Good morning everyone! OK, OK I'll have to admit that I have not been doing so well lately. Last night we went out and had Chinese...alot of Chinese. My husband and I have been trying so hard to lose weight lately, since we are leaving in 2 days for our vacation. When trying to decide what to eat last night, hubby rationalized it by saying...Hey, we leave in 2 days, what difference will a little binge make now?? So of course we went.

I'll go ahead and tell everyone my plan. We are staying at a place that is all inclusive with bars and buffets everywhere. I am going ahead and giving myself full permission to eat and drink what ever I want during that week. I know that is not the best but I figure why not go ahead and say its okay, rather than attempt to stay on my diet and then blow it....then spend another month regretting it and becoming angry at myself for it. It seems that when I do that, I give up on myself easier, and end up gaining what I've tried so hard to lose.

My biggest fear is that when I get back, its going to be hard to get back into the swing of things. So I am going to go ahead and prepare you guys because I am going to need your help!!

Anyways, I've got to get busy, doing some shopping and cleaning up the house before we go. Everyone have a great day!!

I'll try to check in later this afternoon.



183/145/135 first goal

Oh boy. The last time you all had these binge feelings I was fine until the following week then it was my turn. I'm going to try and get prepared. Anyone have any suggestions? lol. I have been ok with the Easter candy. I haven't bought my kids any yet. They don't eat it anyway. Tonight I'll just get them a small bunny and a plastic egg with some cash in it. They are 10 and 13. I don't think they'll be disappointed. They want extra spending money for Disney. I try to avoid that dreaded seasonal ailse at the stores. A few customers have brought us some baked goods. I just pass them down the line. They end up on the back counter where I can't see them. Out of sight out of mind. I think I'll be ok tomorrow. They way my Mother -in-Law has holiday dinners is in courses. We start off with pickled peppers, provolone cheese and Italian ham (proscuitto) which is sliced paper thin so I can have a piece without feeling guilty. Then we have soup. Then we have the main course. By this time, you'er pretty full. She does buy a lean ham and makes a variety of veggies. Her mashed potatoes aren't that good (to me anyway) so I usually don't have any. The only killer part is all the desserts. Somebody always brings a cheesecake, I'll be sure to stay away from that. Chocolate pie, apple pie, rice pie, cookies. They are all so good. Then there's all the alcohol. Beer, wine, White Russians. Uh oh maybe I won't be ok tomorrow. My plan is no alcohol. A bite of my husbands and kids desserts. We'll see what happens. I hope all of us can stick with whatever plan we have. We can do it. We've come a long way. We don't need to make glutons of ourselves right?
Someone asked how long we do cardio routines each week. I do 4 classes 1 hr long each. Each class probably has 30 minutes high impact aerobics, 15 minutes weight training and 15 minutes stretching, warm up and cool down. I just noticed Thurs. that I needed to buy new sneakers. My feet must have lost weight and my shoes are too loose. I injured my right foot. I think it's from my feet sliding around inside my sneaker so much. It's not a major injury. It just feels like I dropped something on top of my foot. I can still wear them for walking around, but not to do aerobics.
On a happy note, I'm down another lb and a half.
Happy Easter to all,
Melisa

Jackyln,
I bet you do just fine on your vacation. I'm sure you'll eat more and drink more than you usually do, but if you make wiser choices that won't be so bad. I'm also sure that you'll get more physical activity in than you usually do too. You can count on us to help you get back on track when you get back. Have a great time!

Hello everyone

Just a quick note before I'm off! My husband and I will be leaving around 4:00 in the morning to go to the airport so this will be my last post for a while.

I hope everyone has a great week! As stated before I am not planning on depriving myself but I will try to keep it under control. The good news is that I tried on bathing suits yesterday and it wasn't too bad!! I'm even bringing a couple of 2 pieces!

It's nice to see that all of the hard work has paid off...although I'm far from being through. It's so funny because I've always been so paranoid in a swim suit, especially a bikini....now I'm actually wearing them in public...my husband even prefers my bikinis over the one piece ones!!

I cant remember who was looking for a tankini but I will say that they are wonderful. I also have some of those. My favorite is one made by Nautica. Its rather sporty, but its made of a rather tight fitting type of spandex that sucks you in, in all the right places. Also like I said its sporty so you can get out in the water, ride the waves and not worry about it slipping up or down and exposing yourself.

Anyways I've babbled enough..can you tell I'm excited?? Like I said everyone have a wonderful week, I will be back next Monday. Most likely desperate to get back on track. And I will need HELP!! Talk to you all later!!!


183/145/135 first goal....I've decided to try to reach this by May 15...maybe setting a date will really get me moving!!

How is everyone doing?

We had to take the computer in yesterday for a new powerpack. But it is running fine today.

The posts seem a little quiet. Is everyone ok?

I am doing fine, but feeling like I am in a slump. I hope to pull out of it soon..

Well everyone, have a great Easter, and lets stay positive...this day will be over soon....:LOL:

Bye for now...

Nancy

Good Morning everyone!

Happy first day of April...

Bon voyage, Jacklyn! That is so great that you have lost enough and worked hard enough to feel confident in your bikini!!! Have a great time, and we will be here to help you, if needed when you get back, all tan and happy!

Hi Nancy - do you think feeling in a slump can be related to our northern position and the SNOW that is still hanging around? I know "it comes with the territory" but winter just drags on forever, it seems. Won't we be doing the happy dance when we can get outside in tee shirts and shorts!!!

How was everyone's Easter? I was very happy when my brother's girlfriend asked if I had lost weight since she saw me last - boy, that sure helps in the positive reinforcement!! I certainly ate more calories than usual, but nothing horrendous. And I did my hour-long Step and Tone tape in the morning; then another 15 minutes on the stepper in the evening. Back to being on track today.

I'm going to do my cardio now - I see that I should aim for at least 30 minutes, and any longer is better. And I'm being careful keeping away from that ceiling fan, to not imitate any Las Vegas showgirl twirling!

Have a great day, everyone!!!!

Holly - going to keep off the scale for a while; going to measure with tape measure in a week or so (fingers crossed!)

Hello all

Hope everyone's easter went okay.. I wasn't very careful because it was my last day before Body for Life.

Soooo.. today, is my first day on BFL. So far so good. Its not even 11am and I've already had 2 meals, which is unusual for me but I'm supposed to eat 6 meals a day so my plan is: 8am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm, 9:30pm (or approximately those times).

Tonight I do my first weight workout, upper body. This should be interesting, as I don't have a weight bench yet, only the weights. I really need to go get a bench!!

I'll keep you all up to date on how I'm doing!

Christine
195/149/130

Dont cha just hate it when you write a really long post and it dissapears???????????? Well that just happened to me....where does the posting go??????????

Today starts a new week, a new month and a whole new outlook on losing weight. I have decided to only weigh once a month. I will not be a slave to the scale. I will judge my success by the way my clothes feel. I will stay positive and motivated. I will get more exercise, drink more water and I will get to goal!!!!!!!

I should write that down and post that on the fridge ya think???

Holly~~~ You should be feeling wonderful that your brothers girlfriend noticed your weight loss!!! You may not be able to see it your self, but others can. That will keep you motivated and determined to continue towards your goal. And with all the exercising you are doing, you will be out there shopping for a new swimsuit also!!!

Christine~~~ Here is to great success on your BFL plan. Make sure to take before pictures so you can see your transformation. Soon you will have that Shania Twain bod for sure!!!!
Do you have to eat certain things ? Is it mostly protein?

Has anyone ever tried the Soy milk? My sister in law drinks it all the time. She is on the Protein Power Plan and that plan calls for it. I heard that Soy milk is something that aging old women like me should be taking when they are close to their menopausal years. What do you all think?

So where is everybody else at?? Hope to see everyone posting soon....
Well I am off for a walk..... got to get healthy.......

Bye for now.....

Nancy

Hello again ...

Nancy, glad to hear you with a more positive attitude again!

Body for Life eating is a little higher protein but not like Protein Power. The split is approximately 40% protein.. 40% carb.. 20% fat. I believe most protein diets have much lower carb counts and somewhat higher fat. They don't emphasize counting your grams or calories though. You eat 6 mini-meals a day and at each meal you have a serving of carb (fist size) and a serving of protein (palm size) and veggies with at least 2 meals (they're pretty much all you can eat). You also try to stay away from simple carbs and high-fat proteins. Its a very basic way of eating. The best part is, one day a week you get a free day where you can fill all those cravings ;-) LOL

I've never tried soy milk.. new foods scare me *laugh* but I've heard some soy is good for women. Then, I've also heard too much soy is unhealthy. But doesn't it work that way with most things in the health industry? They just can't make up their mind!!

I'm going to try to take some before photos asap but I dunno what to wear for them. All the BFL pics I see women are wearing a bikini or very small workout clothing. I do not have such things as I prefer to keep the body hidden still. I'll have to figure it out .. hehe

:-)
Christine
195/149/130

Hi everybody!

Just to let you know Aphil replied to my Email. She says to let everyone know she will be back in a couple of weeks. She is really busy with work and the kids being sick , etc.

The Easter bunnies got to me. Up a pound this week. But determined to get if off again.

Christine good luck with your BFL challenge. I have heard great things about it and actually read the book but have not done it myself. Yet.

Nancy hope your new approach works i.e. weighing once a month. Smart idea. I have a heard time staying away from the scale.

Went for a super long walk today and my feet are killing me but I feel great that I've done something to counteract those little chocolate eggs!

Have a great week everyone!

Hey everyone!! I am back after a bad day and not so bad day! On Easter Sunday I lost all resolve, it started with 4 golden easter eggs that were scattered around the house. What a funny guy I am married to! I did share them, he ate the other 4! And a pack of biscuits I have a hard time saying no to. If you are ever in Australia, you will quickly find out that their chocolate is superior to anything in North America and they have the BEST cookies (called biscuits here). I also shared my Tim Tams (the evil cookies) with Hubby and by mid morning I had the sick in the tummy feeling from too much chocolate! I headed out the door to the gym for some cardio and weights but was still craving bad food. At that point, I decided that it was going to be a bad food day for me since I had already planned on having a couple of drinks at a BBQ that night. Chicken burger from the fish and chip shop, steak at the BBQ, a couple of Mike’s Hard Lemonade (a Canadian drink that we found here!! Woo hooo!!) and even ice cream for dessert. I was stuffed!! It felt too good to have some normal food and I was back at the Gym for more cardio and weights on Monday and today I did not gain! I will have to work harder this week and get another pound or two off!!

Nancy, I drink Soy milk every single day and have almost weaned myself from regular milk. I have a Slimfast smoothie in the morning and drink it in that and then if I have cereal I will mix soy and skim milk together. I still can’t drink it in tea yet…. But I am working on it. Once you start drinking it, you will get used to it. It took me 3 months to go from 2% milk to skim milk! Give it a try …… you might like it! I also use Tofu in smoothies as well and have started experimenting with recipes with Tofu in it.

Christine, how is BFL going? Is everyone back on track after a good ol’ binge and pig out weekend? I am off to the gym for a step class again tonight. I hope this time I can walk the next day, I almost cried last week!! Keep up the good work everyone!

Nola.

Hi all! Glad to hear everyone had a good Easter! I sent dh to work yesterday with all the leftovers and my 9-yr old dd has her own "candy drawer" so it's all out of sight!!
Nancy, I am so proud of you for saying what I've been thinking--only weighing in once a month. The fluctuations are so unpredictable and it is so easy to get discouraged. I think I will do the same--I'm going to weigh myself about 5 days after my TOM is over.
One of the greatest things I've been reading on this thread is how good you guys are about dusting yourself off and getting right back on track after a not-so-good day! But, if you think about it, that is how "thin" people act. My dh ate whatever he wanted on Easter, and the next day, he was back to his oatmeal and yogurt.
Well, I hope you all have a great day. It's a beautiful morning here in the northeast and it promises to be a nice day!

You posted a thread "Doing it the old fashion way".............what is that? Are you counting calories or what? Just curious? And how are you doing?
Jo Ann struggling in TEXAS

Hello JoAnn...

As far as I understand, "doing it the oldfashioned way" is meant to include calorie counting, Weight watchers point counting, Richard simmons program as well as other similar ways.

Me, I'm currently on a break from calorie-counting to try out the Body for Life program but I'm sticking around here anyways cuz these gals are great for motivation!

Feel free to stick around and join in...

Christine
195/149/130

I survived Easter, yay! LOL. We went to Iowa on Thursday night and returned yesterday. My mil is a fabulous cook, made us lasagna. We kept pretty active. Went bowling Fri night (my 19 month old got 2 spares, LOL) and we might start making that a regular family thing since ds got so into it. Walked to the playground and around the block on Saturday. Chased the kids and did an egg hunt (and a short walk) on Sunday. I ate whatever, but I'm pmsing and having those whacked out dreams again which seem to burn a lot of calories. The scale said 160-161 (down from 163-165 previously). I got sick yesterday, but the travelling eating takes a toll on me. I sent dh to work with all his candy and kept ds's egg candy (not too appealing, might end up with dh) and my Peeps which are hard already and might just go in the trash.

We have about 10 inches of snow here. It's April, right? Might shovel later for cardio/strength training. I'm ready to eat right and work out again. I'm almost over my cold although ds seems sicker then he did before. *sigh* It'll be warm soon, right?

In Christ,
Pamela

Hello everyone...

Welcome JoAnn~~~ Glad to have you here. Like Christine mentioned, we are counting calories or ww points or anything that is livable, doable(is that a word) and will help us achieve our goal. I do the calorie counting. I find it is workng fine for me. I use my calories wisely though. I try to balance everything out. I dont like to use my calories on the junk stuff. I figure if I did that I would only be defeating my purpose and not learning anything. I dont think of this as a short term plan. I think of it as my way of life. This will be a forever thing with me. I hope that you will join us and post often.

Christine~~~ Even though you are doing the BFL plan.We will never let you leave.... You are a big part of this group and we are behind you 100%. How was the first day?

Pamela ~~~That is wonderful that you are down pounds!!! I bet you are feeling good about that. Soon you will be in the 150's and doing the happy dance.
Sure hope your cold passes and that you are feeling better soon.

tryin'hard~~~ I think by weighing once a month may be a good thing for awhile. I agree with you that those flucuations can be depressing and enough to send one into a eating frenzy!!!
But I am with you I sure wont weigh until that TOM is long gone.

Sprite~~~ Glad you heard back from Aphil, isnt she the one who started this thread? I know when I first started reading posts she was a great motivator for me.
Dont worry about that pound,, it is more then likely one of those water flucuations. I seriously don't believe that every time we eat something that we normally wouldn't that we will gain weight from it. I dont see how that could be possible. If that was the case we would have to live on celery and water....

Kanola ~~~ Glad that you had a great work out and did not gain. That is so great !!
I will give the Soy milk a try, but hopefully I can buy it in a small amount (just in case it has to go down the drain) remember those Black beans I tried a few weeks back?? Well those things were awful..YUCK...does anyone like them? I sure hope the Soy milk isnt like that .

Holly ~~~ How are you? I hope you are having a perfect day!

Ok we all know that Jacklyn is basking on the sunny beaches of Cancun, but where is Melisa and KellyAnne ??? Hope they come back soon....

Ok ladies,,, have a great day, stay strong and keep smiling

See everyone later..

Nancy