Reasons I want to lose:
1) Health
2)to start trying to get pregnant at the the end of next year(I do not want additional weight on top of what I have now)
3)more energy
4)shorts! bathing suits!

Morning everyone! It actually got out of bed to come read these posts Now THAT'S motivation Thanks guys!!!

Redballoon - My heart is great! And I do exercise. I have never had the racing heart thing but it did it over thanksgiving and also over christmas. I've heard a lot of people at work that are following the plan say that it's something that happened to them when they cheated. It's wasn't a really strong feeling I just realized it was happening - like a flutter, over and over for about 2 minutes. It hasn't done it since. I think we're all that sensitive to things that I ate...we just get use to eating them. I'm not talking veggies here I ate a small piece of pumpkin pie and also cheese pie from box. YUMMY but I haven't had anything preserved in a long long time. Everything I've touched has been fresh.

Okay I now have no clue how much I weigh. I think I'm down but I don't know. I'm going with down

Reasons I want to lose:

1. Health. I want to live - not just age.
2. Rock climbing and Cycling....those extra pounds make both a lot harder on my body than they need to be!
3. Why to look sexy, of course

My main goal is to be better to my body. It carries me through life and I want to take better care of it and respect all that it can do.

Stormy - hope you enjoyed the snow!!! Do you realize you've lost 1/3 of your weight?? In no time you'll be half way there You're doing great!!! And you've made it through the really tough holidays now - imagine what is to come!!

Crime girl - I'm so glad you're all better and the family trip was good. How long until you're back in school?

Michie - I'm really impressed with how you are handling your weight program and everything else you have going on! You set a great example that eating and hardships do not have to go together. I agree with Redballoon - you need those meetings MOST when you don't want to go! I hope you do. We all stumble....we all DID stumble!! What is a support meeting is they can't be there when you actually NEED the support! You're doing a great job!!!!

Hello to anyone I've missed - it's not intentional...i'm straight out of bed and not retaining thoughts well yet! See everyone soon!!!! It's COLD here so I'm off to walk around the mall. I'll get extra exercise trying to avoid the lotion booth at the center.....those sales people will chase you down to put lotion on you!

I am pumped up today and I am going to be a weight losing machine today!!!
This board gives me so much motivation- thank you everyone!

Red balloon- I love your post- upbeat and inspiring. Keep up the positive- you are keeping me pumped up about doing this. To answer your question- yes, it is a lot of weight to lose. I am one of those people that need to be challenged to get things done. I love to take a goal that is hard or darn near impossible and beat it so I am setting my goals high. I am going to try my best to meet them- if I set them lower I will stop when I reach them.
I am glad to hear that you are feeling in control of the work situation. I know work can stress you out sometimes- you keep your ground and we are cheering for you! Also- you are going to feel so wonderful when you fit into those jeans!! You can do it! 2005 is all yours (well and mine - all of ours) but definitely yours!


stormy- send that candy away! You go! I like your reasons to lose especially the fact that health is number 1. I think we get so wrapped up with how we look that we forget that to look good we have to be healthy. On top of that- health should be number uno for us all. Excess weight can make your life shorter- just about everything bad health wise is more prominent with excess weight.

little grasshopper- I like your idea to meditate on what I will look like thinner and healthier. That is a really good one for me too- I am just now starting to get into meditation for stress relief. It is not as easy as one might think- especially if you are a type A personality like me and have a hard time shutting everything off and not thinking about a thousand things all the time.


Okay- well I better get my behind dressed and get to work- I am running late. Today is Tuesday (for everyone except red) so it is motivation and reasons we want to lose! stormy got us started-Thanks stormy!

My reasons to lose weight:
1. Health and long life
2. Balance in my life
3. Ability to do anything I want without restriction
4. Look good for graduation
5. Diabetes control
6. Fit into my clothes
7. More confidence

Have a wonderful day everyone!! I work all day but I will try to post from there- if I can't I will on after 6pm. Try to not miss me too much!
Thanks for all the support everyone- you make a real difference in my life.

Good morning, girls. I only have a minute, but I still wanted to read your posts and make a quick note on why I want to lose weight.

1. To be healthy
2. To fit into my clothes
3. To feel more confident

Ugh, It's morning and I feel pretty ill. Must be coming down with a cold or flu. Throat is sore. Cloudy day today, looks like rain. I have to go riding, well, don't HAVE to but want to as it's my last chance for a week. They close over New Year's. Well, here's hoping I can wrap up the year on a good note. Everything is harder when you feel ill, isn't it? Will check in later. Take care!

Redballoon - I hope you're feeling better. did the ride help at all? Getting to spend time with your horse?? You're right - things are much harder when you don't feel well. Hang in there. You're doing so great!!!

Sthrnbelle - Glad you popped in!! Seems we all have the same reasons for wanting to lose - good reasons too!! We're here for you!

Crime girl - you're so pumped!!! It's great!!! I'm glad you're feeling better and enjoying your journey!!

I'm doing well. Had several people notice I've lost weight. That felt GREAT! Checked out a new gym today. I have a free pass for one month. I'm going to go tomorrow a.m. I don't think I'll sign a contract with them because it looks like a crowded gym and it almost the same price as gyms that offer much more than these guys do. They do include "access" to a massage therapist. You stil have to PAY HER and it's MORE EXPENSIVE than mine - so I explained that I already have ACCESS to about 200 massage therapists that are cheaper. Anyway, for the next month I have a gym.

Talk with everyone soon!

HI everyone! Hope your day has went well.

Red balloon, take care of yourself and I hope you feel better soon.

Crime girl, way to go... you sound pumped up!

Little GH, hope that gym works out for you. Isn't it exciting when people notice that you are losing? Thanks for the encouragement about the 1/3 weight. When you look at it that way it is very encouraging.

Well I decided to weigh myself. I couldn't Sunday or Monday b/c I feared that I had gained weight over the holiday, but I decided to buckle up and step on the scale.
Well I auctually loss a pound. Woohoo!

How is everyone tonight? I made it through the whole day without cheating once and I am STILL PUMPED!! I am now playing the Rocky theme song in my head for motivation and I am ready to change in the new year!

stormy- Congrats on the weight loss instead of a weight gain. I am glad that you are still moving in the right direction.

little grasshopper- You are certainly being smart about the gym. Try before Buy I always say! You really can't lose since you get the month for free. It is funny they are advertising massages to you. Little do they know!

red balloon- Get better soon!! I feel for you! I really hope you got a ride in because I think that it is the best thing to lift your spirits. Take care of yourself!

Sthrn Belle- Just happy to hear from you. I think your three reasons pretty much hit the nail on the head for all of us.

Okay ladies- tomorrow is Wednesday (for those of us in the US) and it is "What in the heck have I been eating?"day. Let's start by giving each other an idea of what kind of plan we are following. I know what most of you are doing but let's check in and write out our food plan as best we can. I don't know about you all but I think it will help me stay on track.

I will start tonight-
I am trying to stay under 1200 calories and eat nothing fried and as little refined sugar of any kind that I can. For me this means- no cokes, fast food, convienance foods etc. This is a big change from my typical diet- especially not eating out on food that is bad for me. I am trying to eat as natural and raw foods as I can. I am trying to get away from anything processed. I am also trying to drink as much water as I can. That is pretty much it for me.

Okay-well I need to go to bed. My bf's truck is broken down so I get to get up at 6 am to take him to work so I can have my car tomorrow.
Thanks so much for all the support and kindness- you guys really inspire me to keep on losing..
The question for tomorrow is:
What are the top 5 things that make you happy that you can not buy in a store?

Mine are:
1. family
2. sitting on my porch in the Fall brisk air
3. my dog cuddling with me
4. working on my novel on my computer
5. curling up in my favorite chair and rereading one of my favorite books.
Corny but true...

Hi!

Well my plan is 1200-1500 cals/day. I allow one cheat day/week when I can eat whatever I want to eat (Mexican food, Chinese food, Italian food, desserts, whatever I want). I try to stay away from high carbs during the rest of the week (ie pasta, rice, bread, sugar). I eat lean meats,veggies, EAS low carb shakes, Zone bars etc. during the week. My plan also consists of working out 6 days a week for 45-60 mins. I alternate with strength training, elliptical, cardio videos, and Pilates. I get bored easy so I need variety.

Things I love that can not be bought:
my relationship with God, my husband, my family, my friends, my animals, my job, any type of water ( I love the ocean), starry nights, I could go on and on. There are so many wonderful things that are free!

Crimegirl, oops, you said five things. Sorry! Are you writing a crime/mystery novel?

Hi people. You've probably all hunkered down for the night but here I am, going on 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon and it is snowing like crazy! Yuck! Tokyo grinds to a halt with snow and I can't ride! Went out to the riding club though I thought I may get rained out. The rain turned to snow (I didn't even know they were expecting any!) and so I couldn't ride. Oh well, the truck with the wood chips came and had I been riding the horse would have been freaking out and that may not have meant things would end on a good note. Instead I took the opportunity to give my horse carrots without taking her out to work and then cleaned tack, took the bridle totally apart and cleaned the saddle and my boots. So, it wasn't a wasted morning. Now, back, just had a sweet potato with butter, yummy and now am catching up with you oh so prolific ones!

Oh yeah, I never did the Tuesday thing, reasons to lose weight (get the body I want, oh yeah, baby!) Hmm. let's see, well, there are the usual ones, which you've all nailed already and then some and I agree and second all of them (with the exception of trying to get pregnant! , health, looks, fitting into clothes, so I'll add:

(whoops, just swallowed a mouthful of tea the wrong way! have you ever tried to cough with a whole mouthful without it spraying all over the place?! well, I did it!!! ) Okay, getting back, sounds like I'm on a caffeine buzz or something and I'm NOT. I have stayed off the stuff 'cept for the morning electro-shock-treatment-like megadose. Even bought some fancy (read expensive) ground caffeine-free beans on the way home. I thought what the heck. May even start doing a real connisseur-like grind for each cup thing.

Okay, getting back to my reasons for losing weight:

1. Because I want to be judged on my looks! and THEN when I've got all these superficial, shallow types sniffing around paying me all their compliments and realizing that heh, there's a whole lot more than looks going on with this chick, I can then just give 'em the coldest shoulder I can muster and send them on their sweet shallow way! You see, now it's the other way 'round. People sniffing around knowing there's a lot to me but if I don't want to buddy up they come out with the low shots.

2. So I can enter a horse show (also true literally, because the riding club head doesn't want any chubbies riding for his club) and not have to avoid the mirrors during my test and afterward be able to look at the photos of me getting my blue ribbon without having to pretend it was a bad shot that made me look fat. That would be hard to do with the video! And so people don't look at me when I say I ride and (because they only think of skinny little jockeys) think how can she possibly ride!? (kind of the shallow type there as well.)

3. So I can buy tons and tons of great-looking clothes AND so I can buy them here too if I like because here the fancy clothes tend to come no bigger than a size 6. I mean, that's like tops and if you're bigger the store clerks turn up their noses and say, "oh, I'm afraid we don't carry anything bigger than a 6!" and look at you like you're just the lowest form of life form that ever did crawl into their store!

4. So I can feel free, totally free and not have to think about what roll of fat is showing or how big my butt looks or how much my thighs resemble Redwood trunks or if someone takes a picture of me with my chin pulled back that there may seem to be the semblance of a double chin! Ee gads!

************

stormy -- glad you like my positive attitude. I'm just trying to feel better, stop thinking so much, just feel good and just ignore things around me, just deal with them and not allow them to catch me, drag me down and stomp on me. Don't know if I'll be able to maintain at the workplace from **** though. Gonna try tomorrow.

Thanks for thinking of me. Yes, I feel a lot better. Congrats on your weight loss. You've been doing good, right, eating well? Keep it up. You can do this.

Yeah, that tsunami was bad. Actually, I hear that the area never gets them and so didn't have any warning systems in effect. They're now asking Japan for theirs. Japan has quakes all the time and the first thing you do after a tremor if you live near the coast is switch on the TV to catch the report and see if a tidal wave is on the way. Even so, sometimes they come too fast and/or people pooh-pooh the danger. There was a quake up on the northern island of Hokkaido a few years ago and the tidal wave killed a lot of people.

You know, I don't travel much at all stormy. In fact, I rarely do. You just hit me at a traveling kind of time and yeah, I do little overnights in the area and sit in trains a lot but that Hong Kong trip was the first time out of the country in a year.
___________


little grasshopper -- Yes, thanks, I do feel much better even though I didn't get to ride. I always feel depressed when I can't ride but today I just tried to blast that feeling away by focusing and thinking of things that made me feel good and I'm trying a new thing that sounds kind of schizo or like I've been doing too much acid or something but I've been just practicing feeling GOOD, for no reason, just to practice the feeling, just to remember! the feeling and then think of things that would make me feel that way, NOT things that happened that I can . . . well, yeah maybe if I start taking Zoloft or Prozac or start nipping on the sherry from early in the day. . . feel good about. No, that just doesn't work. Instead I've been thinking of fantasies of things that would absolutely knock my socks off. I had the idea on Christmas, remembering the way all the presents under the tree made me feel. Well, I've been writing up little fantasies (heh, some of 'em I'm going to submit to Playgirl! ) about things that would have be getting that giddy, oh so happy feeling. So, I've been writing up little scenarios of me unwrapping presents that go like, poof! instant dream, instant fantasy of the things I would LOVE to have, do, but most importantly things that would make me FEEL fantastic.

And OH, YES!! that is so GREAT that people are noticing you lost weight. And it's no fantasy. Those are the best ones!! Good for you!
Hope you enjoy the gym, if even for a month. You can do a LOT in a month.

Crime girl -- Ok, good luck on the weight loss. I understand your wanting to set a goal high. I'm the same. Just don't set yourself up for a disappointment. I'm going to write more on your later post later.

SthrnBelle -- good to hear from you and thanks for writing your reasons for losing weight. Good luck to you!

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OK, this is getting long so I'll be back later to write more and continue catching up!

Hi everyone!! top of the mornin to ya!

It's still COLD outside. Guess I need to head further south if I want warm huh. I'm trying to get motivated to leave my house. I never did do the belly dancing DVD last night. BF took the TV and then wanted to watch a movie with ME. Made it like a special midweek date night or something. More important than a belly dancing tape for sure! We had a great night.

Crime girl - I'm with stormy, what kind of novel? That's very exciting. congratulations on your cheat free day! that's a huge step so close after the holidays!!! You're doing great!!

Stormy - you lost weight over Christmas - I want some of what you're on All that exercise and moderation in eating paid off You are doing so well!!!! Tell me your jeans are fitting better Bet that butt looks great too good for you!

Red balloon - don't do the fantasy thing while driving dear. It sounds wonderful though!! I try to spend a bit of time each day letting go of whatever is making me angry or tense. I use to be a very angry person. I'm in the perfect field though. Most of my life has soft relaxing music in the back ground, with a low lit room and a warm table. It's a wonder I don't fall asleep on these people! seriously though, I have seen a big change in my overall happiness since I started thinking about the things I hold on to and why I'm still harboring those feelings. I really enjoy it. I guess I practice contentment instead of contempt

okay, 5 things that are free.......my dogs (although very expensive to care for), my relationship (CG I put the dogs first, just for you), my job, time in nature - sunsets from a cliff side campfire, in the middle of the smokies, piece of mind.

What I'm eating....still on the allergy diet. All foods organic and fresh, only grain is rice, lovely rice. Fruits are prunes and pears, and raw nuts. I also don't combine grains with protiens or fruit. Eat fruit all alone and then either have meat and veggies or rice product and veggies. Makes digestion easier and speeds weight loss. challenging but once I got the hange of it it's much easier. Also I feel sluggish now when I combine foods. So I'm much better for it.

okay off to the gym!

Good morning everyone!

Red balloon, I heard that you can get nice designer clothes in that area for much cheaper than the States, is that true? Size 6, c'mon? Are you serious? Now are the size 6's the same as a six in the States?

Crimegirl, I see that you lost a pound. Congrats! Are you getting to do your 30 mins. of exercise each day? If you follow your plan plus the exercise you should start seeing atleast a 2 pound/week weight loss. Are right, what is the novel about. Now you have us all curious.

Little GH, bellydancing sounds fun. I am sure that it is a great workout. Plus it is very sexy. Can you get your BF to work out with you? I know that he rides bikes so maybe you two can workout together? Even with the weight I have lost I still do not feel like my jeans are feeling much looser which is very discouraging. However, yesterday my hubby complimented me on my butt. He must be on crack or something. I am not sure if he was serious or if he has just seen me cut back on my food and up my exercise or maybe he just wants something, who knows?

I hope everyone has a great day. Stay positive, eat clean, exercise!

Hi everyone! How are you this bright and beautiful day?
I got up at 6 am this morning to take the bf to work and have been busy getting things done since then. I went to the grocery store at 7 am and bought all kind of food that is good for us. I think I am going to go to the store at the break of dawn from now on. There was nobody in there so it was so nice.

stormy- You are wrong about going south for warm weather. It is 34 degrees here and the people here act like it is subzero weather. Everyone has their fireplaces going and most people are bundled up in big winter coats. Floridians shouldn't even have fireplaces and I don't even own a coat. It is nippy though. I am sure it is much colder where you are though. I wish I lived somewhere that has seasons.
Thanks for noticing the pound lost and I am holding on to that minor victory until I can report a much bigger one. I am a lot more serious about trying to lose now so I am hoping for better results.
You should give your hubby credit - some women have to set themselves on fire to get their husband to notice them. I know what you mean about him wanting something though- my bf tends to think I am gorgeous when he needs something.
Also- you put something on your list that should be on mine- my relationship with God. That should have been number one. Anyway- glad you are doing well and keep up the great work!

red balloon- Glad to see a long post from you. How are you feeling today? I am sorry you didn't get to ride but at least it wasn't a wasted day- sounds like you got a lot done. I like your list of reasons to lose- I especially identify with the riding one. I don't do some of the things I love because of my weight. For example- I can't make my fat butt get on a bike. It just looks too funny to try to do. Keep up the great work and I am sure you will be in a show one day soon.

little grasshopper- You are funny putting your dog first. My bf once asked me if I had to choose between him and Charlie (my dog) which would I pick. He got mad because I did not immediately answer him. I had to think about it. In your plan you don't combine some foods? Is that a good idea for anyone or special to your plan? I have heard about people that combine certain foods to lose weight and I always wondered if it had merit.

To answer all of you- I am writing two things. One is a mystery novel- it started out as something to do for fun and it turned into a book or at least part of one. It is therapy for me- I can be someone else for awhile. The other thing I am writing is a kind of memoir- I am trying to recall as much of my childhood as I can- trying to log those things I loved as a child and special memories I have. My mom is also doing this and we will trade when we are done and then put them away for the day if or when I have children. It has been so much fun to do for both of us that we are writing much more than we originally intended to.

Well I should go- I have to run about a thousand errands and I have a house to clean. Have a wonderful day (night for you red) everyone!!
I will be on later to bore you with my life.

Yo!
Where is everyone? Did I scare everyone off?
I just got home from running errands and so far today I have been cheat free. The only bad thing I did today was get on my scale which promptly told me that I gained 3 pounds. That can't be right can it? Talk about discouraging!
Anyway- wanted to say hi and check in-I will pop back on later.