p lol...What do you sing? Are you a choir singer in both of those choirs or the director? Hey we need a little singing icon...hmmm

Mod- hurray on the Disney! What fun! Glad you are going! :D Your experience mirrors mine exactly about maintenance I was nodding in agreement...keep on keeping on! You can do it!

I am thinking about actually getting RID of all fat clothes as I shrink out of them....I really think I should. I got rid of lots before, but not enough! But......If I don't have them, I can't gain anything back...right?:o On the "What Not to Wear" show they made the point that elastic, expando clothes are not helpful, not only because they tend to make us look bigger than we really are, but because we have nothing to gauge those small gains by...and I really NEED that info. When I tune it out I am in trouble!

MANICK I sing for a church choir and I belong to the Senior Singing group where we go out to local nursing homes & hospital in our area. No solos I afraid just in the group.The senior singer group sing songs from shows to old time medleys.

After we retired We didn't want to move inland,where its cheaper,but just by the beach. The disadvantage living here,we have to put up with the tourist,and that no fun in the summer time. The beaches are packed and find a parking space on the lot is hard to find. We live about 5 miles from the beaches,to long for me tow walk without sidewalks.


SUITE-I love to knit that one of my hobbies,other than singing. I'm not a professional just amateur.But I love,keep my hands busy while watching tv.Thats the only way I can keep out of trouble,walking to the frig during the commercials.


Hugs :) BB

Suite - I soooooo know about the rings! I haven't been able to wear mine for a while now, but did go purchase a plain gold band which I haven't been able to wear for about 3 months before I started WW. My old set is something that really can't be resized. I have really been bummed out about it. So, hubby surprised me a couple of weeks ago with a new ring!!! This one can be resized and when I reach my goal I can reset the diamond from my old ring into it.

Vday - I was thinking about you and Chucky Cheese today. That would pop into my mind at the strangest times and I would fine myself annoyed about it for you! LOL. I am so glad that you don't have to go there! :)

Mannick - You described me to a T! I to have been up and down, up and down. When hubby and I got married I was at my lowest... and I remember I would show him the pair of pants I used to fit into. He was so proud of me then.. Now.. well, I wear the size I showed him. He is more worried about my health than my size - he tells me I am the same person he married, there is just more of me.. :) He is very supportive of this journey I am working on and I am so lucky.

Mod - I know I am not going to be able to 'wing it' either. Studies have shown that it takes 21 times of repeated behavior to make it a habit. Well, to me that would be 21 weeks of constantly writing everything down (write what I bite) before it becomes second nature. This week I haven't written a thing down, computed it all in my head and that isn't good for me.
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As for me.. I do think I need more protein and I do think it is in the air LOL - it is grilling season after all. I have reviewed in my head what I have been eating and realized I haven't been eating much meat. I don't normally eat a lot of meat, but I have eaten more than I have been. I have tuna packets and salmon packets in the cupboard.. I am going to break them out and get creative with that.

Suite - thanks for the suggestion regarding the fruit on the salad. Our son (the chef) was home from college over the weekend and he cooked me a Mother's Day brunch. He made a dressing out of raspberry fruit puree, EVOO and balsamic vinegar! In the salad was lots of veggies, fresh mushrooms carrots, berries, mandarin oranges and get this... a poached egg! The yolk of the egg was runny and it was hot. He normally grills chicken and slices it thin and includes that in the salad, but he has also used the egg too. I loved it! I am going to have to get the recipe from him for the dressing. I am sure that would help me with my salad issue plus get my fruit and veggies in. :)

I am still sick of the water.

Well, I came VERY close to binging a while ago...
today I have an 8 page paper to write on 600 pages of reading that I didn't start reading until today (she barely assigned it last week!)
so I felt verrrry lost
and I got out the cereal! and ate a bowl of unplanned cereal...
it was okay though because I just altered my dinner to be only 3 points.
so now I have no points left for the rest of the night.
It should be okay because I am at the library now, and will just write my paper, then hopefully go home and go to sleep!

Just thought I would share my stuggle of the evening!
If I am TRULY hungry when I get home, then I might eat an apple.
My guess is we won't be leaving the library until around 2am (it is 940pm now) because my roommate drove and he takes FOREVER to write papers, and he has to finish a powerpoint on top of that...

Phew -- just read up on everyone but I do need to get my tush to work, so not time for the personal responses today.

I have another busy day ahead of me today but then...........INTERNSHIP ENDS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!!!

So, hence the incredible busy-ness over the last couple of days, finishing paperwork, cleaning the office, terminating with all of my clients (an incredibly emotionally trying experience -- one of my favorites yesterday told me she is getting beat up by dad, and this was our last session. I cried throughout a good portion of last night). On top of that is my own scrambled mind and anxiety, but after today, I am going to try what Jaime suggested with the meal plans on WW, and I'm also going to find myself a new cookbook. I think once I have time to go to the grocery store, I will be better off.

Oh, did I mention I'm up 2 lbs this week?? 138 now, getting scary close to 140 again, so it is definitely time to kick it up again!! You know, I think a big part of me is really scared to get down lower than 135. It will be like a whole new me. Gosh, for those of you who have lost huge amounts of weight, how was that for you? It must be so strange getting used to a new body, even though it was what you wanted...

well anyway, I'm off...have a good day all!!

S

:hug: to everyone. I'm so sorry I can't give personals, yet. I am reading, but still crap to do IRL >_<

I miss talking with you all!

Strength and hugs to those who need it! And what the heck more :hug: to everyone.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Good morning everyone!

Faerie - we miss you too, but we understand. Come back when you can. :hug:

Lizzy - OMG, that's horrible. I'm sure it must feel like you're leaving open ends there. Do you have a colleague that is taking over her care? Sad. This world can be a very sad place.

Vday - Congrats on the graduation! You must really be feeling proud of yourself! You're dinner sounds yummy!

Heather - Sorry about the accident. I'm glad you're okay though.

Jaime- That's awesome that you can wear your rings together. YAY! Huge NSV! And a hubby that can serenade you? Wow! Yep, I can understand that helping you to fall in love with him. Nothing like a love song to get one to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ;)

Chey - I'm glad you found a dressing that you like. I'm not fond of water either - especially plain water. I religiously use the Crystal Light packets. I love tea and they really help me. I wish I had some better suggestions for you. Jaime's idea with the lemon and tiny bits of Splenda sounds good (to me.)

BB - All that sand sounds like a good opportunity for exercise! ;)

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I'm sure you probably read it already, but even after my struggles with Mother's Day buffet and tacos and fried mushrooms, I still managed to lose 2.4 lbs! My leader thinks it was my body's delayed reaction to all of the additional hiking and evening exercise I've been getting. She thinks that the muscle is definately using up the fat more now. Hopefully, it keeps gobbling it all up! LOL!

So, I went hiking/mushroom hunting for about 2 hrs last night. I found almost a pound of those buggers! My thighs are feeling it today! :D I did a lot of squats looking for them. That's usually what kicks my butt the most.

Tonite is dance class. I think I'm getting bored with it. I'd almost rather stay home and go mushroom hunting some more...:dizzy:

ETA: I've been struggling to get my healthy oils in. To be honest, I really don't want to "waste" 2 pts on oil. Someone at my meeting suggested taking a piece of bread and dipping it. I did it last night, but I added a little parmesan cheese and a little garlic salt. The additions made it bearable, but it definately is not something I enjoy eating! Blech! And what a waste of points, IMHO of course.

Hope everyone is good, did get to read alot today, but no time for replys, but I do hope everyone has a great rest of the week. Hope to talk to you soon.
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Did have a slight gain this week, but I think that's due to tom. So next week will be better.

What do yall tend to eat when you go to cookouts/barbeques? With my little sister's graduation coming up, and summer on the way, I'm finding more and more invitations to parties and get-togethers! I've been trying to stay near the salads and fruit salad, and most only have hot dogs and hamburgers (which I don't eat). Any suggestions!?

Katie - as far as meat goes, chicken and turkey kielbasa are always good options :) I love grilled veggies too! Peppers, onions, zucchini... I could go on and on!

All right Chicks...I am FIRED up...I am very annoyed that the scale has not moved this week! So, I have been over my entire diet. I consistently eat all my points which averages between 1300-1600 calories per day over the course of a week. I KNOW I am making good choices. I am exercising more than I have in recent memory--pretty much moving every day, burning an extra 350-700 calories a day, basically at least 4 AP's every day and nada. Zip. I NEED to see something happen. Yes, I know I am making good choices and doing the right thing for my body. But I am getting impatient! Last week was so great and now....GRRRRRRR. If I see a consistent downward trend it really helps keep me encouraged.

Here is my plan till next Wednesday. Fiber. Fiber. Fiber. and Water. Water. Water. It's GOT to do something, right? :yes: I went back to my tried and true breakfast today of Fiber One and Kashi Go Lean with 1/2 c frozen blueberries and skim milk. I will have parsley, lettuce, onion, tomato and chicken breast salad for lunch. Not sure about dinner yet. Maybe an egg and some more veggies in a tortilla. I plan to repeat this with a few modifications of course every day until next Wed's WI. No alcohol, except one glass of wine at a party on Sunday IF I exercise that day. Limited caffeine. Cut the salt as much as possible. Vitamins daily. Please, please, please work!:crossed:

Any suggestions or points on where I might be in error would be welcome! And perhaps I really just need to be patient....sigh.:?::stress::tantrum:

Katie-

Can you bring something you make yourself to share (that you can eat) to the BBQ's? That is always my trick. At least I know I can have that. Or, eat ahead of course, so you are not too hungry and stick to the salads and fruit which you are doing. Parties are tough. You could also plan your week so that you just use your daily points the rest of the week and save all your flex points for the party and just have small amounts and go for it.

PS--Paint, I'm going to take your experience of last week as a hopeful encouragement....

Hi Ladies:)

Just wanted to let you know,I Went to WW this morning and I lost .8 almost a lb. but I'll take it.Posted it on the thread.

Otherwise nothing new,Going to my senior singer rehearsal tomorrow,but I'm not going to sing,the bone in the back of my mouth is still not healing,don't want to aggravate it by singing.

Hugs :) BB

Manick, maybe it is all of the exercise with you too. If you are being honest about your food choices and it sounds like you definitely are, then your body is just working out all of the ramifications of that extra muscle. My leader said her body's usually two weeks behind her activity. Interesting thought eh?

Hey beach_bum.. I would take that too! :)

Mannick - are you measuring yourself? The Athletic Coach where I work told me today to start measuring myself. If I don't see a lose, with my exercise, I may be developing muscle and that will either show up as a plateau or a gain, but I would lose inches. Made sense to me as muscle has more mass...

Well, I tried the crystal light stuff again but I only put in 1/2 the stick. That was tolerable, but not joyful. <sigh> I miss my Mt. Dew. I said that to my husband and he asked me why don't I just have some? I responded.. well, I miss it, but I don't want to waste the points on that.. lol.

katie - like the others suggested, I bring my own stuff that I make (enough for everyone or only 8-10 people for a potluck) If it isn't, I eat before we go and then just eat the veggies, fruit or salads if they are there. If, they aren't, then I just take a little bit of what I know I can eat and go from there - I will plan for those times as long as I know they are going to happen. If I go over my points, then I don't worry too much. As long as I don't make it a habit I will be ok... you will too! :)

I was so happy today, I have stayed off the board cause I have been gaining (3 weeks in a row) and today was the day, lol. I lost 7lbs. I was so happy. I could have jumped up and down, lol. I even weighed in in the evening and am normally a morning weigher.

I know this is a quick post, I'm sorry, I will post more later.

Blessings All