Hello All,

Well sometimes I surprise even myself!! Today we had to go grocery shopping when Caleigh got home from school. By the time we got home I was starving. BUT did I give in and have pizza with my family when we got in. NOPE. I cooked vegetables and smoked cod. It took a while to cook, and I smelled the lovely pizza and watched them eat it, but I kept strong. I am pretty happy that 6 weeks into the diet and I am still feeling strong. Just thought I would share

Catherine - that is so great that you got going away from presents from some friends. I really hope you get your book published because it will make fantastic reading. I imagine you will put how you weren't particularly friendly when you were much bigger, and that you enjoy having friends now.

Sue - wow gaiing that much weight taking BC would make anybody want to come off it lol. I am glad it doesn't seem to be effecting you now though and that you are losing weight, not gaining it. Keep up the excellent work. Oh and I know how you feel about our online family here, it really makes all the difference to dieting doesn't it.

Andrea - good luck with the willpower tomorrow, you really don't want to eat any of that naughty food at your son's fall festival. Make sure you eat before you go, and take something to drink, and maybe some chewing gum too so that you keep yourself away from the temptations of the yummy stuff.

Neurotica - that is fantastic that you lost 4 lbs. You should be really proud of yourself. Keep up the good work!!

PJ - are you ok, I hope you will post soon.

Sharon - it's lovely talking to you on messenger, one day we will manage a long chat.

Luan - how are you feeling now, is the cold all gone now.

Hope everybody has a great weekend. Take care and bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

Hi ladies, hope everyone is well tonight. i am enjoying the fall weather we are finally having here
Catherine: how much longer til your trip? will you be able to post while there? I hope you have a great time, i know you will.
I have a big trip coming up in november, a 7 day cruise I have been getting ready for it for some time now, and i cant wait. fitting into the 14/16 formal dress has been a good motivator to continue losing.
I hope everyone has a great weekend, and dogpal, if your reading this, i miss your posts you are such a motivating and sweet person, i hope you are ok.
bye for now ladies

Ammi0---Thanks for the tips tomorrow...I am going to eat before we go and I am gonna make sure I take a bottled water and I think the gum will help too. Great job for not giving in to the pizza....Even after 6 weeks. That is great. That is my main problem....I will do good for about a month or two and I always end up going back to my old habits. I know this time is different and I am not going back to my old eating habits. This is MY LIFE and I have to take control.

I know exactly what you mean! There have been quite a few times that I have been grateful at ONLY GAINING whatever!

It is amazing that I can puff up to 3-5 pounds the day or two before TOM only to drop it suddenly once I get past day one. I feel like a baby cow during that time. I bet when you weigh again, you will see a pleasant surprise!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillybean

I ended up yesterday at about 1200 calories, so i was happy with that. My planned food for today brings me to about 1400 calories, and gosh darn it, I AM going to stick to my plan!

So . . . how did you do with your plan!? Sometimes I just have to do that "just for today" thing too. It helps the mountain climb seem a little less daunting.

Congrats on the loss Sharon! I hope you feel better soon!

9lbs is a big deal especially if you have kept it off. And going away is especially challenging to me when trying to lose weight. Good for you for seeing the positive side. I need to sit next to you to see if I can shake off my gloom and doom over the huge mountain I feel like I'm climbing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ammi

Ages ago they advertised on TV over here for people who want to lose a lot of weight. If you were chosen you would be away from friends and family for 10 weeks. Well at the time I was recovering from recent surgery anyway, but also I don't think I could have coped with being away from my family for that long. BUT I now find out that the show they were going to do was The Biggest Loser UK. Now if I was well, and if I knew they were talking serious prize money at the end of it all too, I might just have applied. We have just finished seeing the US version of the show, and I am amazed at how fantastic all of them look right now, especially Mo, he has lost so much weight, I bet he feels amazing. I hope he continues to lose. Anyway our show starts next Thursday and I am looking forward to watching it.

I LOVE that show! I wish I could see the UK version. It comes on Tuesday nights here and it is like a "pick me up" to remind me of why I am going hungry! The dedication of these people are so inspiring! And thank you Ammi, for all the kind words of support! It really means a lot to me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catherine

Today was my last day in the pool before my trip. I actually got going away presents from the ladies. Just the idea that I have friends now is a new experience for me. I was such an angry unpleasant person while I was larger that making friends wasn't easy. I don't think I really even wanted anyone caring about me because I didn't care about myself. It's the old "I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member" thing. Plus, to make friends, you usually have to leave the house.

Girl, I bet if we ever talked on the phone, it would be for hours!!! You are singin' my song! Before I say anything else, I just need to say this: I BOW BEFORE YOU! What you have accomplished is so inspiring to me that I just have to say THANK YOU for taking the time to post here. You have no idea how touched I have been to read some of your story. I went back to some of your first posts and your dedication to yourself and your journey are the stuff good books are made of! I saw that you mentioned you were writing a book. I'd love to know more about it.

And good luck with revealing the beginning of your journey to your honey! If he is a smart man, he will realize how lucky he is to be with someone with the force of strength and courage you have shown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea

I am going to be tempted by all the food there...hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, caramel apples and funnel cakes. I am gonna make sure that I eat before we go. Wish me luck. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Good luck Andrea! Walking away without giving in will be such a big deal! I sometimes don't give myself credit for the "small" things I do to show a commitment to myself. BTW, I am new here too!

Quote:

Originally Posted by futurediva

Hi ladies, hope everyone is well tonight. i am enjoying the fall weather we are finally having here

I know what you mean!!! I live in NC and today was almost perfect! Great job, btw, on your HUGE weight loss! Yet another inspiring person here!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea

I know this time is different and I am not going back to my old eating habits. This is MY LIFE and I have to take control.

Preach it sista!

I'm down to my last 60 hours before I leave for my trip. I have to remind myself to breath. I actually ate chocolate last night. I occasionally have a piece once or twice a month, but I ate more than I normally would have. It put me up to 2500 calories for the day, but I can live with that. I also have no desire to have any more. I should be starting my tom this weekend, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. I'm taking more luggage than I'd like to, but I'm taking a bag of food for the trip, so I have to just deal with it. I didn't want to run the risk of eating something along the way that would disagree with me. 4 1/2 days on a bus, while dealing with cramps is bad enough without adding digestive difficulties to the mix. I've been eating this way long enough that if I even attempt to eat something with too much fat in it, it makes me quite ill. I no longer have the right kind of bacteria in my gut to digest junk. I starved them all to death, he he and RIP. My beau is so nervous that he is actually cleaning house. That is apparently not normal according to his sister. I told her I have 5 older brothers, so I get it that guys are messy and smelly. I grew up down wind from the OKC Stockyards, if it doesn't smell as bad as rotten pig's blood, it's not going to bother me. See, I have now officially gone goofy. I just hope I'm not speaking in tongues by the time I get there. The border guards may think I'm on something and rip apart all my luggage looking for contraband.

Hello All,

Saturday and what a stupid day it is. The sun is shining, but every so often it pours with rain!! Not a day for drying washing outside unfortunately. So it's now all on the clothes horse, or waiting to go on the clothes horse in the kitchen. I hate drying clothes indoors. Anyway enough of my moaning.

Sharon 2 (aka neurotica) - I love the way you put quotes in your replies, it helps to remember what you want to comment about. Me, I don't even beging to know how to do that, so I just keep on scrolling up and down lol. It's a shame you don't get the UK version of the show. Perhaps when it has finished over here they might show it over there then.

Sharon - how are you feeling today. I haven't seen you on messenger, so I am guessing you are having a busy day.

Catherine - less than 60 hours, but who's counting LOL I am so excited for you. Boy that journey is a long one. So you are very wise taking food to eat etc. I hope the trip won't be rough on you, and that you will have a wonderful time with your guy and meeting his family

Andrea - I am the same as you normally, diet at the most for 3 months and then forget about it and gain back all the weight I had lost, and some more. This time though I am trying to convince myself that even if I decide to stop dieting before I get to goal, I WILL maintain my loss and not gain any of it back. I am fed up of the yo yo diet. So if I fall off the wagon, I will maintain until I am ready to get back on track yet again. It's the best way to do it I am sure.

Futurediva - oh to fit into a 14/16 dress, that would be a dream. I bet you will look beautiful in yours and I hope we get to see some photos of this cruise you are going on. I went on 5 cruises all around the islands near Australia. Problem is they were trips made between the ages of 5 and 12. I would dearly love a cruise now as an adult!! I would love to do a Richard Simmons cruise actually. People tease him awfully but I think he is so much fun, he makes exercising less of a chore.

PJ, Luan, Jill, Sue, and any others I have missed, a big hi to you all, and I hope you can post soon.

Hugs,

Ammi

Good morning ladies. Here I am on Saturday morning trying to catch up again. You all are surely a group of prolific posters! I enjoy reading what each of you has to say. I wish I could/would post more. I work on a computer all day at work and I have a difficult time convincing myself to get on the computer at home during the week. So I do my catching up on Saturdays.

Catherine - it's so exciting your trip is almost hear. I admire your faith and your sense of adventure that allows you to do this! Also, your post on the last thread about almost flying out of the hairdresser's chair had me laughing out loud. Count me in as one who would buy your book!

Babs - I noticed you live in Dallas. I'm in Plano. Howdy neighbor!

As for me, I gained back the little bit I lost last week which puts me right back at my starting weight. Oh well, considering all the food I ate and all the exercise I DIDN'T do, I count myself lucky. Thinking back over the week trying to determine what happened. Unlike alot of other people, I actually do better on the weekends than I do during the week. I have noticed I do alot of snacking at work. And not healthy snacks either, I am hitting the vending machine at least twice a day. And my job kind of wears me out mentally (and maybe emotionally too) so when I get home from work I just really lack any sort of motivation for anything...eating right, exercising, keeping my house. I have noticed a definite cycle with me. Saturday comes and I start everything over...my diet, I clean my house and swear I will keep it up through the week, etc. Then Monday comes and I start to feel so tired. Not a lack of sleep tired. More of a general "I'm not happy in my life" tired. And as the week progresses the diet goes by the wayside and other things start to slide.

I used to be on anti-depressants. I was crying alot and having trouble sleeping and was diagnosed as depressed. I stopped taking them after about a year because all I ever felt was sort of "flat" and I didn't like it. I seem to be better even without the meds as the crying has stopped as has the trouble sleeping (although truth be told, sometimes I think I am now wanting to sleep too much which could explain my feeling of tiredness during the week). But now I am noticing this lack of motivation thing. My doctor said that can be a sign of depression and wants me back on meds. I am hesitant to do that because I also wonder if my lack of motivation to do things like clean my house, finish painting my bedroom and dining room, etc could also be because at my weight almost every little thing I do has become infinitely more difficult physically. I notice even getting dressed in the morning almost feels like a workout and by the time I walk out the door I am sweating and my breathing is increased.

Anyway, I don't mean to go on. It's just this is my problem right now. I can't seem to stick to anything long enough to make headway. This includes more than just my diet and I just can't figure out how to make it through. I fell like if I could get through this valley and lost some weight things would become a little physically easier for me and help me to keep going. So far I have been unable to overcome this inertia for more than just a couple of day. What is it the famous physicist said, "A body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to stay at rest." The body at rest can achieve motion, but only when some energy is applied to it. So I need to find that energy. Or at the very least "fake it til I make it" as I have heard somewhere before.

Thanks, as always, for listening. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Well we just got back from my son's fall festival at school......and I DID NOT give in to temptation....The hot dogs smelled so good and so did the funnel cakes but I didn't have any. We ate before we went and I had my bottled water with me. We had lots of fun and I feel very good about not getting anything to eat there. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Hi ladies, happy saturday night, im babysitting so i am home
Hope everyone is well.
Andrea: good for you not giving in to the temptation of the fall festival. All the county fairs and things like that have way too much good and fattening food!
Amni: Thanks for the compliments I too love Richard Simmons! I have alot of his excersise videos, and a couple of his books. He is really motivating and inspiring! I would love to take a cruise with him
Xena: Im sorry your feeling down, i do know the feeling! As i mentioned last week, i have been in a funk for awhile. Yes, i am doing well with my weight loss and healthier life style, but there are still area i need to improve in. Also, for me it is hard to see myself as smaller or different looking. I still see the big fat insecure girl i have always felt like I am working on that, and while i am by no means "thin" i have come along way. i need to change my tracker one of these days, lol
Anyway, thanks for all the support and friendship that EVERYONE here brings to the boards. I honestly look forward to reading and posting and seeing how everyone is doing.
Catherine: i bet you are so excited at this point! Please let us know about the trip, i cant wait to hear about it
Well, have a great rest of the weekend, and thanks again for being such a great group of women

Hi all -- I've posted generally here and there, and am finally breaking out of my mostly lurkiness...

Last night I posted a long-winded and frankly somewhat whiny post here, but this morning I decided not to leave it up, as I think it was a function of my mood more than anything else, and I am seeing things in a better light today.

The short version is: despite some family and health problems I have been able to mostly stay on plan and am starting to see some results. I'm afraid the success I'm having staying in control of my eating may backfire some day, but at least I'm seeing results in the meantime, right?

The weather here in Illinois has been just gorgeous lately, with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s, just as I like it. I hope to take my pugs on a nice walk today, and maybe rope my husband into it too.

Good morning everyone~~

I definitely WILL be back later to post, but I wanted to make sure to come in and say a quick to Catherine and "Hope you have a great trip!" I am so excited for you. Let us know how everything is going when or if you can. I'm so happy for you that I can't stop smiling.

Okay--I have to get ready for the gym. I've been going every day at around 8:00 and I stay for a couple of hours. I'll post more later.

Like I said, Catherine--have a great time.

Hello All,

Sunday afternoon and all is well. I watched a brilliant film last night, the Chronicles of Riddach. I was so tired after it though that I went to sleep and didn't even check my emails beforehand. That is so not like me lol. But I had a good sleep, so that's the main thing.

Wyllen - You know you really didn't need to come back and change your post. Sometimes it helps to just get it all off your chest and get some feedback from people. If you ever want another 'vent' feel free to do so, here, or you can PM me if you prefer. I am a good listener. I am having my fair share of health and family problems too so I am sure I can relate. That's great that you are still keeping in control of your weight loss, how much have you lost now? It's a good feeling when everything seems to be falling down around you, to at least be in control of what you eat. So well done to you!!

Andrea - that is fabulous news that you went to the festival and didn't eat any of the delicious food on offer. I bet you feel so great now. Try to remember that feeling next time you have any temptation to overcome, and it could just help you carry on with being so in control.

Xena - I know it's depressing when you put back on what you lost and you get back to your starting weight, but you mustn't let it get to you too much. Seems to me like you have a lot going on in your life right now, so it's no surprise you can't totally commit to any one thing. You could be very right that your lack of motivation for anything comes from being overweight rather than being clinically depressed like your doctor suggested. I know what you mean about being so big that it just makes everything that much harder. The only advice I can offer is to do what I do. Once a day, choose one job to do, and take your time doing it. Don't overdo it, but try to get it done. That is my exercise. Even vacuuming a floor gets me all in a sweat. So I do the upstairs one day, the downstairs another day. It's the same with all the house work. It gets done, slowly, but it does get done. I feel good because I have achieved something I haven't done in a long time, plus I know I am burning off some calories Maybe you could give that a go, and if you still feel totally unmotivated perhaps your doctor is right. It's worth a try. I am a depression sufferer and take meds for it, but you know, the best I have felt ever is NOW, now when I am in control of my what I eat, and am doing more around the house. It's not the meds that are giving me a buzz, it's being in control again. I hope you can find the control too.

Futurediva - that's great that you have some of Richard Simmons exercise DVDs. I bought one the other day called Disco Sweat. I am not up to doing it just yet lol, but I watched it to see what it's like. I loved the music, and Richard is so funny, but best of all I loved seeing people my size actually doing the exercises too. I much prefer to see that than skinny people who may have lost loads of weight, but are still skinny doing the exercises lol. I want to see others sweating like me LOL.

Ok it's time for me to go get lunch. Take care all, and I hope everybody is doing ok.

Hugs,

Ammi

Hello girls. I am feeling a bit better today. Yesterday I walked my little dog for 40 minutes. Had to carry him for part of it because he got to hot. Yes, he is a little bit spoiled. BUt, hey, that was an extra 20 pounds so it added to the exercise, right? After that I ran around shopping all day. I am trying to start scrapbooking. I took a really great trip to many places in Europe last summer with a friend of mine and I swore to myself I would do something wonderful with all those pictures. So I went to the scrapbook store we have here and to a couple other craft stores and came home and got started. I don't know if any of you scrapbook, but it is suprising me how long it takes just to decide what things you want to buy and how you want to lay it all out. But, it's my first time, so maybe I will get better at that part. Anyway, since I am an accountant and don't get to be very creative at work I am hoping the scrapbooking will be a good creative outlet for me!

Since we are talking about Richard Simmons, the other day I ordered one of his food movers. Has anyone ever used one? If so, how did you like it. I am hoping it will be a way for me to track my food without writing everything down and counting calories or points.

Ammi - thank you for your words. You are always so kind and empathetic. You are right, I do need to just focus on one thing at a time and finish it. I have gotten to be the world's worst at trying to do everything at once and in the end not really making any progress on anything.

dolfingirl - two hours at the gym! So impressive! What do you do for a workout?

wyllen - We are glad to have you come out of your "lurkiness". Love that word! Have fun walking your pugs. What color are they? I've never had a pug but I just think they are the cutest little things with those pushed in little faces. ADORABLE!

futurediva - I know what you mean about seeing yourself as smaller or looking different. As I am going through my Europe pictures from May 2004 (and about 110 pounds ago) I look at myself and think how good I look. But at the time I distinctly remember feeling like a fat monster. Oh, the tricks our eyes and mind can play on us. I read somewhere that it takes the brain 6 months to catch up with our weightloss (or weightgain), so we continue to see ourselves as we were rather than how we are. You have come so far and I bet you look great!

Andrea - good job fending off temptation at your son's festival. It can be so hard when there is lots of yummy stuff around and everyone else is partaking. Way to go!

Well, I am off to walk my little pooch. And then back home for some housecleaning. Blah!

Take care, all.

Ammi -- Thanks for your sweet words! You're absolutely right that venting can get it off your chest, and the post itself did that. I've lost 30 pounds, and these health issues (just got diagnosed with herniated disc) make me even more determined to lose.

I did have a small NSV yesterday -- my husband and I went to the movies, and I *just* fit in the movie seat without having to ease or wedge myself in! This is the new theatre with the wider seats -- let's see how long it takes before I really fit in at the older theatre with the narrower eats!

Hello All,

Hmm, don't ask me why but this week really seems to have dragged by. I keep thinking it's the end of my 7th week of dieting when in fact it's still the 6th week. It all sounds so new, I can't wait until I am talking 6 months rather than weeks, and I can't wait to see what I weigh after all that time. I think this is one of my problems, I want to have the weight gone like yesterday. I have to keep reminding myself that I took years to get this fat and it isn't going to disappear after just a few weeks of dieting. Keep saying lifestyle change Ammi

Xena - I was glad to hear you are feeling better today and that you had a good walk with your dog. I think I should get a dog, it would inspire me to go out more. Thing is I can't stand dog hair all over the place, AND I don't want to have to worry about finding somebody to look after a doggy if I go on holiday. So for now I will have to put off getting one.

I LOVE the idea of scrap booking, I am crazy when it comes to photographs. I have a special album with photos of me and my hubby on every special occasion we have had together. That's the kind of stuff I would like to scrap book. BUT it's all so very expensive getting all the bits and bobs you need for it. So unless somebody takes the hint and buys me some stuff as a gift lol I will stick with my ordinary albums.

Wyllen - OUCH, a herniated disc sounds really nasty. I suffer with my back, I think it's sciatica. That in itself really does hinder my day to day life, so I can just imagine what a herniated disc does to you. My health problems are long recoveries after 3 surgeries in the last 3 years, all to give me an Ostomy. Before that I really suffered with Ulcerative Colitis. So my health has really sucked. I am just now healing after my last surgery. I realised that my size is debilitating me far more than my surgical wounds etc, so I decided I really do need to lose weight. When I am well I want to be fit as well, and I am finally taking the steps to get there.

Well done on your 30lbs lost so far it's wonderful when you can see the fruits of your labour isn't it. I know those seats in the cinema were wider than normal, but you still felt comfortable which at your starting weight you wouldn't have. The trains here have really small seats and last time I went on one my thighs were so sore after being squashed in between the two arms. So I look forward to when I have lost a bit more weight and then I can go on a train and see how much better I fit into the seats!!! I am sure you will be the same when you go to the older cinema again and fit easily in the old chairs.

Sharon - sorry I had to disappear earlier, Beth got in from her holiday in Spain and I wanted to go spend time with her. I did send you a message but I don't know if you go it.

Ok, that's all from me for now, so until tomorrow, goodnight and happy Monday Weigh In's for those that do it on that day.

Hugs,

Ammi