Thank you soooo much! There are actually a TON of job openings around here right now in secondary biology which is my main licensure area, but I would LOVE to teach chemistry....chemistry and physical science have to be the most FUN subjects to teach EVER! It doesn't matter what your teaching there is always a fun demo or activity to do. Don't get me wrong there is alot you can do with biology too...just seems like its harder to find a neat and fun activity that goes along with some of those standards. If the chemistry position opens up here it is mine....I know that much....I am at least guaranteed a 6th grade science spot here in my home town....that is why I'm so unsure about taking the other job.....here is my delimma...

Teach 6th grade science which I don't love but could totally do...in my home town...making more money....2 minutes from my house


or


Teach high school biology which I LOVE.....and that school is about to do some neat things....but I would make alot less money plus spend in gas cause it is an hour away from my house...


keeping in mind that I'm married and have a 2 year old AND I will be starting my master's degree program in the fall.

Soooo I'm thinking I will go with the 6th grade science job....and hope like heck that the chemistry position opens up!!!! UGH...oh well at least my delimma is WHICH job to take...especially in this economy right now.

Okay so now for the "diet" stuff!

I hope everyone is kicking butt! I know I'm super motivated now that I know I'm gonna be going on a cruise with a bunch of girlfriends in November. We are gonna have so much fun....and I don't wanna sit around being worried about how fat I am the whole time!

So, this morning I had 280 calories for breakfast.....I plan on having about a 100 calorie snack here by 10:30 or 11:00am. For lunch it will be around 400 calories....then 200 calories for my mid afternoon snack and 500 calories for dinner.

I'm thinking kraut and weinies for supper (I have found a good turkey polish "sausage" that is low in fat and calories that is really good!)

I'm looking forward to hearing more from everyone and what works/doesn't work for them.

I have some really good ideas so far from reading what you all have written. I am gonna go to Wal-Mart later on and pick up some fresh fruits and veggies and come home and clean and chop so they are ready to go!

Just a thought... I hope you don't mind. This is my problem too! Every time I lose weight, I quit and gain it all back, plus 10 pounds...EVERY time. I dieted my way up to my high weight!! When I started this time, I had to say "enough is enough" because I know if I quit I WILL weigh 245, no question. This is the second time I've made that decision. The last time I dieted starting at 212 and I gained all the way up to 235. And I had made the "enough is enough" decision then too! So I know of what I speak...I know it's hard. But you have to enter a diet knowing that this has to be it.

Also, perhaps your "lack of will power" is really a sugar addiction. Have you tried cutting sugar entirely from your diet? When I do that, I honestly do not need will power.


As for me, I may be brag a bit, if that's ok with you all. My husband is a bit jealous of my fitness, so I can't brag at home!!

I had the most awesome workout this morning! Fabulous! I did 45 minutes of heavy lifting in my legs. I surprised myself with what I could do. The first thing I did was a wall squat, sitting up against the wall like you're in a chair. I did 90 seconds, then 100 seconds then 120 seconds!! That's a LONG time. I thought I couldn't do more after that, but I continued with my routine. Then I ran sprints alternating with walking for 41 minutes, completing 5K in that amount of time. Running it straight my time was 44 minutes, so I'm happy with that! And because of the lifting I did before running, I hit the treadmill already exhausted.

Burn baby burn!!!

Here I go:

1. My name is Linda and I've been overweight since I was about 8. I've had some victories in the past... I was really active in high school and lost a bunch of weight, but once I went to college and got a job at a fast food restaurant, it all went downhill. I slowly crept up to 270 and tried a number of diets to lose weight. For a while, I worked out at the school gym and followed a low-fat diet (or in my case, an attempt to eat as close to zero fat as possible, which sucked!) and actually did make it down to 240... but then I stopped going to the gym and quit my diet and here I am at 295. I hit my highest ever over the winter - 300 pounds. I swore it would never happen, but it did

2. My plan is to eat high-fiber and reduced calorie. I've read that Americans only get around 11 grams of fiber per day, and I don't think I was even eating that much before. So I've been making diet changes to increase my fiber intake and to eat more fruits and veggies. Aside from helping me feel fuller, fiber has other health benefits, as does eating fruits and veggies. I'm not really a fan of counting anything, but I feel that counting calories will work for me if I stick to it, and they're probably the easiest thing to count! I'm going to try preparing food at home more and portioning things like crackers and chips. As for water, I know I need more of it. I've been doing good the past few weeks. I stopped drinking soda for the most part, which I drank a lot of at work. If I have a craving for soda, I let myself have one, and then follow up with more water. For exercise, I'm making this the summer of hiking and canoeing. I live in an area where there are tons of lakes and creeks, as well as miles and miles of hiking trails within an hour drive, and even more within two hours. Both activities will get me fit and I enjoy doing both.

3. I weight 295 right now. I don't have my measurements, but I really should write them down, even if I don't measure again for a long time. It would be great to see the difference in inches down the road. I tend to weight myself everyday, but I'll officially weigh in every week to update my ticker.

I was thinking maybe I should keep a ticker logging my minutes of activity or miles hiked. There used to be a monthly fitness challenge in one of the support groups. I should get back into that!

Linda, I'm a huge fan of Fiber One cereal. It's loaded with fiber and has really helped me increase my fiber intake. I especially like it with Vanilla Soy milk!

First of all GO YOU!!!! Its great that you are that fit and got up and got going this morning!


As for the rest....it would be great if I could just tell myself "enough is enough" or "this is just how it has to be"......but if it were that easy I wouldn't be in my situation. My main problem is that I'm all about instant gratification......I have MANY reasons to lose weight......I'm uncomfortable...I'm self conscious......I'm pre-diabetic...I can't get health insurance because of my weight.....Heart disease runs HEAVY in my family so I am guaranteed to get it if I don't stop this way of life.....thinking of having open heart surgery scares the CRAP right outta me

But the fact is...thats not in the here and now.....so I keep eating and being lazy. I know I'm gonna regret it someday....I know its gonna kill me eventually, but that is so sureal to me. You know? If I could somehow get past the here and now....the instant gratification of how something tastes NOW versus how I would look and feel in the future...then I would have this whooped!


I have no doubt that I'm addicted to sugar...but I also know that if I tell myself I CANNOT have something that I will fail...and when I fail I will quit. So, instead I'm trying to manage what I eat rather than cut it out....I have thought seriously about doing South Beach Diet...because it is drastic the first 2 weeks which helps get you detoxed from all the sugar and helps with the cravings...then you add healthy carbs BACK in.....then I should also be able to enjoy the occasional sweet without Binging on them.


But honestly.....now that I think about it I don't eat alot of sweets...my downfall is mainly high calorie fast food and eating out.....chinese, burgers, etc......I'm trying to learn to make healthier lower calorie versions of the stuff I like at home...hopefully this will help me "have my cake and eat it too!"

thanks so much for all your advice every single bit of it is welcome....even if it doesn't work for me it may work for someone else....but by suggesting different things it help pulls out various issues people have and what works/doesn't work for them.....and then people can read that and keep suggesting things until something just clicks!


Oh yeah....

Linda - Jump on in....I too gained most of my weight being in the fast food business...but I have been out of that business for 2 years and still not lost any weight....

I like your ideas about increasing fiber...maybe that will help me stay fuller longer....I will try that!

OK! I'm back with my answers!

1. I'm Aleks, 29 years old. I work full time in community health. I have 4 children...2, 7 on Monday, almost 10, almost 11. I've been trying to lose weight off and on over the past 6 or so years...as I gained more and more weight in between each pregnancy. I think I always did it half heartedly. I really got serious when my daughter was about 2..(the one who will be 7 on Monday!) and I did really well on WW...losing about 30 pounds. I weighed in at over 307 at that point. I was doing so well I quit..? Gained some weight back over the years..although not all of it. Tried ww again a couple years ago...failed. Then in Jan. of this year I heard about a BL competition in my town...and I looked online for other team members to join and our team actually made it in! so we had personal training for 3 months and the use of the facility! Belonging to a gym that is sooo atypical was JUST what I needed! It's a circuit training type facility...it changes EVERYDAY! It's like having your own personal trainer... now I don't get bored going to the gym or worry about not being able to do something! I *love* it...I crave it and I go 5 times a week without fail. Some days are tougher to get there then others...but I always feel better for going! I've been steadily losing about 1-2 pounds a week and I'm ok with that. I've got a long way to go...but I know I am making better choices and I am feeling and looking SOOO much better!

2. Develop a plan - My food plan is based on eating as much clean food as possible, limiting sugar. I do WW, but really focus on very healthy foods for me and my family. Water I am trying to drink 4 litres a day. Exercise 60-90 minutes 5x a week and walking/running 120-200 minutes a week.

The exercise is easy for me, because I've been doing it for 4 months and I've made that committment to myself now. I'm pretty strict about it. I bend for family committments even spontaneous ones because my family is #1. But they are 100% supportive of me. Food, well we never buy junk food so it's not hard...if I am craving something sweet I have to go out and get it. There was a time when I used to send my DH to the store EVERYDAY for chocolate... a weakness of mine.. UGH. I prepack my lunch for the day. I eat every 3 hours...so I make sure to take 2 snacks and a lunch..all healthy. I make sure to eat a big filling breakfast.. I try to make it the biggest meal of the day...so I have 1 c. oatmeal with fruit, a hard boiled egg and a yogurt. It keeps me going so that I'm not starving within an hour or two..and I can happily nibble on carrots by the time it's snack... my body is pretty trained to eat qh 3 hours.


3. Today I weight 265. My goal is to get to 250 for a wedding in August, so that I can wear a dress out in public for the first time in.....YEARS..over 10 for sure!

4. Will do!

5.

6. GET REAL!!! Yes... it's hard for me to not see results faster especially with how hard I train...but my whole body composition has changed and inches are just as if not MORE important so it's a GREAT idea keeping track of that... I love seeing these numbers on paper... 6 inches down on my waist... WOW that's significant!

I hope to lose 20-25 pounds by Sept. 1!

Okay..so day one..scale didnt move today, so sitting at 167.0.

Breakfast was 2 egg whites/1 egg yolk (does anyone have ANY idea of something to do with the yolks besides throw them away??)
1 piece of dietary link sausage
1 piece dry toast
total approx 200 calories

If you actually read what I eat, you will see that this chickie is NOT a carb reducer. I cant do it. tried it..made me feel lethargic, miserable, and just all around crabby. Apparently my body needs its carbs.

Lunch was 1.5 cup of whole wheat pasta topped with my own homemade spaghetti sauce
approx 375 calories

Dinner will most likely be a lean broiled pork chop, baked potato (oh yes..1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 tsp of butter..Have to enjoy our food too), and a large salad with 1 cup of spinach, 1 cup of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, topped with a splash of vinegar and oil dressing.
approx 400 calories

had a HUGE apple in between breakfast and lunch after my daily walk (only 30 minutes today..have a cold that is completely kicking my butt)
Will most likely have a banana between now and dinner, and MAYBE a few cups of unbuttered air popped popcorn this evening when I settle in for night time relaxation.

I do keep my calories lower than many..being only 4'10" 12 to 1400 calories is really plenty for my dieting. Some days I go as high as 1600 but for the most part I run right at 1300.

If you are also a carb junkie, who simply cant do that restricted carb thing, get with me, and I can give you some great ideas for 300 to 400 calories meals that will fill you up very nicely.

I plan on making a huge pot of vegetable soup later today that I will freeze up into smaller containers. I find soup to be my absolute best friend when dieting! Well, as long as I make it myself and can control the salt content. Campbells is low in calorie, but gives you enough sodium to choke a horse.

Done babbling now. LOL have a great day ladies!!

I weighed in today and I am down 4 pounds! Just the confidence boost I've needed...since I've regularly been alternating between a loss of .8 and 2 pounds without fail! Cardio REALLY helps!! And cardio is definitely getting easier with all the circuit training I've been doing.

I feel really gross though because I had an iced mocha... the mocha was fine...it was the whipping cream... just wwwaaaayyy too rich.. Thursday is a day where I treat myself to a cold coffee in the summer a hot one in winter! Next time I'll hold the whipped cream and save myself some calories...because the tummy accche!

TornadoSiren: How about using a carton of egg whites for your egg whites(it's super cheap) and then just adding in the whole egg with that?

Teaching jobs are hard to find and it's nice to hear it's not just in Kansas. I'm a music teacher and certified at all levels, but with 1 music teacher in each building, dang it, it's tough to find a job! and with this economy, all sorts are coming out of retirement and taking the jobs!
I started taking my weight loss seriously on April 13, 2010, and have lost about 7 lbs (last time I checked), so I'm on the 1lb a week plan and it is going to be worth it and I will stick to it!
My trouble probably started when I was about 9 or 10, and got worse in high school, better in college, and back to worse once I started working full time. I ate when I could and it was usually crappy food! I was getting a lot of activity being a teacher, but not enough for what I was eating.
In the past year, I've put on at least 20 lbs, which I call my "unemployment weight". I didn't realize the process for qualifying for unemployment could take up to 4 months, and I'm single... so living on no money for 4 months translated to eating cheap and not healthy at all! I have since seen the err of my ways and found a better way to look at the future!
What's helped me the most is the app for my blackberry that tracks my calories and gives me options to look over my calorie intake over the past 90 days (which I'm not to 90 days yet, but the feature is there). I know I'll have to adjust how many calories I eat as I lose, and I'm hopeful to figure that out as I go...
My biggest motivation is my greatest friend Cheri! She joined weight watchers with her husband back in September, and she's lost at least 75 lbs and looks amazing!!! I call her a "skinny *itch" now! Seeing how well she stuck to the plan and how it paid off, that's my motivation! So, every time I need help, I text her or call or post something to her facebook page... or even just look at a picture of her! Arg, she's done so well!
I hope to lose about the same amount of weight she lost, so 75lbs is my goal to lose, and so far I'm down 7lbs! It's slow, but I can't wait to see my hard work pay off!
I've totally learned to pay more attention to "not being hungry" rather than "I'm not yet full"! And water is my friend!!

aleks, see, the main thing is I dont like scrambled eggs. I like my eggs fried over-medium. Must have my dippy yolk for my dry toast. LOL Its childish I know, but it is the ONLY way I like eggs, and I want the protein. the carton stuff just doesnt have the same feel as an egg white just dropped into a pan. And before you glare..I fry with non stick spray..no calories, no fat. LOL

I managed to do another 15 minutes of walking today before the nose completely clogged and I felt like I was going to pass out. Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but walking when one has a bad cold is not very pleasant.

Hi everyone!! Good to see that things are picking up here. I'm having a fantastic time trying recipes from my new cookbooks. I bought a couple of the South Beach cookbooks. I love cookbooks!! I know that I can find recipes online, but it's so much fun looking at the pictures. I especially enjoy cooking when my version turns out looking like the picture. (That doesn't happen all that much, but it is very gratifying when it does.)

Soon as work calms down some, I'm planning on adding some walking to my weightloss effort. May is always the toughest month of the year for me!

Bye!
Frances

I could use a good veggie soup recipe...care to share?

:balloon: That is amazing....congrats :balloon:

I had 2 eggs over medium, 3 slices of bacon, and 2 slices of low cal toast this morning for breakfast for a total of 280 calories...I'm picky on breakfast but I LOVE eggs over medium!

OUCH....that stinks...but don't give up! to the challenge....I hope you follow your friends lead and pull it together!

Share the good ones with us

-I'm 18 years old. I've been weight-conscious since about the third grade, but didn't start dieting until high school. My dieting efforts only resulted in binging behavior, so I gained about 45 pounds from my freshman to senior year (110 to 155) of high school. In my freshman year of college, I added on another 10 pounds, making it 165. I've since lost that additional 10, and am back at 155. I've always been a calorie counter. Usually I lose 5-10 pounds in my diet attempts, but then end up binging and regaining. This "time" I've lost 10 pounds, with two binges. For me, the key to remaining successful is to avoid becoming too restrictive. When I set my standards too high, and restrict too hard, I trigger binging behavior. I've come to accept the fact that binges are inevitable; they will occur periodically throughout my weight loss journey. However, they will not destroy my weight loss efforts any longer! I will attempt to minimize them by not being overly-restrictive. When a binge episode does occur, I will move on and not beat myself up over it. Not an easy task!


-My summer plan is as follows:
Diet: I will aim for 1300-1500 calories per day. Those days I will classify as "on track." 1500-2000 is an "off track" day. 2000+ is a "binge" day.

Exercise: Once I get home from college, I'm going to try to exercise five times a week. Right now I exercise 3 times a week.

-I don't have a specific weight loss goal for the end of the summer. Somewhere around 20 pounds would be nice.

-To keep myself accountable, I'm going to remain active on 3FC!

-I will weigh in daily, and measure my waist daily.