Hey all. I've been reading all the posts lately, just nothing has inspired me to write one. I've been having problems getting 8 glasses of water in a day. I keep a giant cup on my desk at work, but I usually drink one, maybe two full ones lately. That's pretty bad that I am too busy to drink water!!!

I have been taking progress pics at every 10 lbs, so I will have a whole photographic journey when I am done. That will be exciting. I can't visually see a difference yet, but in my clothes I can totally tell a difference. My 28's are falling off, my 26's are super baggy, but my 24's don't fit. LOL. What's up with that. I went to my Mom's house on Sunday and got all of my clothes that I left at her house when I moved in with DF. I couldn't wear any of them, and they were my skinny clothes. So I aquired a full dresser of clothes and got rid of SOOO many clothes that I just wore basically because they fit. I don't actually like to many of my clothes. I have clothes ranging from 10 to 24 now that are all goal clothes. I only kept about 4 bottoms from high school when I was "skinny" (145-160) but it will feel absolutely amazing to wear those hopefully in about a year. I also found a few things that already fit! Like a dress I never really wore because it was a halter and I don't like to show my arms.

I can't believe I am still sticking with it. I have never meant this more when I say that this truly is a change of life and I never see myself going abck to my old ways of eating. Now, anytime my DF and I go to a restauraunt, we share. Last night we went to a japanese steakhouse and we split a steak and shrimp dinner and were stuffed! But I planned accordingly yesterday and I am not up any weight and actually would probably be down if it weren't TOM. I have no desire to eat everything in sight anymore. I eat what I want in much smaller portions. I have been at this for 1 month and almost 2 weeks and that is longer than I have ever lasted and more than I have ever lost. I know I may sound like I am bragging or gloating, but I just am sooooo happy that this truly is it and in the forseeable future, I will NOT be obese. It almost brings tears to my eyes.

Neesy: Gotta love a flat stomach!!!

Lucky: I am loving this weather!!! I think it's probably a good 10 degrees colder up by you though.

Kity: You're cousins party sounds like such a big NSv!!!

Take a Deep Breath: Sounds like you have a good plan and you will do fine at your food day.

16to6: Welcome...what part of Florida?

Hey Tiff - I'm glad to hear from you. I havent heard much from your end, but I understand what you mean about not having nothing to say some days.

Anyway - I wanted to throw something out to your guys. Today is my actual b-day and I wanted to treat myself, so instead of having cake, I bought low fat graham crackers and some sugar free chocolate pudding. I crumbled up the crackers and mixed with the pudding and it slightly resembles pudding pie, but tase good nonetheless. The total calories for one serving is 160 calories.

I hope everyone is having a good day.

I havent checked in in a few days and am glad to hear everyone is doing so well.

I, myself, have a problem. I finally got my digital scale back from my SIL and it is weighing 6 pounds heavier than my dial scale. So should I just put on my big girls pants and say that my starting weight was 236 and my current is 232?? I want to use my digital because it is probably more accurate. What should I do? Advice anyone!!!!!!!

Burgundy: I think that is exactly what you should do...either that or get a third opinion

On another note...I went to the gym tonight for the ENTIRE biggest loser...that's right all two hours of it! I did 45 mins elliptical, about 30-45 mins weight training, and 20 minutes on the treadmill. I feel awesome and I feel a big loss coming up tomorrow (I'm not psychic, I jsut checked the scale after the gym).

I have resigned myself to not meeting my goal by next friday since I still have 11 lbs to go, but I would like to be under 325 by the vacation. Who knows, I may still have a miracle and make it, but it is higly unlikely. I am still losing at a great rate and haven't hit any plateaus since like week 2 or 3, so I can't complain.

Lindy: That "pudding pie" sounds like a great substitute for birthday cake!

Wow Tiff..I think you are probably doing the best out of all of us, especially with your workout routine. I'm jealous! I try to factor in1 hr. of exercise at least 5 days a week, although I have stuck to that routine, I wish I could beef that up a little bit. I don't do the gym, just regular walking and some kickboxing and now my Wii Fit. Anyway, I'm proud of you - your awesome.

Burgundy - just do it, go with the digital scale. Also, keep in mind that you should try your digital scale in different areas of your house. I saw this on Ruby (tv show) and tried it at my house. Sure enough, I had 2 pd. difference from my garage and bedroom ( my bedroom was the lower weight). Nonetheless, it doesn't matter what weight you start at, just as long as you lose through your journey, and we know you will.

I hope everyone has a great day. I thought about weighing in today but decided to hold off until Sunday, I'm hoping for a big number - maybe past my 10 pd. mark.

Lindy: Thanks! I just wish I could be more consistent with my workouts. Last week I went the most in one week at 4 times. I would like to do 5-6, but life gets in the way. So hence the 2 hr workouts...catchiing up for days that I don't go. But I really appreciate the compliment!

In regards to the scale...sometimes I weight until I see a number I want to see (within reason)...like today I weighed 4 times hoping to see a number other than 328...lol. For once, the scale didn't budge...it said 328.0 all 4 times. It's funny how we depend so much on that stinking number to tell us if we are doing good or not. I know I am doing good and shouldn't need the scale to tell me...I am wearing a pair of pants today that I have not worn in probably almost a year. That is what I should focus on...not the number on a defective piece of crap made in china!

So I sucked it up and changed my ticker. So its only 6 pounds right? I need to lose the 6 to be at 226, where I thought I was. It just seems whatever I do, the scale is sticking at 4 lbs lost. I think I will have to up my workouts. Maybe I will go for some winter walks, those are always hard work.

Tiff- thats awesome you did the whole 2 hours. Keep it up, I cant wait to start losing like you.

Lindy- I am so jealous. I wanted a wii fit for christmas, but my husband couldnt find one anywhere. I need to start looking now. How do you like it?

Burgundy - I love it! your so busy having fun that you forget its exercise. I dont have the advanced games (like Jillian), just the ones that come with the system. There is this hula hoop one that me and my daughter do and its a blast. Also, you know how you create a Wii character for your system? Well, I made my character kinda chubby to begin with and when I stepped on the Wii balance board it made her true to size, which was bigger! Lol. The system said that the only way she is going to get smaller is if I get smaller - CRAZY! But if that isnt incentive, what is? I have to look at myself everyday in the mirror and see a chubby girl, now I have to look at my Wii character too.

Anyway, sorry for babbling, Im a little chatty today.

I agree with you Tiff. Its when your clothes starte getting loose that you should see your results, not a scale. In the same token, its so darn hard!

I can relate with the scale dilemmas. I'll weigh myself like three times in a row... sometimes it'll say the same weight and other times it will say three different weights. I usually just pick the highest number so that I'm not dissappointed next time I weigh.
I have to weigh myself everyday. I can't help it. I like to see my progress .. even if it is up or down. I think it keeps me on track. I think that when I stop weighing myself everyday, then I slack off. That's how I got into this place to begin with. When I was gaining all this weight a few years ago.. I knew I was gaining, but I didn't realize HOW much. I think that if I weighed myself regularly then I wouldn't have let it get this much out of control.

Tiff-I thought about you when I was watching biggest loser last night! I thought.. she always works out why she watches this. I should too! My gym was closed... so I did some tae bo exercises while I watched it. You got me motivated!! Thanks!!! 22lbs so far! That is so great!

Lindy-You're doing great with your exercise.I'm sure you'll have a big loss. Oh by the way.. the pudding sounded really good. I splurged and had a couple mini donuts last night. Then I felt soooo guilty! I exercised pretty hard afterward though and I'm going to do good the rest of the week. I wish I would have just gone with a healthy alternative like you!

Rayne-don't let it get you down. You'll plateau every once and a while. Just look at the big picture and the long term. You're doing great. Very proud of you for changing your ticker=)

Hi Ladies, hope everyone is doing well today. I, like most (or all) of you also weigh myself everyday. I'm still waiting to get over this cold and for the bruising/swelling to go down in my knees before I can really start working out (I fell on a hardwood floor while holding the baby, so not only did I have my weight hitting my knees, plus her's). Luckily, we weren't seriously hurt.

I'm down to 260 today, which is down 2 more pounds since Sunday. Not bad considering all I can do is change my eating habits for now. Took my daughter to my hubby's work today to show her off, and went out to lunch. We went to Wendy's, so I had a grilled chix sandwich, fries (which I didn't enjoy and gave some to my hubby) and a diet coke. Not too bad, I just didn't want a baked potato either.

Was watching Discovery Health Channel last night and heard some disturbing (and motivating) news. The experts were saying that our generations' children, for the first time in history, may not outlive our life expectancy. Meaning, if I die at 85, there's a greater chance that my daughter will not live to see that age. They say that childhood obesity is so much on the rise, that it's causing lower life spans for our kids. Now I am even more motivated to eat well and exercise so my daughter can adopt those same good habits. I learned my habits from my parents, they were ate poorly and didn't exercise, so I'm determined to break the cycle. (Parents both overweight, mom is diabetic/high blood pressure, etc etc).

Sorry to ramble, but thought it was a very interesting statistic.

To make my post even longer, here is a new recipe that I tried last night. It was really good, and I don't even like feta cheese. This makes 6 servings, 438 calories/serving:

INGREDIENTS
1 pound uncooked pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 lemons, wedged, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and cooked pasta. Stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges

Lindy - I about died when my Wii did that to my character too...my mouth was just hanging open lol and I was slightly offended at first...but then I guess that's the point...shock you into reality, even if it is just a game character!

Burgundy - I have a digital scale and I keep it in the same spot in my bathroom...I know that you can move the scale around and get different results, but I haven't done that...yet lol...Anyway, I weigh myself in the same spot every morning after I wake up and go to the bathroom...Even if the weight it slightly off from other scales you may weigh in on, if you weigh in consistently on the same scale...and in the same spot even...you'll see whether or not you're losing! It might be a few pounds off from what you actually weigh...but it will still be consistent...does that make sense? lol It make sense in my head...

Oops! Left out Tiff...Congrats on the success!! I can't imagine how great you must feel about yourself! Keep it up...if you make a permanent lifestyle change instead of just "dieting" it'll stay off...I should remember that for myself lol.

Geez...you'd think I could put everything in one post...but nooo...I need a ton of different ones! Anyway...perhaps it would have been different for you if you weighed in a lot...but for me...totally different story...Everytime I would weigh myself and if I gain a pound or two...I would just say oh no big deal as long as long as it's not 5...then I'd gain 5 and would say as long as I don't go over 190 (I started this cycle at 180)...and then I'd gain 3 more lbs and it was as long as I don't get over 195...and it just kept going and going...I would maintain for a bit in between...but nothing ever came off...and I was just kind of making excuses and then setting new, higher weight limits for myself...and I didn't do a thing about it until I weighed 217 again...and that sucked because I let myself gain back 37 lbs without doing a darn thing about it...and that was while I weighed myself every day!! So I'm just saying that for me, in the end it didn't make a difference whether I was on the scale or not...I just wasn't ready to make a change and do something about it.

Hi Syvena, I'm glad the same thing happened to your Wii character, lol...I dont feel so alone.

Burgundy - another great recipe and thatg fact that you have tried them helps. I got another quick treat for you guys -

take FRESH strawberries, cut them into small pieces, then sugar free pudding (again), mix together in a bowl and it taste just like chocolate covered strawberries! Its yummy and quick.

Going for my walk now.