Hey hey hey Flexy Ladies

Woah! Can't remember the last time we've been so chatty! Gonna catch up during the day, but wanted to post & update a bit.

The fiancee moved this weekend. We're starting to get stuff set up in our new place My stuff will be moved in slowly over the next month and then after the wedding I'll officially be in our new place. W00t!

This vacation felt different. I even exercised a couple of days! Normally when I head up to MA I have a very hard time holding onto normalcy. (Did I spell that right Ha!) Either way, this was different. I wrote out food plans for the week. Shopped for specific meals. Even wrote down snack ideas. I'm very happy that I didn't have a free for all!

Okay, so again, I'll catch up shortly

CakeBatter -

They're there for you to use them. I've used 35 some weeks, other weeks only 1 or 2 or even none. But, I enjoy using my "extra" points. They're mine. And WW would not give us the points to use if they didn't think we could lose while using them.

Stretch out your WW wings a little bit. Plan a day that requires you use a few of the 35. It can shake things up.

hey Faerie sounds like a good vacation. and moving and getting married is so much fun... stressful but it's a great time of your life.

Ok so here's a good bit of gossip for you that I bet is going to float around my workplace today. So there was a happy hour after work on Friday. I didn't want to go, because I thought someone might buy me a drink and I'd have to refuse and people would get suspicious. But then my friend Kim said "Just tell them that I plan on getting really drunk and you might have to drive me home too!" So I went and Jay (my husband) ended up going too since we commute together. Well guess what my boss said after he had about 6 drinks in him? "Hey Lori, do you want some of my appetizer? I know you're eating for two now." I could have reached across the table and punched him right in the face!!!!! I think Kim kicked him under the table or something because this other guy Dann asked if "there was something we didn't know" and my boss said "Oh no, just because Jay said he's only having beer tonight and no food". I would think that, as my supervisor, he would be extra careful about NOT SPILLING THE BEANS especially since we had a long conversation about how I didn't want anyone to know until I was past the first trimester and that wouldn't be until November. And also how I only told him because I'm going to have quite a few medical appointments coming up and I didn't want him to think anything was wrong (with the leukemia and all). What a jerk! I hope he doesn't try to come up to my cube and talk to me today or apologize. I don't want to see him at all!

cakebatter - What Faerie said! Those 35 points are there for you to use. Personally, I think I was successful in my weight loss because I changed things up a bit, including the foods I ate and how much food I ate. I would vary how many points I ate by at least 2-3 every day.

Faerie - Congrats on staying on track! I'm going to Vermont this weekend (for some hiking, woohoo!) and can't wait. Of course, I don't have to watch my intake as much now (I actually think that the pregnancy has upped my metabolism) but I still try to eat healthy foods and not junk.

oh Mod.. i'm so sorry your boss was a jerk...

Mod - Ouch! As a supervisor it is so important to keep his lips shut tight about stuff like that. Really upsetting that he let it slip

Jaime - You posted last week that you were "having one of those hungry days... I've had breakfast and lunch and a snack and I am resisting tearing into my afternoon snack prematurely, lest I not make it the rest of the day!" I am feeling exactly that way right now. I have been watching the clock for the last 30 minutes (15 minutes after my morning snack!) to countdown to lunch time. I normally don't eat lunch until 1:00! I want to eat now but I don't want to screw myself for the rest of the day, either. I think allowing myself to eat more over the weekend kicks me in the *** on Mondays. How are you doing with the baby blanket?

Magz - How did you do with the inlaws in town?

CakeBatter - It's nice that you can understand why I was hurt by the comment I received. It was a long weekend, that's for sure. Re-introducing myself to people was tough. It's almost even slightly embarrassing. The look they would give me.... Eh, whatever. While it's nice that you can understand, it sucks that you went through the same thing! Boo on some people! I'd like to weigh in on eating your activity points if you don't mind. Some people don't eat their flex points and that's fine. I do the same some weeks. However, I do think it's best to eat at least 2 of your activity points after you work out especially if you're just starting to work out and it's not something your body is used to. Your AP's are best used immediately after the gym on something high in protein with a bit of sugar. Think of a scoop of peanut butter or some almonds for example. It's likely to assume that you saw a gain because you're not burning the calories you would normally burn while working out because your body feels starved and isn't letting go. Try eating your AP's and see if there's a change. Also, drink a lot of water. You need to flush your body of the bad! Out with the bad, in with the good. I'm sorry about your 0.6 gain. It's natural to feel down on yourself when you gain but you have to remember that you're doing the right things for your body and your future. On flex points, I think it's healthy to use them. If you think of people without a weight or eating problem, think of the way they eat. They will have a bigger meal one day and a smaller one the next. They'll splurge one night with a few drinks but then not touch another drop for 2 weeks. You have to have a little bit of "give" in your diet or your body will feel starved and your mind will feel bored. I see this as a change for life--not for a little while. If it was a diet, I would be wary of the flexible points and try to eat a lot less than what I do now. However, I want to be healthy for life so I'm taking my time and making choices I can live with.

Courtnie - What is the problem you are having with birth control? I was on 3 different pill methods before switching to NuvaRing and I've never been happier. It's such a great method of BC with a locally absorbed low dose hormone. If you want any information or have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

Nessa - 0.6 is DEFINITELY a loss. I walk out of the WW meeting shaking my butt when I lose 0.2!

Finnegan - Welcome!

Faerie - Congrats, lady, for staying on track while you were in MA! You should feel very proud!

modkitten - I suggest pooping in your supervisor's coffee or, at the very least, switching his sugar to salt. What a jerk! Way to be discreet.

==================

I had a good end to last week and a pretty solid weekend. I went to my weigh in on Thursday--after being really good all week--and was down 1.8 pounds! I almost did a little dance. On Friday night it was rainy and crappy so my boyfriend and I decided to get Chinese food and a movie. It was a great night in for the two of us and I managed to make some okay choices while cashing in on my flex points. Saturday we went to the Phillies game where they killed the Milwaukee Brewers. Yay! I had a sausage at the game but I did extra cardio on Saturday morning and Sunday morning to offset my weekend choices. Yesterday was a great day with a little bit of shopping and some time outside in the sun. Now if only I could get over my Monday urge of the munchies!

In other exciting news that I don't think I shared here yet, my boy and I decided to go to Paris for Valentine's Day weekend! We got a great deal. I told myself that if I get down another 15 pounds by then (completely doable and a healthy goal) that I can get two new pairs of awesome Parisian shoes instead of just one.

Good grief I am having so much trouble staying focused. I'm not going to write much, because my brain is scrambled and I don't have the attention span to read everyone's posts. This whole 3FC thing should be give and take -- and if I'm not giving (ie, reading and responding with some regularity), then I don't really want to be taking (up everyone's time with a long, whiny post!).

Just wanted to check in for now. Good ol' depression/anxiety have crept back into my life, and all I want is to run back into the woods. But alas, that doesn't feel like a real option right now. Instead, I've joined TBL Challenge, and SERIOUSLY I"m going to a meeting tonight (every time I've said I was going, I didn't go, usually for good reasons, though!). Goodness I could use some extra motivation -- the binge monster is here in full force these days.

Hopefully I'll be back more often this week, as reading these posts can be really helpful.

S

I'm in a good mood today. Just told the boss that in 16 days I'm outta here!

Just thought I'd spread some sunshine to anyone who needs it!

Lizzy - I have learned that for myself, setting goals that I actually have to keep up with (ie. reporting weigh-in once a week) I have a much better chance at getting there.

Faerie - Congrats on "busting outta that popsicle stand"

LeAnne - Thanks for your advice. I see that you have lost alot of weight with the program and I am honored to take your advice.

Mod - I am really sorry about your boss stealing your thunder. I could devise a plan to have him dissappear without a trace.....lol

Nessa and anyone else I may have forgotten to add thanks for your input. I appreciate it. Sometimes everthing gets so overwhelming.

Faerie - Good Job on keeping on track on your vacation. That is a hard task for new and old WW'ers and dieters alike.

On another note since I am still fairly new to this forum I was wondering if Faerie and Leanne would tell us a little about their journey. I notice you both have lost over 100 hundred pounds I would like here your tips on sticking with and also how long it took for you to come this far.


As for me I have gotten my "MOJO" back with a great new attitude. I got over wallowing in my misery after declaring myself Godzilla crushing the city in sweeping motion of my fat overshadowing everything. Yea I know it was such a stretch but I truly felt that way. Anyway I put on my brand new spanx bodyshaper and I looked great in my outfit so I felt much better. My hair was really cute and I was ready to take over the world again. I worked twice this week so far (my WW week starts on Thurs) and I am just motivated to stay on track.

Talk to you ladies soon.....XOXOXO

Gooooooooooood Morning Everyone!!!

Gosh what a great day!

I worked out a ton yesterday Took my usual walks during break. Walked/jogged for 30 minutes on the treadmill. And started a little program called 100pushups. I can only do against-the-wall pushups! But, it's something, so I'm working from there.

I stopped by the grocery store early this morning to pick up my breakfasts & lunches for this week. I ended up there a little before the store actually opened, and ended up chatting with this one worker. It was humorous in a way, because he looked like he was an old rocker. He had long blonde hair, purple sunglasses and a purple headband, and the "old rocker gut" to match. But he was really nice and chatty. And I like nice, chatty people. Especially when they're opinionated. Because I can just listen, then.

Cake - I'm so glad you've got your MOJO back! Hrm... A little about my journey... I've been large my entire life. I've been 200+ since I was about 13 or so years old. Last April, something clicked, and I knew I had to stop. I joined Weight Watchers. Embraced the program, and starting working it. I started out with 40 points a day. So, I was able to eat mostly my normal foods, but just a little less of them. I actually focused on one thing in the beginning: The Stay & Succeed Award. It's the award that you get for being a meeting-going member for 16 weeks. I wanted that award like it was going out of style. I knew that if I could stay for 16 weeks, I could do this for the rest of my life.

The weight loss in the beginning was pretty easy. I was motivated, the program was new and interesting. My first fifty dropped off in 6 months. Things continued pretty good, but around my 1 year I did get a little lazy in my work. I'm definitely in a "the honeymoon is over" phase now. Things are sometimes up & down. But, in my 17 months as a member I've only missed 3 meetings. (Not counting the time was in India on business.) It's important for me to know I'm surrounded by others trying just as hard. Having the same problems that I am. It took me 16 months to lose 100 lbs. The next 77 are going to be hard. It's a combination of a lot of things, but mostly because the last time I was under 200 lbs I was in middle school... so I'm not sure what to make of it.

I like to think of my day as a bunch of small tasks, rather than one big one. Drink my water, get in my 5 servings of fruits/veg, get in my servings of milk, and oil, get in 30 minutes of exercise, stay within my points. And that way if I don't make everything I haven't "blown it", but rather I've succeeded at several small things

Also, no matter what, I return to program. Sometimes it's a day, sometimes it's a week but I'm always back. The ONLY way that I will ever fail is if I quit entirely, or ever start to think that my work is "done". I'm going to be eating better for the rest of my life, it means I'm going to have to be more conscious of food than the average human. It means I need to work harder. This is my cross to bear. And, I'm okay with that.

Anyway... that was more than a little!

Lizzy - How was the meeting?

LeeAnne - Yay for being down 1.8!!!! Omgosh a trip to Paris for Valentines Day!!!!! That sounds amazing. Do you guys plan on seeing anything specifically? Or just enjoying eachother's company in the city of love?

CakeBatter,

I too was a bit nervous to use any extra pts, AP or FP, but, like so many have said here, they are there for you to use. The choice is really up to you. I've learned that my body does well if I do use all my AP and some of my Flex, about 15-20pts, I do try to use them for good healthy choices, but there are times when I need that naughty treat, and I can give in and have it. One of the great things about WW is all the figuring has been done for us, you need to work the plan for the plan to work.

Lizzy- Hey, sometimes you just need to talk, and here is the best place to vent. Hope your day is going better, and that monster is back in his cage.

Faerie- So exciting

Modkitten- that was so wrong of your boss, sorry he thought it was okay to just blurt it out, not very professional of him. Wonder how he thinks he can make this right??

sunshower- Paris- how wonderful~~

sunshower - just little things that I thought might be caused by my birth control - so I thought I would stop taking it for a bit and see if I notice any difference in how I feel. Congrats on the 1.8 pounds... AND PAIRS FOR THE WEEKEND!!! wow, how romantic is that! Very exciting!

Faerie - congrats on all the working out!

I am so tired at the moment, I just wanna close my eyes and have a nap but I can't! This weekend was pretty bad... it was so, so but they I kinda really screwed up yesterday. All well, back on track today. Yesterday I took a (surprise) second job! I wasn't even really looking I just saw the post on Facebook by a friend and it sounded like the perfect part time job for me and before you know it I was hired and start tomorrow! haha WOW! It is just min. wage like 12 hours a week... so just a bit of extra money, but its close to home and really slack! I hope that working late Wednesdays and Sundays will help me stay more on track... esp the Sundays.

Tonight I think I am going to do some cooking. There is a pasta in the eat shrink and be merry cookbook I really want to try but my boyfriend wont eat it (it has spinach, lol) - so I am going to make that and then a different pasta for him... just half of each, haha. And then I think I am going to make the corn salad from the same book.... I am going to buy some frozen cooked chicken breasts too so I can grab those for lunches/dinners. The more good food I have cooked and left over in the fridge the better I eat... so I better get cooking! haha

Anyway, I think that it is for me for now....

Good Morning!!!!

Institches - So happy to see you back around

Courtnie - Congratulations on the new part time job! Tell us how it works out! Your cooked-up dinner sounds grand I'd probably just tell my boy to eat around the spinach if he didn't like it... but I'm mean.

Everyone -

Pretty normal week going on in my neck of the woods. Got to the gym last night for a good 30 minute walk with a small incline. Ate chicken salad last night on some toasted potato bread for dinner. Which reminds me...

I found out there is a low-calorie, no-fat mayonaise that has only 10 calories per tablespoon... ! Now, granted this is super processed. But, I was just amazed that it exists. I don't use mayo often, so I'm thinking every once in awhile for some tuna or chicken salad it won't hurt as much as regular mayo. I think it was a Cains brand, if anyone is interested.

Treadmill & pushups planned for the evening. And tonight is game night with friends. I believe I'll get a Subway sub for dinner, and (once again) refuse their take out choices.

Since game is tonight I'll be going for weigh-in tomorrow night.

Have a splendid day everyone!

i'm around gang.. just very distracted with a very very sick dog... might have to put him down.

tonite is weigh in.