GOOD MORNING!

Thanks Sylvia, I printed it all too! The Dieter's Prayer will go on the refrigerator door and the list of snacks will stay handy for a quick look when needed! (Which will probably be often!)

I finally got brave enough to step on the scales again. I'm kinda ashamed to tell .......but, here goes.....239! You know, when I first joined this group I think I weighed something like 270. Each year I have lost a little then gained back a little, then started all over the next year. But if you look at the positive side of this journey.......If I live to be 100 I may get down to my goal weight!



Hugs, Judy

I have a curves membership too. I haven't been going, but I never thought of using it as myweigh in weekly! That will really help with doing ww at home!

Where is everyone???

I was going to post yesterday but I didn't want to be talking to myself! Come back soon!! Did I run ya'll off when I came back?????

I went to join CURVES today!! I got measured, weighed and did the machines.I think I'm really going to like it!! Here are my Fat results after they measured me!

1-7-03

Weight: 186 (it was 181 this am on MY scales)
Bust: 45 inches
Waist: 38.5 inches
Abdomen: 41 inches
Hips: 44 inches
Thighs: 23 inches
Calves: 13 inches
Arms: 10 inches (The SKINNEST thang on my bod!)

I will not weigh OR check my measurements until THEY do it on Feb.7th.......It will be only ONCE a Month.]]

I'm so determined this time!!! I will get to my ideal weight and clothes size!!

Well better go and wash dishes now.Hope to "see" ya'll soon!!
Love,
Sherry (Sher-Bear)

Howdy Ladies!

Just popping in for a quick hello!

Sherry, don't worry about your measurements, they will go down if you do curves at least 3 days a week. It is fun and it's addictive. I haven't gone in a couple of weeks and I'm going through withdrawls! I was going 4 times a week and was loving it. I'm sure Viola can attest to it!

Well ladies, I have some laundry to do.....that counts as exercise right? I leave you with a little something inspirational from Dr. Phil

Have a great day and remember to think positive and take care of yourselves!

Sylvia
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Seven Steps to Acquiring Your Goals

Successfully executing any personal strategic plan for change requires that as you develop your plan, you effectively incorporate these seven steps for attaining each and every goal.

1. Express your goal in terms of specific events or behaviors. For a dream to become a goal, it has to be specifically defined in terms of operations, meaning what will be done. When a goal is broken down into steps, it can be managed and pursued much more directly. "Being happy," for example, is neither an event nor a behavior. When you set out to identify a goal, define what you want in clear and specific terms.

2. Express your goal in terms that can be measured. How else will you be able to determine your level of progress, or even know when you have successfully arrived at where you wanted to be? For instance, how much money do you aspire to make?

3. Assign a timeline to your goal. Once you have determined precisely what it is you want, you must decide on a timeframe for having it. The deadline you've created fosters a sense of urgency or purpose, which in turn will serve as an important motivator, and prevent inertia or procrastination.

4. Choose a goal you can control. Unlike dreams, which allow you to fantasize about events over which you have no control, goals have to do with aspects of your existence that you control and can therefore manipulate. In identifying your goal, strive for what you can create, not for what you can't.

5. Plan and program a strategy that will get you to your goal. Pursuing a goal seriously requires that you realistically assess the obstacles and resources involved, and that you create a strategy for navigating that reality. Willpower is unreliable, fickle fuel because it is based on your emotions. Your environment, your schedule and your accountability must be programmed in such a way that all three support you — long after an emotional high is gone. Life is full of temptations and opportunities to fail. Those temptations and opportunities compete with your more constructive and task-oriented behavior. Without programming, you will find it much harder to stay the course.

6. Define your goal in terms of steps. Major life changes don't just happen; they happen one step at a time. Steady progress, through well-chosen, realistic, interval steps, produces results in the end. Know what those steps are before you set out.

7. Create accountability for your progress toward your goal. Without accountability, people are apt to con themselves.If you know precisely what you want, when you want it by — and there are real consequences for not doing the assigned work — you are much more likely to continue in your pursuit of your goal. Find someone in your circle of family or friends to whom you can be accountable. Make periodic reports on your progress.

Here is another little something from Dr. Phil-sorry it's kind of long!

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Dr. Phil's Ten Life Laws

Life Law #1: You either get it, or you don't.
Strategy: Become one of those who gets it.

It's easy to tell these people apart. Those who "get it" understand how things work and have a strategy to create the results they want. Those who don't are stumbling along looking puzzled, and can be found complaining that they never seem to get a break.

You must do what it takes to accumulate enough knowledge to "get it." You need to operate with the information and skills that are necessary to win. Be prepared, tune in, find out how the game is played and play by the rules.

In designing a strategy and getting the information you need — about yourself, people you encounter, or situations — be careful from whom you accept input. Wrong thinking and misinformation can seal your fate before you even begin.

Life Law #2: You create your own experience.
Strategy: Acknowledge and accept accountability for your life. Understand your role in creating results.

You cannot dodge responsibility for how and why your life is the way it is. If you don't like your job, you are accountable. If you are overweight, you are accountable. If you are not happy, you are accountable. You are creating the situations you are in and the emotions that flow from those situations.

Don't play the role of victim, or use past events to build excuses. It guarantees you no progress, no healing, and no victory. You will never fix a problem by blaming someone else. Whether the cards you've been dealt are good or bad, you're in charge of yourself now.

Every choice you make — including the thoughts you think — has consequences. When you choose the behavior or thought, you choose the consequences. If you choose to stay with a destructive partner, then you choose the consequences of pain and suffering. If you choose thoughts contaminated with anger and bitterness, then you will create an experience of alienation and hostility. When you start choosing the right behavior and thoughts — which will take a lot of discipline — you'll get the right consequences.

Life Law #3: People do what works.
Strategy: Identify the payoffs that drive your behavior and that of others.

Even the most destructive behaviors have a payoff. If you did not perceive the behavior in question to generate some value to you, you would not do it. If you want to stop behaving in a certain way, you've got to stop "paying yourself off" for doing it.

Find and control the payoffs, because you can't stop a behavior until you recognize what you are gaining from it. Payoffs can be as simple as money gained by going to work to psychological payoffs of acceptance, approval, praise, love or companionship. It is possible that you are feeding off unhealthy, addictive and imprisoning payoffs, such as self-punishment or distorted self-importance.

Be alert to the possibility that your behavior is controlled by fear of rejection. It's easier not to change, try something new or put yourself on the line. Also consider if your need for immediate gratification creates an appetite for a small payoff now rather than a large payoff later.

Life Law #4: You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.
Strategy: Get real with yourself about life and everybody in it. Be truthful about what isn't working in your life. Stop making excuses and start making results.

If you're unwilling or unable to identify and consciously acknowledge your negative behaviors, characteristics or life patterns, then you will not change them. (In fact, they will only grow worse and become more entrenched in your life.) You've got to face it to replace it.

Acknowledgment means slapping yourself in the face with the brutal reality, admitting that you are getting payoffs for what you are doing, and giving yourself a no-kidding bottom-line truthful confrontation. You cannot afford the luxury of lies, denial or defensiveness.

Where are you now? If you hope to have a winning life strategy, you have to be honest about where your life is right now. Your life is not too bad to fix and it's not too late to fix it. But be honest about what needs fixing. If you lie to yourself about any dimension of your life, an otherwise sound strategy will be compromised.

Life Law #5: Life rewards action.
Strategy: Make careful decisions and then pull the trigger. Learn that the world couldn't care less about thoughts without actions.

Talk is cheap. It's what you do that determines the script of your life. Translate your insights, understandings and awareness into purposeful, meaningful, constructive actions. They are of no value until then. Measure yourself and others based on results — not intentions or words.

Use any pain you have to propel you out of the situation you are in and to get you where you want to be. The same pain that burdens you now could be turned to your advantage. It may be the very motivation you need to change your life.

Decide that you are worth the risk of taking action, and that your dreams are not to be sold out. Know that putting yourself at risk may be scary, but it will be worth it. You must call upon yourself to leave behind the comfortable and familiar if you are to move onward and upward.

Life Law #6: There is no reality; only perception.
Strategy: Identify the filters through which you view the world. Acknowledge your history without being controlled by it.

You know and experience this world only through the perceptions that you create. You have the ability to choose how you perceive any event in your life, and you exercise this power of choice in every circumstance, every day of your life. No matter what the situation, you choose your reaction, assigning meaning and value to an event.

We all view the world through individual filters, which influence the interpretations we give events, how we respond, and how we are responded to. Be aware of the factors that influence the way you see the world, so you can compensate for them and react against them. If you continue to view the world through a filter created by past events, then you are allowing your past to control and dictate both your present and your future.

Filters are made up of fixed beliefs, negative ideas that have become entrenched in your thinking. They are dangerous because if you treat them as fact, you will not seek, receive or process new information, which undermines your plans for change. If you "shake up" your belief system by challenging these views and testing their validity, the freshness of your perspective can be startling.

Life Law #7: Life is managed; it is not cured.
Strategy: Learn to take charge of your life and hold on. This is a long ride, and you are the driver every single day.

You are a life manager, and your objective is to actively manage your life in a way that generates high-quality results. You are your own most important resource for making your life work. Success is a moving target that must be tracked and continually pursued.

Effective life management means you need to require more of yourself in your grooming, self-control, emotional management, interaction with others, work performance, dealing with fear, and in every other category you can think of. You must approach this task with the most intense commitment, direction and urgency you can muster.

The key to managing your life is to have a strategy. If you have a clear-cut plan, and the courage, commitment and energy to execute that strategy, you can flourish. If you don't have a plan, you'll be a stepping stone for those who do. You can also help yourself as a life manager if you manage your expectations. If you don't require much of yourself, your life will be of poor quality. If you have unrealistic standards, then you are adding to your difficulties.

Life Law #8: We teach people how to treat us.
Strategy: Own, rather than complain about, how people treat you. Learn to renegotiate your relationships to have what you want.

You either teach people to treat you with dignity and respect, or you don't. This means you are partly responsible for the mistreatment that you get at the hands of someone else. You shape others' behavior when you teach them what they can get away with and what they cannot.

If the people in your life treat you in an undesirable way, figure out what you are doing to reinforce, elicit or allow that treatment. Identify the payoffs you may be giving someone in response to any negative behavior. For example, when people are aggressive, bossy or controlling — and then get their way — you have rewarded them for unacceptable behavior.

Because you are accountable, you can declare the relationship "reopened for negotiation" at any time you choose, and for as long as you choose. Even a pattern of relating that is 30 years old can be redefined. Before you reopen the negotiation, you must commit to do so from a position of strength and power, not fear and self-doubt.

Life Law #9: There is power in forgiveness.
Strategy: Open your eyes to what anger and resentment are doing to you. Take your power back from those who have hurt you.

Hate, anger and resentment are destructive, eating away at the heart and soul of the person who carries them. They are absolutely incompatible with your own peace, joy and relaxation. Ugly emotions change who you are and contaminate every relationship you have. They can also take a physical toll on your body, including sleep disturbance, headaches, back spasms, and even heart attacks.

Forgiveness sets you free from the bonds of hatred, anger and resentment. The only way to rise above the negatives of a relationship in which you were hurt is to take the moral high ground, and forgive the person who hurt you.

Forgiveness is not about another person who has transgressed against you; it is about you. Forgiveness is about doing whatever it takes to preserve the power to create your own emotional state. It is a gift to yourself and it frees you. You don't have to have the other person's cooperation, and they do not have to be sorry or admit the error of their ways. Do it for yourself.

Life Law #10: You have to name it before you can claim it.
Strategy: Get clear about what you want and take your turn.

Not knowing what you want — from your major life goals to your day-to-day desires — is not OK. The most you'll ever get is what you ask for. If you don't even know what it is that you want, then you can't even ask for it. You also won't even know if you get there!

By being specific in defining your goal, the choices you make along the way will be more goal-directed. You will recognize which behaviors and choices support your goals — and which do not. You will know when you are heading toward your goal, and when you are off track.

Be bold enough to reach for what will truly fill you up, without being unrealistic. Once you have the strength and resolve enough to believe that you deserve what it is that you want, then and only then will you be bold enough to step up and claim it. Remember that if you don't, someone else will.

Yup, you guessed it another Dr. Phil goodie! I hope nobody minds!

Sylvia
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Making Resolutions a Reality

Whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking, get your finances in order, or stop procrastinating, Dr. Phil has advice to help make your resolutions stick.


Set a very specific goal. Do you want to work out 30 minutes a day four days a week? "Being happy," for example, is not specific enough. Define exactly what you want in clear terms.

Set a goal that has a measurable outcome. "Getting in shape" is not quantifiable. Without a goal that is measurable, how will you know when you've made progress or even reached it?

Assign a timeline. "Someday" is not a day of the week. The difference between a dream and a goal is a timeframe for making it happen. A deadline can also help motivate you and prevent you from procrastinating.

Choose a goal you can control. You don't control how much you weigh. You can influence it, and you can control the things upon which your weight is based, but you do not control the number on the scale. In identifying your goal, strive for what you can really create — not just what you fantasize about.

Program your life with a strategy. Willpower is a myth. It's emotionally powered, and emotions are fickle. Wanting to do something — no matter how badly you want it — won't make it happen. You need a plan and you need to change something in your lifestyle. Realistically asses the obstacles and resources involved, and create a strategy for navigating that reality. Your environment, your schedule and your accountability must be programmed in such a way that all three support you. Life is full of temptations and opportunities to fail. Without programming, you will find it much harder to stay the course.

Identify small steps. Major life changes don't just happen; they happen one step at a time. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Steady progress through well-chosen, realistic, interval steps produces results. Know what those steps are before you set out.

Create accountability. Without accountability, people are apt to con themselves. If you know precisely what you want — and there are real consequences for not doing the assigned work — you are more likely to continue in your pursuit of your goal. Find someone in your circle of family or friends to whom you can be accountable. Make periodic reports on your progress.

If you're trying to quit smoking, the one thing you need to control is your environment. Set your environment up so that it does not support your habit. Don't keep cigarettes in the house. Don't buy them at all, or you're programming yourself for failure. Your lifestyle supports your habit, so you need to change your lifestyle. Yes, there is a physical addiction. But it's also a choice. Don't use the addiction as your permission slip to keep doing it. Remember that you don't break habits: You replace one behavior with a new one.

If you're trying to get in shape or lose weight, make sure you have a plan and start making a lifestyle change. It is difficult to be overweight without a lifestyle that supports it. Willpower will not make things change. "Gym memberships don't take weight off," says Dr. Phil. "Using them does." Do not feed loneliness with food, he suggests, and be sure to clean up your environment by getting rid of "impulse foods." You can't eat what's not there.

Remember, winners do what losers don't want to do. Have passion, take action, and you'll get what you're after.

Sylvia, Dr. Phil really says it like it is and hits where it hurts! I printed these words of wisdom and will read them every day to inforce my new resolve!

I'm trying again this year! Maybe this time I will keep it going all year long!

I'm journaling all my food and water intake and so far doing really well.

Sure miss all my old friends on the thin group!

Hugs, Judy

DON'T YOU QUIT

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high
When you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit--
Rest, if you must
--but DON'T YOU QUIT.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worse that you
MUST NOT QUIT.

anonymous

Howdy ladies

Just popping in for a quick hello. I have a nutritionist appointment tomorrow so I will check in with all of you lovely ladies to let you know how it went. I don't think it will be good but at least I know it! I have been walking the dogs every night with my husband, so I am moving!

Judy-I know what you mean, I miss everyone as well. Seems kind of sad in here! YOOOOHOOOO!!! Where is everyone?

Here is another little something that was sent to me! I know I'm probably driving all of you crazy with these things! I just hope they help us to keep on track.

Ta ta!
Sylvia
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Top 10 Feel-Good Foods

by Bridget Kelly
eDiets Senior Writer

Want to feel better right now? While most of the weight-loss and health benefits that come from changing your diet take time to realize, there are some foods that can produce almost immediate gratification.

Check out our list of foods with physical, mental or emotional benefits that you can really feel. Try some today and gradually incorporate them into your diet to start improving your overall health and well-being:

1. Watermelon Just one bite into a cold wedge of this juicy fruit makes you feel like a kid again. It's so packed with water, one serving counts as one of those 8 glasses you should drink for optimal energy.

2. Ginger The next time you feel a bit nauseous, grate some fresh ginger on your toast -- it's purported to aid digestion and reduce stomach upset. In fact, ginger's anti-nausea powers have been used by seasick soldiers for centuries.

3. Sweet potatoes Carbohydrates, including potatoes, are known for their ability to ease stress and boost mood by increasing levels of the brain chemical serotonin. These bright orange spuds live up to their name, plus they're just as filling and satisfying (maybe even more so because of their sweet flavor) as their colorless cousins. We like them for their high levels of vitamin A, too.

4. Cherries Sweet relief from arthritis, gout or other pain caused by inflammation can come in the form of tart cherries. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that the antioxidants in 20 tart cherries may reduce pain even more effectively than aspirin. Test their natural pain-killing potential for yourself.

5. Bananas Do you suffer from muscle cramps after exercise? You might need more potassium, which is why athletes eat these yellow breakfast staples. Bananas also appear to help lower blood pressure on a daily basis -- one reason many elderly Americans are advised to eat them every day. (They're also a good source of those stress-relieving carbs.)

6. Lemon sorbet or sherbet You can wipe out an unpleasant taste or cleanse your palate to ensure that you enjoy every bit of your meal with this refresher. Lemon has also been shown to relieve cold symptoms and possess antibacterial action. Just watch portion sizes, since both sorbet and sherbet (the latter of which often contains dairy) can be high in calories.

7. Oysters Want to spice up your love life? While there may not be much clinical evidence to back it up, proponents of the oyster's aphrodisiac qualities swear by it.

8. Blueberries/Cranberries If you're prone to urinary tract infections, these fruity bites, bursting with tangy flavor, can thwart future flare-ups by preventing UTI-causing bacteria from adhering to bladder walls.

9. Dried plums (a.k.a. "prunes") This one's a no-brainer: An age-old home remedy used to promote digestion, they really work. Eat them as a snack or toss some on cereal, yogurt or a green salad.

10. Ice water While it's not technically a food, when it comes to immediate gratification, water takes the cake. The benefits are innumerable, ranging from cooling you down to reducing fatigue and boosting energy -- get your fill every day (at least eight glasses).

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

The most destructive habit ............... Worry
The greatest joy ............................. Giving
The greatest loss ............................ Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work ................. Helping others
The ugliest personality trait............... Selfishness
The most endangered species ......... Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource........... Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm".......... Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome.... Fear
The most effective sleeping pill......... Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease..... Excuses
The most powerful force in life ......... Love!
The most dangerous pariah ............ A gossiper
The worlds most incredible computer.... The brain
The worst thing to be without ................ Hope
The deadliest weapon ......................... The tongue
The two most power-filled words ............"I Am" and/or "I Can"
The greatest asset ............................... Faith
The most worthless emotion ..................Self-pity
The most beautiful attire ....................... SMILE!
The most prized possession ................. Self esteem
The most powerful channel of communication ... Prayer
The most contagious spirit .Enthusiasm
"To the world, you may be one person; but to one person, you may be the world."
"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it Back to you when you have forgotten the words."


Found this on EDiets.......thought it worth sharing!

Hugs, Judy

Hello Ladies!

I hope you are all doing well. Well, you all know how much I dread getting weighed at my nutritionist. I thought I blew it, I haven't been really eating what I'm supposed to and I haven't even journaled. I got on the scale and I was down 5 pounds! I was surprised!

Hang in there ladies, we can all achieve whatever we set our minds to do, never give up on yourselves! Even you lovely lurkers out there, have faith sisters!

Sylvia

POST NEW YEAR

Twas the month after New Year's, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"


So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
'Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.


I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!!!


Have to keep this group going even if it's just by posting little things like this!

Hugs, Judy

Good morning girls! Sorry I have not been in to post lately - have been extremely busy ... just wanted to check in and let ya all know that I have been OP since the 1st and so far have lost 2 lbs! In case you haven't noticed, I also have faithfully posted my journal every day too!

Slyvia: Great job! 5 lbs! Thats great! Can anyone join Curves? It sounds very interesting ... well, just as soon as I get the rest of my decorations down and put away I'll get my treadmill out and dust it off - still nurturing my bad knee so don't want to agitate it too much yet.

Sherry - where are you? Don't dissappear on us again! Way to go joining curves! Maybe, just maybe, I'll get the courage to join myself - we'll see! Keep us informed how you do and how yu like it ok?

Well got to go get busy - taking my decorations down today - so sad ... always hate to put them away! I'll check in later - have a good day!

Love, CJ

OK ... I am starting a new thread right now cuz there is a surprise for you on the new one ... someone from the past is going to appear ..

DON'T POST ON THIS THREAD ANYMORE ... GO TO #92

CJ