hey everyone! it's raining here too. i feel like i could just stay in bed all day. yesterday was a long day. i worked 12 hours at my full-time job and it kicked my butt. i only have to work 4hrs later at my part time job which is not so bad. it is cold and miserable and i have absolutely no motivation. as far as exercise, i was so sore from that big day the other day i could barely move the day after. i guess maybe i did too much.

iwmft - don't feel like you've failed. those step aerobic classes are for brain surgeons. they are way too confusing. and you made up for it on the treadmill. so feel good about yourself because you got a workout in today.

well, i will check back later after work. i don't have anything to do tonite and i can't afford another 2hour trip to wallyworld. i think maybe i will work on cleaning up the house. how exciting!!!!
kathy

fairytale,

I just wanted to pop in to say, those aerobic classes are horrible! Don't feel like a failure. You are anything but!! I exercise a ton and I cannot do those classes. I don't see the purpose of making the moves so hard either. There is no reason for it other than to alleviate the boredom I suppose. Be proud of yourself for giving it a try and for your treadmill work. You're listening to your body and that's what's important! Good for you!

I'll be back later to write more. Take care all!

What is it with rain that it is so hard to stay motivated. I barely got anything done today (no exercise) and eat like a pig. I think the water wets my brain and short circuits it.

Kathy - I hope your muscles feel better soon. We are supposed to have sun tomorrow and I plan to run in the a.m. to make up for not biking today. Maybe you'll be able to get out and do something too.

Hi to all who are sitting at home alone, like me, on a Saturday night.

shyangel, has the rain stopped? I'm wrapping up Sunday here. Good day, and bad. Major binge but I stopped it midtrack and I'm disgusted and proud of myself at the same time!

shy, must realize you gotta make plans for rainy days too. I know how you feel though. When I'm rained out of riding it ruins my day, even if I do other stuff.

Hope to see some more action on the thread while I'm in slumber land. Night!

The rain did stop last night and today was beautiful. Unfortunately I did not get any running or biking done, but I did work in the garden for at least 4 hours so hopefully that counts for something. My eating has been terrible too - hopefully tomorrow will be a new and better day. I need to go grocery shopping so I can start off the week on a good eating note.

redballoon - I think it's great that you stopped your binge. Do you have any idea why it even started?

hi everyone! i never did get back here last nite, nor did i ever clean my house. i ended up working an extra hour, then i stopped for a movie and then i pooped out. i was so tired yesterday. today when i got up it was sunny and beautiful. it felt like fall. i think we are skipping right over summer. i didn't have time to even get a walk in today. i had to go to a retirement party before work. this week is going to be hard in the exercise area because i have to work a lot of hours at both jobs. people are on vacation. i need the $ so i volunteered.

i had a very stressfull mind this weekend. my parents and i decided i was going to take over their house. they are in florida most of the year. i knew this was coming, just not so soon. it is a beautiful house and they are still going to pay the taxes for a few years to help me get out of my credit debt. now i have to think about selling the house i just bought last year.
so much to think about. however, i did decide to wait to do all this next spring/summer.

well, i'm tuckered out. have a good week singles!
kathy

Good Monday Morning Singles!

I have fully recovered from my step aerobic debacle on Saturday morning (with the exception of some sore calf muscles). I can now see through the embarrasement and see that just because I did not complete the course I am NOT a failure. I am a success because I TRIED!! I was talking to one of my friends on Saturday night and she told me that she couldn't do step aerobics either, which made me feel a ton better. We had both been in marching band in high school/college and we consider ourselves pretty coordinated people, but neither one of us can make it through a step class without triping over everything in sight. So I will continue to blame the EVIL instructor....

I did well with my diet this weekend. I had a 2 pound fluid gain on Saturday morning but it is all gone as of this morning... I took my measurements on Frdiay, not one milimeter of change... I wasn't really expecting one though, so I wasn't too dissapointed.

I went to the grocery store last night and got some fruit and a few veggies. I'm not a big veggie person, so this was a big step for me. I got a head of lettuce to make salads and a small bag of baby carrots that I could snack on. I also got grapes, apples, and a few slices of watermelon. I LOVE WATERMELON!!! And this is good watermelon, I had some last night after dinner...

Weekends are still my most difficult times when it comes to sticking to my diet. I'm a "boredom" eater, so when I'm watching tv or reading I am used to snacking on something... I also tend to eat bigger meals on the weekend because I have time to fix three meals a day. But I stayed under my calorie limit each day, and every weekend it gets a little easier. While I was at the grocery store I bought some snack foods that I can keep around the house for when I just can't resist the munchies... All weekend I have been craving ice cream so bad I could taste it in my mouth, so I also got some fat-free neopolitan ice cream that is only 90 calories a serving. Then I ended up eating watermelon for dessert instead! But it is nice to know that when that sweet tooth really hits there is something in the house that will do less damage to my calorie limit than a candy bar.

I have my bag all packed for the gym tonight... After work I'll go do my "normal" treadmill/weight lifting workout... I think Saturday really cured me of the boredom.

CorningKat: Don't you just love the look and smell of early fall??? I hate winter so in some ways I hate fall because that means winter is just around the corner... But I just can't hate it. LOL The weather is just too beautiful and the trees changing colors are just like magic. It always reminds me of being in the marching band and having football games and competitions on the weekends... I miss my band days...

Shyangel: Gardening is WORK!!!! And if you did 4 hours of it that is GREAT!!! The last time I did 4 hours of gardening I could barely stand up straight for 3 days because my back was so sore from bending over planting those darn flowers...

Redballoon: Too bad about your binge, but at least you were able to put a stop to it! So many others would just continue eating... So look at it as a step in the right direction!

i guess i should say good morning! it is almost 2am and i still wide awake. i really should be getting to sleep, but it does no good to lay in the dark with my eyes wide open

today went well, i got my dog walk in then did my fundamental core secrets tape. that is the beginner one of the set and only does 10 basic ball exercises. it usually takes me a couple of days to get over the soreness. i can't even begin to imagine the full body workout. i wouldn't be able to move for a week. i guess i will have to build up the stamina slow and steady.

iwmft- i absolutely love the fall. it is my favorite season. i love the crispness. i like summer time but i'm not one for heat so the fall is perfect for me. i'm glad to hear you got over the step aerobic thing. i actually don't know anyone who can do those classes. you do so well on your treadmill routine so stick with it until you get bored. just try something you think will be fun. for example, i bought that hula hoop just for the fun i had as a young girl with them. it brings out the kid in me. i hula while watching tv. it is what they call a wave hoop so it is quiet. it must have water in it instead of those noisy beads of old time. that is a nice picture of you. you are very photogenic.

well, i guess i'll try to lie my head down again. have a good tuesday!
kathy

I just wanted to say hello. Kathy and IWMFT - you seemed to be doing so well. I don't know how you stick to it. I am having a very hard time these days. I was doing well and then totally undid all my good this past weekend and now I am depressed about it. It's just hard to keep going when I never seem to make any progress. Life in general just isn't fun. I don't want to be a drag so I'll keep this short. I just wanted to check-in and let you know I was reading along and proud of all of you.

shyangel: One binge WILL NOT undo everything you have done. Any weight you might have put on following the slip-up is due to the weight of the food and fluid retention. It is IMPOSSIBLE to put on pounds of fat overnight. Remember, it takes 3500 EXCESS calories to add one pound of fat to your body, so to put on 2 pounds (for example) overnight you would have to eat somewhere around 9000 calories in one day depending on what your break-even basal metabolism is.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!! If losing weight was easy everyone would do it, and the diet industry would go bankrupt! We are all in the same boat here, we didn't put the weight on overnight and it isn't going to disappear overnight.

Keep track of your small successes... You did stop the binge, right? Before you probably wouldn't have. That is a success right there! There is more to a "diet" than the scale... Think positive!

corningkat: Thanks for the compliment about the picture... I cropped it out of a family portrait that was taken the day after Christmas. Seeing the proofs from the shoot is what made me originally decide to start losing weight. My double chin had to go, not to mention the size 18 jeans that I had to buy because my 16's were just too small. I'm nowhere near my goal weight, but when I compare the picture to what I see in the mirror I can tell I've lost 10 pounds. My face is thinner, I still have a little bit of a double chin, but it is not nearly as evident now. When I look back at my high school pictures (where I thought I was fat) I would give anything to get back down to that weight. It is really amazing how high school really screws with your self-esteem.

This was one of my senior pictures, taken in August of 1998 when I was 17. I think I was a size 12/14 then... I want to get back down to that weight so bad. LOL You would think the size 12 was actually a size 4 in my mind...



Yesterday was a pretty good day for me. I stayed under 1500 calories (although barely, the butter popcorn snack did me in.... LOL) and I made it to the gym. I did 25 minutes on the treadmill at 3.2 mph and then I lifted weights. I am doing 3 sets of 15 reps on all of the machines, 15 pounds for my bicep curls and the tricep thingy, 30 pounds for a shoulder machine, 115 pounds for a seated squat (works my thighs great...) 15 pounds for the calf machine and I think 45 for my hamstring curls.

I'm surprised I'm not sore this morning, my arms and legs felt a little like jello when I left the gym last night. LOL I'm sure I'll feel it a little more later today... Tuesday's and Thursday's are my "rest" days from lifting and cardio. I'm going to try to do cardio at least once during the weekend, but only lift 3 times a week. I want strength, not bulk... LOL

I had a one pound gain this morning, I'm sure it is water retention from the bag of popcorn I had last night but I was hoping for a loss. I know that as long as I stay under my calorie limits that there is NO WAY I can be gaining weight. Heck, maybe it is a pound of muscle! LOL As long as my body shrinks I won't be too upset with what the scales say!

IWMFT - thanks for the encouragement but it wasn't just one day. I ate terribly from Thursday night through....I guess even last night (but not as bad as through Sunday night). It's not going away whatever it is. Maybe I never really lost the 3 pounds. I agree with you that the scale doesn't mean everything, but all my clothes are still just as tight as ever too. I'm just not sure why I bother when I think I could maintain and eat 'normally' and be happier. Maybe I should just try that for a while and see what happens. Maybe it would at least be less stressful. Something's gotta give.

P.S. You are very photogenic - very nice senior picture.

Shyangel, when you stay "on plan" how many calories to you eat each day? Maybe you should play around with it for a week or so, some days more, some days less, to jump start your metabolism. As you lose weight your body becomes used to the fewer amount of calories, and your metabolism slows down which of course affects how much weight you lose.

It is up to you whether you decide to maintain for awhile or not, but you've come so far, it seems a shame to put your goals on hold for awhile.

I know you have it in you!!!

Hi everyone,
I'm singel, 23, and I live in Springfield, Va. I'm 5'3 and I weigh 180. Today is my frist day working toward a healthy lifestyle. I've tried all the low carb diets and they don't work for me so I'm working out and eating healthy. This morning I ate a healthy breakfast and went for a 30 minuet jog on my treadmill. It felt so good to be moving again.

Hope to get to know each and every one of you.

IWMFT - I think you hit the nail on the head. I don't really have a plan. I know I want to lose weight and be healthy but I can't get rid of food as a crutch. For now I try to exercise as much as possible and try to eat as sensibly as possible. I have tried to count calories but with 'concoction' type meals it is very difficult. I also get VERY hungry when I try to eat below 1500 calories a day. Over a year ago I had my diet (3 days) analyzed and they told me I wasn't eating enough (~1200 calories). I am an extreme person (black/white) and have a very hard time finding a good balance. I think that's why I either do really well or really badly, each part of the cycle lasting for a few days maybe. Thanks for the support, but after trying for 34 years I'm not sure I have it in me. Sometimes I think I am so knowledgeable and then other times I realize I don't have a clue. It's just so frustrating. How many calories would you recommend? How do you count calories for things that are not packaged or in a book? I just don't have the time or energy to spend hours a week figuring out what to buy, what to eat, how many calories, etc. Maybe that just means I'm not truly ready to lose weight. I don't know.

Welcome Butterfly! It seems like you are off to a great start. Sorry you're catching me during a bad time. I don't think I'm always like this and look forward to getting to know you too.

1500 calories is a perfectly normal, healthy amount. Especially if you are an active person. Most people lose 1-2 pounds a week on a 1500 calorie diet.

There shouldn't be that many foods out there that don't have the nutrition information easily available. Most food you buy (unless it is fresh produce or meat) should have the information on the package. Wal-Mart (and most bookstores) has a great book that is about $7-8 and has the nutrition information for just about every food you can imagine. It is the size of a thick romance novel, so it is easy to carry around. It has fast food, restraunt meals, fruit, veggies, meat, everything is in the book. You might not always be able to get the exact calorie count (depending on the food/brand), but you can come darn close.

By simply restricting your calories, not your food choices, it gives you a lot more flexibility to eat what your friends are eating, or to eat out with family. You just need to watch your portion sizes. You won't always know what the total calorie count is for a meal, but you can look up individual components and make an educated guess.

You are the only one that can say what is best for you, but I would give it a few more weeks on a 1500 diet before you make your final decision.