Hi, everybody!

kathi - for a select few of us, there's magic in that there fat! Try it out for a couple of days and see what happens. Stress's role is also underplayed, and you have certainly had your share! Perhaps now that you're a little more settled and things are coming together, you'll see even more positive changes.

petra - hi to you too! There's a Beck diet forum - seems like there's a loyal following, and the Chickies aren't tolerant of things that don't work, so there must be something to it. Glad you had a good vacation!

Carol - your summer is starting! I'm envious! The drop will not be denied - it's going to be there soon!

Kim - 40! That's a whole big bag of dog food! Pick one of those suckers up sometime, and you'll really appreciate the magnitude of what you've accomplished! Congrats!

Hydra, good to see you again - and you must be doing something right if you're holding up against medication influence! Keep up the good work! (Not at gaining a pound, lol, but on getting your mind healed, and understanding that process!)

kitteh - me too re the book and the chair! Funny, though - I have noticed that I'm more willing to socialize now that I'm a "normal" size.

Heidi - cool on the family gym time! My DS10 and I are going to start the C25K program next week and see what we can do with that. His best buddy is also running with his mom - we hope to do some 5k's later this summer. Weight being stable is a pretty darn good thing, given the wringer you've been through. By fall, I think you'll have some great changes. Take some measurements now - I'll bet by Labor Day you're going to be thrilled!

Chickie - have a great trip! And the kiss in the park sounds kinda nice!

Ange - best wishes on regaining the motivation. Remember, it's OK to take a break and practice on some maintenance - after all, you'll be doing a heck of a lot more maintenance than you will weight loss!

Annie - seems to me that things "break/fail/change" in groups of 3. Anybody else notice that? Hang in there!

I had a fantastic weekend in Atlanta, and beat every single one of my previous best times. I even brought home two medals, thanks to my relay teams. Pictures will be forthcoming - I just have to sort them out. I do believe that the Fountain Of Youth is in the competitive swimming pool - it's truly inspirational to see the 60 and 70 year olds BEATING MY TIMES!

LOL! Someone called me "skinny Minnie" today! I have a long way to go before I consider using the word "skinny".

I remember last summer when a neighbor I hadn't seen in a long time used that phrase on me, too. Made me feel good! Obviously, since I still remember it a year later...

So good to see you here, Heidi!

Thanks!

ICUWishing, that's great that you are going to do C25K together. Outside, I imagine? Or side-by-side on a treadmill? Outside sounds like more fun (although more grueling). Thanks for all our encouragement!

Hydra glad to hear you are maintaining and you are not being adversely affected by the medication. I think watching your weight diligently is key if you are on something that can tend to make you gain weight. That way you can catch an upward trend well before it sticks and alter course. At least, that's what I'm trying to do, now being in menopause and I guess having a slower metabolism.

KittehMomma I hear you about the lure of the book! I can't decide if I'm an introvert or not, and I vacillate on the Myers-Briggs test, depending on my mood. Glad you're feeling good and staying on plan.

I signed up for a Monday spin class. And since you have to call ahead 3 days to get one of the spots, I've programmed my iPhone to remind me to call 3 days in advance for all the classes I want to take over the next week and a half.

I thought I'd take some progress shots tonight. I was 160.5 this morning and these are size 12 jeans. The biggest area I need to trim down is through my hips/thigh. Hopefully that's what the next 10 pounds will tackle. I'm glad I took these pictures - I didn't realize just what a pear I still am!

The first picture is me at my highest weight, which I've posted before. I did wear a blouse over this tight shirt -- just in case you were worried!!

Heidi, you look great!

Becky, congrats on those medals. Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

So I jumped on the crazy home scale again when I got home last night and it said I had gone up 5lbs since the morning! Good thing I don't take it to heart when it does that : ) Up less than .5lbs this morning. Will try to get on the scale at the gym tomorrow to see what it does. A couple of late buses this morning put me behind schedule so I couldn't get there. But it is motivating to see that little whoosh - we had 3 hours off the phones today so I went and put in a mile on the treadmill. Would have done the elliptical but I didn't have my workout clothes with me.

Becky: I've read how some of you find the fat to be a help. And the whole ancestry thing...I'm german, scottish, irish, british and cuban. How do I research that to find out what foods I should eat? On the other hand the cancer I had is primarily found in African-american women, then in hispanic women, so maybe that's a clue to my dominant genetic makeup?
Congrats on the swim meet, I'm so inspired by you and Deb and y'alls athletic ability!

Heidi and Hydra: good to see you : )

Mary: they have beignets here at the farmer's market - might have to try them out now!

Everyone I missed: y'all are doing so awesome!

I have to go eat dinner....this being hungry all the time is awfully inconvenient!

Wizzie I was just reading last week's chat and saw that you are fighting some sort of mystery illness. I hope you get a diagnosis and some relief soon!

Good morning.

I ate to plan and had a really vigorous workout yesterday morning at the gym. That workout, plus the treadmill jogging the previous day, meant I had very sore muscles yesterday. When I sat for long periods of time (I work at a computer, so lots of sitting), they'd stiffen up, then I had to totter a few steps before they started loosening up again. My coworkers found it amusing.

Still sore today, but better. My ankle is a bit sore now, though, and I was debating what exercise to do, but work just called me about an issue I need to take care of this morning, so I'm going in early to deal with it. I'll exercise in the afternoon, after the ankle has had a rest.

The scale was down half a pound this morning. I've noticed some people don't record a new weight until they've seen it a few times. Maybe I'll try that. Or at least wait for whole pounds before updating my ticker.

WLW-My ancestors are Scandinavian and northern European, so it was fairly easy for me to see the correlation between high protein diet and ancestry. How does a high protein diet make you feel? Do you do better on a less protein, more fruits and veggies? Or do you thrive on high carb diet?

Newleaf--looking good! Have you done spin classes before?

ICU--congrats on beating your previous times.

Have a good day, everyone. Time for me to get to work.

P.s. I forgot to mention that I've baked banana bread twice this week, and haven't eaten a bite! I'm so proud of myself for sticking to my plan.

Hello everyone! Going to try to get caught up here! My new number stuck on the scales this morning and I am now a little over halfway to my goal!! So glad, I really needed the boost. I bought a pair of shorts in a size L (12-14) yesterday and although they fit well, they were too long, actually covering my knees. So I am going to return them and try to find something better soon. I need a pair of denim shorts. Anybody watch American Idol last night? It was a great show, the finales always are.


WLW-Sounds like the changes you are incorporating in your diet are paying off! Great job! I always weigh the same time of day so I don't have to see that big difference between morning and evening weights. Freaks me out!

Petra-So glad you are home safely and enjoyed your trip to NO. Heck, how could you go there and NOT get a beignet?? I've never been there, but if I ever go, you can be sure that is one thing I won't miss! I don't know anything about the Beck diet, so let us know what you find out.

Heidi-You look gorgeous in your pics! Sounds like the family has a busy summer planned at the gym and staying active. Don't think I would like having to reserve space for a class, though. Sounds like you have it worked out. Glad your recovery period from surgery is over.

Hydra-Good luck with the walking and enjoy your holiday weekend! I'm looking forward to a 3 day weekend myself.

Kitteh-Good job starting in on the Vit. D. Did you know that most sunscreens inhibit the absorption of Vit. D?? I don't have time to give facts right now, but it seems that if the sunscreen is above about an 8 SPF, there is no Vit. D absorbed. I think I saw where there is a sunscreen out now with added Vit. D?? I'll have to do some research. BTW, I baked banana bread last night (used Egg Beaters, hope it tastes okay) and trying to decide what to do with it! Might take a loaf to the man across the street (he lost his wife last week) and take the other to fiance. I may allow myself a piece or two, but my recipe is SO high in sugar/fat, I have to be careful, too. You are doing great with the exercise.

Becky-So glad you did well at the swim meet. What a payoff for all of the hard work you have been doing! Congrats to you. Cannot wait to see your pics!!


I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Hi everyone!

great photos Newleaf!! A lot of people say that the final pounds they lost are the ones that made the most difference in their overall shape. You are getting so close to goal, I bet you start seeing a change with every pound or two now!

WLW - nighttime weight is always higher. That includes the weight of everything you ate and drank that your body hasn't finished digesting yet. Granted, it's with clothing on but I can have a swing of up to almost 10 lbs between morning and night (I try to weigh in at night to re-set my scale for the next morning).

Glad to see everyone is making good progress on weight, on impressive athletic accomplishments (ok, I'm easily impressed there! lol! but still, great jobs!) and generally enjoying life.

My big news is that I'm officially a mom to a first grader now. They don't start until August but their "graduation" today was so cute! I'm still having a good May for staying on plan and intend to finish strong and keep going into June. I managed to break into the teens (although just above right now at 220.6 due to what I think is TOM gain, so hope to whoosh back into the teens soon!)

Hope everyone has a good end to the week and is looking forward to the long holiday weekend!

kathi - two resources that I've used to help me find my way on the eating are Ultrametabolism by Mark Hyman, MD, and Nutritional Typing by J Mercola, MD. I'm German and Scottish - and my usual diet has settled in at about 36-38% fat, and I split the protein/carbs just about evenly. Maybe it's not the most exciting diet ever, but when I follow it, everything just WORKS - feel great, never hungry, sleep well, clear skin, level moods. I can't say for sure, because I haven't really analyzed the data, but I suspect that I can eat more calories and still lose weight at these ratios - almost 200 more calories a day.