Hey everyone-

Wow I am behind!! I have missed multiple threads. I did read through them...but no way can I catch up on personals! Sounds like most of you had a great Christmas. We had a good time. I admit I was really sad though! It has been a year and a half since I have seen my family. Oh well moving to spokane will allow them to vist more. Things have been so stressful with moving. Just feels like I am running out of time! We move in a month! So much to do.

The good news is I did not gain any weight! yay! I always gain 5-10 pounds around the holidays. The bad news is I have been at this weight for a long time now! I need to step it up!I hate to admit it but losing weight hasn't been at the top of my list because of all of the move stuff. Maybe I can lose some pounds before we move. Ok well let me get a few personals in...

CATHERINE~Hi and Welcome back!

to anyone new!

KATT~Congrats on meeting your christmas goal! WTG hun!

ANNIE~Congrats on your NSV! That is so great you are building up stamina!

ERICKA~Congrats!

ZELMA~You are in my prayers hun.


Ok I don't know how much I will be posting in this next month. But I do read up on the threads everyday. And you are all so inspring to me! I hope you all have a wonderful New Years!

Take care all!

I'm psyched for the new year. My weight loss has been stalled in the last couple of months, but when I look at how my 2006 went overall, I'm thrilled. I've lost 60 pounds this year and have established a regular exercise routine for the first time in my life. For the first time I tried weight training AND yoga. I even sometimes like working out and love the results. So, I can't beat myself up for struggling lately.

My goal for 2007 is to at least maintain my loss so far. I may be motivated to move the scale lower but don't want that stress right now (though I am still up 3 pounds from the 177 I have listed, making me technically 'obese' again. bah on that I say. I want to lose those 3 pounds). I also plan to maintain regular exercise and maybe mix it up a bit and try other forms of exercise. Maybe it's time to try some classes at the gym...

What about everyone else??

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

First, Zelma, let me say how very sorry I am. I lost both my parents when I was in my 20's and while my dad was ill for many years I was away at college and law school and wasn't really in the midst of it. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

As for my goal for 2007, I want to get to my goal. 190. It's still almost 20 lbs overweight, but smaller than I've been since my teens. From there I'll see. At this point, I'm at 237 again. That's 47 lbs and there is NO REASON I should not be able to reach that goal-it's less than one lb a week!

I know I have obstacles. First, I have to keep up the exercise and I think that's under control as long as I keep it up. I did 20 minutes today! A personal best! Second, I have to be prepared in order to keep from snacking and that means cooking instead of ordering out. My DH and I are working on that as well, planning a weekly menu being the key.

I've been at this way too long - time to get my big old butt in gear and DO IT!

This seems like a friendly group so I thought I would jump on in. My name is Bethany and I am a lifer. Like everyone, I have made a new years resolution to lose some of this weight and become more healthy in 2007. This time, I am going to do it! I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here and share thoughts and experiences as we make this LONG journey!

My first goal for the new year is to get under 300 pounds. And my second goal is to get more exercise in! I really feel like I didn't really try as hard as I could have in 2006. So for 2007 I need to get moving!

BETHANY~Welcome! This is a great group! I am glad you joined!

Ok I am off to go do more packing. At least I will get a good work out!*lol*

Zelma: Big Hugs to you . I lost my Mom in 1999 to a brain Anuerism. She was in a coma for 5 days before she passed away. It was awful mostly because I deluded myself into thinking that she would come out of it and get better. Looking back I think I would have been much better off if I had allowed myself to feel sad that she may not get better. Mostly take care of yourself and allow yourself to feel whatever feelings you are having. Don't stiffle them. Release them so you can stay healthy yourself. We are here for you so sorry I can't give you a hug and a shoulder to cry on in person.

I am so excited because for the first time ever I have met my exercise goal for the month. Even though it is low only 100 minutes, I was determined to exercise daily inspite of a very bad back injury still ongoing. I am determined to coninue to exercise some way or how in 2007 daily. I would like to loose at least 50 pounds this year of coarse more. I feel that finally I am committed to getting healthy in body, mind and spirit.

Happy New year to you all,
Blessings,
Annie

Greetings all,

My sympathies to those that are struggling with family issues. I wish I could offer advice, but I'm extremely lucky to not have had any loss like those some of you have been suffering through.

And congrats to those who did well over the holidays! Like Ammi, I didn't think too much about food choices, mostly because it is near impossible at my family's home to make good decisions. However, I did make a goal to exercise at least 30 minutes each day, and except for the two 14 hour traveling days and Xmas, I met that goal and then some.

I can't say I'm in a good, motivated state-of-mind, but I am going to step back up on the wagon yet again and try harder this upcoming year. In truth, tomorrow won't be a great exercise day, as I've hurt my back somehow. I can't lift my right arm, make a fist with my right hand, nor move my neck much. I did walk 30 minutes today, but each minute was painful. I'm not sure what I did except sneeze, lol.

Welcome to everyone I haven't yet met! I don't post daily, but I do read frequently.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone! I always feel a little sad when the holidays end, as I like them so much. I can't even bring myself to change my ticker yet!

Happy New Years Everyone,
Wow I take one day off and I am sorry but I am reading the personals but I don't think I can catch up on all of them I just don't type that fast yet. I spent some of my xmas money today and bought a personal blender , the small ones that after you blend it you put the lid on and go, so nice for my shakes. and I bought a food scale, never had one and wow I love it. My honey bought me pampered chef measuring cups so I can really work on the portion sizes. I am such a dope when I think what a cup of something is and then I measure it and am like wow I was wayyy over. SPent the day and Gramma's with my parents and Blew calories right out the door, Guess that is what happens when we go out to eat then come back and have bday cake. My favorite though with the cool whip type frosting, I had a purple tongue for hours, it was so worth it. I had one piece only. so the rest I will have to take to work tomorrow and treat my coworkers . And today I finished reading the new book "Eragon" wow that was really good. Best gift for my Bday, MP3 player so I can make my own music for the gym, my good friend got me that as she knows how much working out means to me though I hate listening to the tv's there. Could be my kick in the butt to get ther again this year.
I am starting to ramble, anyways I am really looking forward to the new year and hope everyone is also, Have a wonderful safe night and PLease everyone drive safely.
Anna

Happy New Year Everybody!!! I wish us all a succesful new year full of good luck and determination tward a happier, healthier life! Colleen

my first goal of the new year is to get to 250.and to exercise steadily and maintain a health eating program!and to stay positive.happy new years!

Mona-It must be so hard for you to work those hours and stay on a diet of any kind. Don’t think that you have failed just because you chose one thing over another. We make those kind of choices everyday, and some days we just need to pick the left path.

Looking for hope-When I was trying to figure out my triggers, I started writing down in my food diary what kinds of things were going on, or that I was thinking about. I had literally sedated myself with food for so long, that I was totally out of touch with my real emotions, and when I stopped sedating myself with the food, it was like going through puberty again with the emotional roller coaster. I actually found myself writing things down that I didn’t realize that I was thinking or feeling.

Wyllenn-At least I know where I got those 60 pounds I gained during my first year of marriage. That’s one wedding present I could have done without. Maintaining for a while is very good for your body actually. I’ve found when I hit big plateaus that it actually gave my skin a chance to catch up a bit. Remember, once you keep it off for 3 years, studies show that it become much easier to keep off. If you’ve ever seen an anatomically correct slab of fat, the thing that really jumps out is the blood vessels. It works like cutting a dog’s nails. If you cut too close, you cut the vein. If you cut half way, and wait a week, the vein has time to contract, and you can cut the rest of the nail. We have to give our body time to contract/dissolve the blood vessels that are no longer needed. If we don’t, they remain like a freeway for easy access to re-feed our shrunk fat cells. That’s why it is so easy to regain. To make new fat, we have to grow the cell and the blood vessels to supply it. To regain fat we just have to re-feed. If your body needs a break, give it one.

Lilion-I’ve been doing this for 5 years now, and figure I’ve got about that much longer to go. I figure that I’m going to be 50 years old in 5 years no matter what I do, so I can be 50 and look like I swallowed a middle line backer, or be 50 and fit and healthy. Or I guess, I could also not make it to 50. This isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. I have accepted that I have to do this the rest of my life, so time becomes irrelevant. Remember you only fail by quitting. As long as you are still slogging along, you’re ahead of half the rest of the population.

Ample – Ditto the above. We’re all in this boat together, which means it must be one **** of a strong boat. When your knees feel weak, just remember that our shoulders are strong.

Annie-Congrats on meeting a goal. It might have been a small bite, but you chewed it all. Back injuries are such a drag. Mine kept me down for 8 years. If I had a dollar for every doctor who told me my back would feel better if I lost weight, I could afford to hire someone to lose this weight for me. Well Duh! My back hurts because of my weight, and I can’t loose weight because my back hurt. Well, as much as I hate to admit it, my back does feel better now than it did 200 lbs. ago. I had to find exercises that didn’t hurt my back. I basically lay in bed and just scissor kicked my legs or arms. Sometimes for 5 seconds at a time. I told myself any movement was good and burned a calorie. I might have done it for most of the day off and on. The thing that really helped my back was when I got to the point that I could do sit ups. I’d lie in bed to do them too. I started with one a day, and after 6 months, I was doing 1200 a day, not all at once of course. Do what you can, but remember, it doesn’t have to hurt to work. I had a weight lifting coach in college who told me that you shouldn’t increase the weight that you are lifting until you can lift it 100 times. That changes weight training from anaerobic to aerobic. I would sit in bed and lift soup cans in each hand until I couldn’t lift them anymore. That burns calories, and doesn’t hurt your back.

Flawlesscube-I am also afflicted with “portion distortion.” I have given up trying to teach myself how big a cup is. I measure or weight everything. That is the only way that I can do this without fudging. I swear I could fudge my way to 10,000 extra calories and wonder why I was gaining weight.

Zed-If all our posts were positive, none of us would probably be succeeding at anything. I am so sorry for what you are going through. I lost my father when I was 22. Due to circumstances, I ended up having to make all the arrangements from picking out the casket to writing the obituary. I didn’t get a chance to grieve properly. I had always had a weight problem off and on before then, but after that my life just spiraled. My father was 47 when I was born, so I knew that I wouldn’t have as long with him as most of my friends would with theirs. When my mother was giving me a hard time about missing him, I reminded her that she had 38 more birthdays and father’s days and Christmases with her father than I had with mine. We each experience loss in such different, personal ways. Being literally the youngest of my generation, I spent a lot of time in my formative years visiting people in nursing homes, and going to funerals. My Grandfather had what they used to call hardening of the arteries, and he got to where he didn’t know anyone. He was a big, strong guy, and it was hard to see him like that. Our pastor told us that sometimes the body is so strong that it keeps living after the soul has already crossed over. I know he would have hated to be like that, but I took comfort knowing that he didn’t realize that he had become like that.

And today, my brother called me to tell me that my Godmother died. She was more of a mother to me in a lot of ways than my own mother was. That’s all I’ve done today is cry so don’t feel bad. I can’t even go to the funeral because I’m not allowed to leave Canada until my immigration is finished. All you can do is let the people in your life know how much they mean to you, don’t put off asking questions until it’s too late, and as long as you live—live. That’s the best gift we can give to those who have gone before us, to live, to be happy, and to be as healthy as we are capable of. My faith tells me that they are in a better place and that I will see them again. Allow yourself to grieve. It is one of the best presents you can give yourself.

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing You All The Best in 2007!

HAPPY NEW YEAR GIRLS!!

Zelma -- You are more than welcome to attend the wedding! I'm not sure when it will be yet. We are going to focus on getting college done right now!! You should not be upset about telling us a negative post! We are ALWAYS here for you!! Please feel free to use us as as support beam! I know what you mean about your dad, though I don't have much advice! Just please try to be strong and remember that we are here for you!! :hugs:

Everyone else, yes I am engaged. You are all invited!! I hope that everyone is ready for this new challenege! It's time to kick all these bad habits and get some great new ones going!

I LOVE YOU CHICKS!!