Hi All,

Just thought I would pop in and say Hi. I haven't posted in forever but I still come by and read all the posts most everyday to keep up. Just been lurking here and there.
It's great to see so much activity here. I've been maintaining but need to get my body moving so I can see that scale start to move again.
Have a great weekend everyone.

Hi chicks! Just thought i'd say hi. I havent posted much lately, but i have kept up with all the postings. Hope everyone is doing good. My food and excersise have been good, i am getting to the point that when i dont excersise, i miss it, lol. My work schedule is keeping me extremely busy these days, with little time for anything fun.
Julie Cees: thanks for the recipes you shared earlier in the week, the apples with cinnamon and splenda are something i definetly need to try!
I have been on a real clothes binge lately, anyone else feeling that way? Its like the more i lose, the more new clothes i want! I guess it comes from never having "cute" clothes before, now i feel i cant get enough!
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Take care.

Good morning, chickadees! I've been away for a couple days. My job is very hectic right now and on Thursday night had a big family drama that lasted til Friday. I won't go into the details of the drama, but suffice it to say that my dad is an alcoholic and I can TOTALLY relate to what others have posted about needing to cut off certain family members for the sake of their own health and sanity.

I am continuing to struggle with my eating. I went way overboard last night. I know I was eating to comfort myself from all the emotional strain of the past two days. I guess it's progress that I now realize when I am eating to comfort myself emotionally, I just wish I could figure out a different way to achieve the same result because food works so darned well for me (in the short term). I can start eating while feeling anxious, depressed, sad but once I have started eating I feel a sense of calm and that all is right with the world. I am more aware of the mood shift now. It is very bizarre to me. But it clearly is a strong driving factor in my overeating.

I have been noticing how many of you are using swimming or water aerobics for exercise. It really has me wanting to try it. Right now I work out at Curves, which is OK but I am starting to get bored with it after just 2 months. Plus my knees are starting to really bother me. It sickens me what I have done to my body. I used to do hour long step aerobics classes or an hour on the elliptical or stair master (130 pounds ago) without at much stress and strain as I do know with just the walking in place I do at Curves between weight sets. There is a big new gym fairly close to my house that has a pool. I kind of want to go check it out, but I have reached a point I am almost embarrassed to set foot in a "real" gym. I know, I need to get over it.


Tashabella - congrats on the good bloodwork results!

SueMarie - thanks for the chocolate dipped banana idea. I am going to try it!

Doxiemom - Oh how frustrating with the paint color fiasco! I have been working on slowly painting the interior of my house and I know it is so much work to paint. (For me the work comes from lugging all this weight up and down the ladder ) I am sure you were just beside yourself when you had to redo some of your work. Sounds like you and hubby got it done though.

Lilion - Congratulations on the loss and on the lower blood pressure. As for leaving work early, hey, we all need to take a "mental health day" every now and then. Go for it!

hippivanlady - Thanks so much for all the great information you share. I know that my knees and my feet have been really killing me since gaining this latest 100 pounds and after reading the info you shared, I feel it's a miracle I can walk at all without blowing out my joints. I really do need to be kinder to my body and get rid of this weight.



Well, I am off to my Curves workout now. Have nice weekend everyone!

Gizmo and Future Diva – HELLO!

Xena – your welcome on the chocolate dipped bananas. I’m gonna look into a better way to dip them. Rather… a better chocolate to use, the pudding sorta melted quicker than would have liked, but they came out great either way I’m really enjoying the water exercise/aerobics class that I’m taking. I’ve only been to two classes, so I dunno if I’ll get bored with it. We’ll find out tho. I also have a membership to 24 hour fitness, which I use to put a different step to my exercising.

Wow everyone must be having a really fun weekend! There’s a party somewhere and we weren’t invited! not to many posts today. Hope everyone is keeping busy. I tried a new low fat recipe today. Called Pasta with Beef and Asparagus. Which… it was kinda bland tasting, but all-in-all was not too too bad. I’m finally putting to use my Dieter’s Cookbook hehehe.

Busy weekend… I’m a bit upset with the guy who is suppose to do my driveway. We made an appointment for him to come today to do it, and he never showed!!!! GRRR!! I called him and left a message to see where he is at. Waiting for him to call back. Grrr!!! So I called around for someone else to come and give me an estimate. Unfortunately it’s the weekend and so most people are closed. Sigh….

Ahh well… I had my state exam today. Well… I feel confident about my math section. The science section I might be a little off on. I’ll have to go onto the website and see when they are going to post scores… *bites nails*

Hope everyone has a better weekend than me!

Sue…

Lori, I'm not going to call my birthday wishes late just yet since I got it in here before you wake up on the day after. Hope you had a nice day yesterday. This one's for you!

Hi Everyone,

I have wonderful news! I have been calling all of the shelters every day for my Dad's dog Whiskers and no body has seen him. My Dad told me on Wednesday that I need to let it go that his little dog has drowned in the river. I couldn't let it go yet. I just couldn't. My mom told me that my Dad asked her to take the dog's picture down in their den (small 5X7) picture of the dog. So, he was really suffering some depression over his dog. Well, Friday morning, I did my normal call to the shelters and one of them said, "Ya, I think he was brought in here". I was so thrilled . The shelter guy told me to not tell my Dad in case it isn't the dog. Well, I went to the shelter and it was Whiskers. I took him to my Dad and he was thrilled, overjoyed and so excited. He is such a strong man and he almost was moved to tears over his dog. The dog jumped on my Dad's lap and my dad was like, " oh boy, where have you been, I thought you were a gonner". My dad was hugging the dog, so happy. Any way, Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart for all of your prayers and kind words. The prayers were answered and Whiskers is Home. A 70 year old man with a broken leg is happy again.


Congrats on your -1.5 Biggirl, -2.5 Jillybean, -1 Lilion, -1 Catherine and if I missed anyone, Congrats on your losses.

Suemarie, the banans sound yummy. Thanks for sharing.

Tashabella: I am so glad that you finally got your results and they are all managable.

Bamamom: Come on girl, you can do it, you are just around the corner from posting a loss.

MissMellis: So good to see you and Tansea posting again.

Doxiemom: No matter what color the room, I'm sure your son will be thrilled. I am glad that he is coming back and you survived.

Catherine: Thank you for sharing the info on the 1 pound = to 4 joint loads. Wow, I was wondering why after just losing 28 pounds I feel like I can move around so much better already.

Shadie: Hi there. Glad to see you are still doing well.

Gizmov: good job on maintaining

Futurediva: I can't wait to buy new clothes. I am holding back though even though most of my clothes make me look like a clown now.

Xena: Maybe a support group that you actually go to would help you like Overeaters Anonymous or something like that? Hope something helps you to get motivated. Keep on coming here and sharing. I am praying for you.

Lori: Happy Birthday! I hope you had a blast with your family!
Blessings to everyone,
Dogpal

Hello!

Glad to see we all seem to be okay… today will be a bad day for me, it’s my mum’s birthday so I am going out for a meal to a great restaurant and they do the best ice cream, so day off today, although I am not going over the top! But I figure I have done well so far to lose 8lbs and I am really enjoying being at the gym!

I just want to say I changed the design on the website around a bit! Did not like the old colours so did something new…. I prefer this look it’s much better…

http://www.freewebs.com/roxerally/

and

Wow, I had a four pound loss this week. It has been a long time since the needle has jumped more than a smidgen. I got on the scale twice because I didn't believe it. I also lost some inches, so I know that it must be true. I am going to chalk it up to cobblestone walking. Silly, I know, but if I chalk it up to something good, then I'm more likely to stick with it. I also ate closer to 1600 than the 1800 I have been trying to hit. Before when I have gotten below 1800, I have gained weight, so my body is once again confusing me. I do sometimes feel like a lab experiment in someone's petrie dish. I have to remind myself that there have probably been very few women who weighed 600 pounds take it off naturally. I feel like I am going places that no one has gone before. I don't have anyone to talk to about it except you chickies. My doctor can't even give me advice. He's never seen anyone do it, and doesn't know what to expect my body to do. He has me come in every three months just to check in. I think they want to catch me quick if I start to give up or give in. All they can do is be cheerleaders, and help me adjust my meds. I keep telling myself that I can't fail. Someone has to show that it can be done naturally, so that when doctors say that there is no other choice except surgery, I can raise my hand with an objection. I found it insulting when told that I was incapable of changing. No one has the right to tell another human being that they should just give up, that there is no hope for someone like me, or that we lack the moral fiber to be healthy. I hope to one day dance on the grave of the cardiologist who told me that my character was too flawed for him to help me get well. Wow, where did that soap box come from.

Dogpal-Yippie!!, I am so glad for your dad. At 70, a big blow can put them into a depression that makes them lose the will to live. My father died at 71 because they made him retire at 70, and he lost his reason to get up in the morning.

I have now burned off 808,500 of the calories that I took in over the years and didn't need. When I hit a million, I think I am going to have a party.

Hey chicks! Just thought i'd pop in and say hi!
Dogpal: I am so happy that your father's dog was found! That story almost had me in tears, it was so touching! Your dad is lucky to have such a caring daughter as you, who didnt give up til you found the dog.
Catherine: Congratulations on the wt loss. Your postings never cease to inspire and move me. You are doing awesome, you should be very proud of yourself. That would be awesome if all the people who doubted you in the past, could see how far you have come
I hope all the other ladies on the board are having a nice weekend. I am working, but things are ok. Food and excersise are still going well, although the evil PMS monster is calling my name, lol.
Everyone take care and have a great day

dogpal - I can't tell you how happy I am for you, for your dad, AND for Whiskers that he was found. I can't imagine how traumatic it would be to lose a pet and never find them again. And I am very empathetic towards animals so I also feel so bad for them being lost, scared, hungry, cold, etc. I am so glad you kept trying until you found him. I can't imagine who was more relieved...your dad or Whiskers!!! Oh, and thanks very much for your prayers. I have gone to OA off and on. I was going to a step study with a great group of ladies but had to stop because of a class I was taking. They are still going strong and I am able to rejoing them this week on Wednesday. Am looking forward to that.

Mazarin - Congratulations on the 8 pounds and going to the gym. Remember, one birthday party with ice cream will not undo all the hard work you have done. Try to enjoy yourself sensibly and tomorrow get right back on your plan. You are doing great! Keep it up. I'm gonna go check out your website after I finish posting.

hippivanlady - You are to be admired. In the short time I have been posting on this thread you have become and inspiration to me. The dediction and strength of will it has taken to achieve what you have so far is amazing. I have no doubt you will make it to your goal. From reading your posts I can tell how hard you have worked to educate yourself (and us too! ) about obesity and weight loss. You say you feel like a experiment in someone's petri dish. I think that is exactly why you have been so successful. It sounds like you really track what you are eating, how much exercise you are doing and paying attention to what result you get, adjusting as necessary. You are awesome!!!

I wanted to thank everyone for the nice things they say about me. Forgive me for not thanking everyone individually. I have always had a difficult time accepting praise or congratulations. It is a big issue for me. I just realized that I hit two big milestones. I now have less than 200 pounds left to lose to reach my goal. That seems so hard to believe. I remember when I had well over 400 to lose, and could barely get out of bed. I had to listen to Sunday Mass on the radio. Today, I can be a proud pew-warmer. That is one of a thousand small triumphs that I have been given as a gift. Today is also the 1 year anniversary of my starting to write everything I eat and do in a food journal. In that year, I have lost 139 pounds, 12 inches off my hips alone, and have risen from my wheelchair and walked. This has not been my miracle alone, it has touched my friends and family, and the strength came from someone greater than myself. All I can do is be grateful for every new sunrise I am given.

Glory be... Catherine...Glory be

Good Evening Ladies!

This has been mental health weekend for me. I've been incredibly lazy, spent much time in bed or on the couch and vegged. I spent most of today and yesterday reading the new Harry Potter book. We picked it up yesterday afternoon and I finished it a few minutes ago. Yes, it is 30 chapters and 652 pages long. But when you consider I read the last book, which was longer, in one day, it wasn't that much. My DH was complaining when I picked it up that I wasn't going to hog it this time. I told him he only had a day to wait, so he really wasn't suffering much. I just love those books. Now I just have several years to wait for the next one!

I can't say I've been "good" this weekend. Friday especially was a poor food day. I was just in such a funk over work I demanded we go out to eat and we went to Ryan's. Nothing like buffet food to make you feel fat. At least I mostly ate seafood, fried though it was.

You ladies are always such an inspiration to me. Catherine, you especially. You know you have come so far and well over 1/2 way there! Can't wait until I reach the 1/2 way point myself.

Well ladies, not too much to say tonight. I'll try to do better tomorrow~

Hi ladies! I'm sorry it's been a while - things have been absolutely hectic. Between the wedding, recovering from the wedding, yadda yadda, I just haven't had much time to sit down and catch up with everyone. Hopefully I'll be able to spend a bit of time catching up this week.

Congrats to those who have lost, and those who keep on truckin' despite roadblocks here and there.

Welcome to all the new people! It's nice to see new faces. You'll love it here.

As for me, my last weigh in was great, and it hasn't been great since then I was down to 332.5lbs, and then I weighed in this morning and I'm back up to 335. I can blame it on a lot of things, and I truly think a big part of it is water weight, but it's just a kick in the butt to get motivated again. I've let everything else take precedence and I can't continue doing that.

I've been dating someone on and off (mostly on now) for the last few months. We finally got our butts in gear and decided to be serious about the relationship. He bought me a promise ring.. and we've discussed the big 'M'. We'll see where this goes.

And, finally, to end the rambling - yesterday was a milestone for me, though it wasn't weight-loss related. Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of my accident. A year ago today, I didn't know if I'd be able to walk again. But.. I'm here, walking, and doing much better mentally and physically than I was at any given point last year. Yay!

Hippievanlady – Congrats on the 4lbs!

It’s been rather hectic, things are going to slow down for me now. So I’m hoping that I’ll be able to catch up with school and still have a little time to clean up the house. I’m hosting a BBQ this Weekend. Got a few close friends coming over. We’re gonna get rowdy I need a little chaos in my life. Stress relief hehehe. I’m not gonna toss out my diet tho. I am going to be good! A few friends over, a fun card game and few smoothies and a dip in the pool and we’re good to go. I’m looking forward to this weekend.

OH! Which reminds me… the guy who was suppose to come down and do my driveway… he had a family emergency. So that’s why he didn’t show up. He came down Sunday to apologize and said he would come over Monday with a guy to give us an estimate on that dump we were looking for. (we need to have all the dirt he’s gonna dig up hauled out and dumped… so need an estimate on the cost of that). So I’m hoping that THIS time we’ll be able to get started this Saturday on the driveway… GRR! Heheheh…I can understand a family emergency and I appreciate him coming down and apologizing as well…

I weighed myself this morning… I’m down 2lbs. Which I find really really exciting, because after so long, I’m finally moving in the right direction again. Although I am down, I’m not going to count those 2lbs just yet, because I’m still going through my cycle with Uncle TOM and Aunt Flo… so I don’t want it to be a fluke. I went to a Champaign brunch today… I was good I didn’t have any Champaign, but I ate more than I should have. I’m okie with it, I shouldn’t have done it, but I’m not gonna get upset over it. I did some laps in my pool, hope that might help some. Not to mention I’ll be going to water aerobics tommorrow.

Alrighty ladies, I’m outta here. Take care!

Sue…