Kenya- Thanks for the encourgament- you are right we all will slip up from time to time. You are doing so good- even packing you lunch! keep it up!

Ammi-i'm so sorry to hear you have a cold, and just before you go to London I understand your urge to eat, because you are thinking about the break you are going to have. Maybe it would help you to plan staying OP-seeing as WW has bonus points per week, and for excercise which you will get from walking. not to say you shouldn't enjoy yourself, but maybe having that frame of mind will help you resist the urge now, and also once you get there.
i have to say that once I've messed up, giving up has always been my biggest downfall- i figure what's the point- today is already a wash. I think that was the first time I've ever overcome that obstacle.
Job update: I have a second interview tommorrow for the position. It will be a panel interveiw, with 4 people. That makes me even more nervous. I have to say that even if I don't get the job, i won't be too discouraged because I'm one of five and I'm competting with women who are 30+ and I'm only 22- so that says something for me! anyway-wish me luck!

Jill- I think you've got the right idea- adding one facet of your diet/excercise at a time. I know that when I start with too much I get overwhelmed and give up. That's why I started with excercise before my nutrisystem food came- to get myself geared up. Plus- excercise has always been my strong point-dieting my week point. I hope phase 2 leaves down more than phase 1- it sounds like it will!

Nancy- Oh my!! i would have responded the same way had I gotten that bill. 13,000 is no laughing matter, and not an acceptable mistake. Take your time, I'm sure that once you are sure all is fixed you will feel much better. I would be nervous until I knew for sure.

Erica- you are definitley at the right place! I find myself so motivated by everyone here- I'm sure you will too. How much are you hoping to lose before trying for kids? I also want kids but want to be down a lot more before I start trying, I figure having kids and weight loss don't work to well together. Welcome again!! Look forward to getting to know you and routing you on to success!!

Melissa- I know I'm not an expert but i feel certain that your slower weight loss is a result of building muscle. The fact that you are losing inches and doing everything right just confirms it. It's good too- because you know for sure that you are toning up- which means that as you lose weight you are less likely to have excess skin, you will be healthier, plus muscle actually helps you lose weight- so it's worth the wait to lose more weight! (I really didn't mean to make a rhyme, but it's a good motivator )

I've done really well today I think- haven't been writing everything down, but haven't eaten anything off plan. I don't plan to work out today- just feel too sleepy, but I will be sure to go tomorrow for my hip hop class. I've also decided I need to measure- melissa your comments about losing inches but not pounds made me think that someday I may be in your shoes and need the reinforcement that I am still making progress- I'm a little worried what the numbers will be....but I'd rather be able to track everything than be stuck in a rutt later and have nothing to encourage myself with!

I'll check in later- everyone have a great day!

Jen - you don't know why you are so happy about being in the 200s now?? OH yes you do You are out of the 300s, you are never going to be back in them again, and you are seeing those numbers going down down down on the scale!! You have every right to be happy, I know I was when I hit TwoTown

ThinThinker - wow I didn't know that about hospitals being able to write off a certain amount of procedures. How do you find out all this stuff?? I go on an ostomy board and there is a guy there that is a hive of information, you two are amazing

Newsnerd - glad that I made you laugh. Oh boy you certainly are close to joining us in TwoTown, you are going to get there pretty soon too especially with all that extra effort you are having to put into your new walks!!

Kimberly - that is brilliant that you have a second interview. I hate those ones where you are in front of a group of people. But then you strike me as a confident person and I am sure that will come across at the interview. I will be surprised if you don't get the job. Yes you are younger than the other candidates, but perhaps they would prefer somebody younger and not set in their ways. You never know. Anyway

Thanks for your advice on how I can try to stay OP at least til I go away. I don't use bonus points on my diet, even if I have some left at the end of the day I just write them off. Nor do I add exercise points, I prefer to know that what exercise I do will help me lose more weight rather than give me more to eat But I will remember that I will do a LOT of walking in London, and that if I at least don't snack between meals that I shouldn't gain too much weight while I am away. I really hope to lose 2 lbs before I go, and the last thing I want to do is gain it back, so I really will be a good girl even if I don't want to. I think my problem is that for every vacation, or holiday or birthday etc I have always equated those things with eating like a pig and if I am not eating like a pig it means I am not enjoying my time. BUT I had a fantastic birthday last month and I didn't pig out. Yes I had a treat, a delicious icecream dessert, but I also walked 5 miles and I still lost 2 lbs that week. So I know I can do it. I am like the litte train that could......I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....I know I can, I know I can, I know I can

Good for you for deciding you will definitely measure yourself. Yes those numbers might not be nice to see at first, but as the weeks go by and those numbers drop you will feel so proud of yourself.

Ok well this is my last post for tonight, it's nearly midnight and I have a big day tomorrow. Daren has a hospital appt and after that we have some shopping to do. I MUST remember to wear my pedometer so I can count the aerobic walking as part of my exercise. Bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

Ammi: Thank you for the nice welcome. I am not sure how much I want to lose before getting pregnant. I just know that I want to be healthier and already exercising so then it will be safe to continue some sort of physical activity while I am pregnant. I go to the ob-gyn next week so hopefully he will give me guidelines or suggestions as well.

I am so overwhlemed on how close you all seem to be. Please don't think I am selfish if I don't comment on everyone's post right away. It is going to take me a while to get to know everybody. Please know for now, that I think it is wonderful how everyone here is so supportive and so into helping one another.

Erica

I just want to thank everyone who welcomed me with open arms and hearts.

I'm just getting the hang of figuring out how to read new posts ... so if I probably won't get post specific until I figure out a system to respond by name.

I'm also trying to get my daughter packed up and ready to go back to college. And my mother is coming to visit (haven't seen her in two years). And, well, I'm just a tad overwhelmed right now.

But, I'm still reading the Glycemic Index book. Very interesting stuff.

Everyone here seems to have pretty much the same issues as I do. Emotional eating is high on that list. It's so easy to do. Hard to stop.

For me, food stuffs down all the bad feelings. I just have to learn how to let go of the bad feelings or find a different way to deal with them.

Most of the time, I feel like no one knows how I'm really feeling. I think most of you do understand. And that helps.

...peace

ammi hope Darin gets a good report from the dr. and have a great day shopping!

Wow ... lots of happenings ... lets hope I can keep up lol ..

Lilion - thanks to your trail mix query .. Im now wondering what they mean by the serving on my cereal package rofl ... I am gonna have to really start watching it now rofl ... so what was the concensus .. do we go by weight or measurement??

AMMI - Be careful of the Perky Nana lol ... they are addictive according to our customers that keep asking for them (and my friends rofl).
Well .. Ash went off to school this morning .. at least she must of cos I havent heard from the school that she isnt there lol .. and she came home almost on time last night, so will just cross fingers that she settles back down again now.
Tyler is a fighter (my nephew), I do a lot of fundraising for Kids Cancer and Cancer Research and it really started with him. He is allowed to go home for a few hours a day now ... but that will change the closer they get to the transplant, and his younger brothers will be coming up to my mothers so that my brother & SIL can focus on Lil T (as I call him). So it will be a tense month coming up for our family again. But we have got through it before so I dont see it being a problem ... just keep thinking positively aye?

I had another treat box last night ... I have been writing down all of my foods the last couple of days and their kj, I have set a limit of 6400-7000kj a days (which is what I was on for Jenny Craig) but so far each day I havent even hit the 6000kj and that includes my treat box!! Not feeling hungry either so happy with that .. I did put on 2 pounds on the weekend . .. so Im hoping that I will maybe break even on Friday lol ... would be a little depressing if I put more on rofl .. eeeek! Ah well .. I enjoyed everything I ate so I wont be too upset and kick myself lol

Crappy about your cold/flu hun .. hopefully you wont let it stop you having fun in London tho! Huggies and good on your for fighting the urge to be naughty too!

BRENDA - Great news on the loss .. no matter how small ... crappy about your camping weekend tho ... how terrible! Definitely understand the happy feeling a hot cuppa can bring after being out in miserable weather lol .. Good on you for giving it a go tho!

NEWSNERD - Great weekend hun ... and ohh your pizza must be gooooood too lol ... hum .. makin me hungry .. better go and get lunch I think lol ... great that you are back on track again tho hun so dont be too hard on yourself. Good luck on reaching TwoTown ... but dont fret too much if you just miss it .. but really I think youre gonna get there

KENYA - Great news on people noticing your weight loss ... so they should you definitely worked hard for it! YAYYYY

KIMBERLY - Thanks for your kind words, We are all keeping positive about the outcome for Lil T Good on you for resisting the urge to spend the $5 unwisely ... next time you do kickboxing lol .. imagine kicking the bejeepers out of some of those naughty foods that keep tempting you when you have an off moment or two. Great staying OP!

MATRISHKA - HIIIII and sorry for the belated welcome .... being on the other side of the world I tend to get behind when everyone posts while Im asleep or not online lol ... Its a great first step you have taken, you have looked at your life and decided that the path you were on wasnt the best one for you ... and regardless of your problems you are wanting to face it all head on ... well this is definitely the right place hun .... for good days and bad this is the place to come for great support and advice or just to rant about a bad moment. Be proud of yourself ... Im proud of you for making the first step Please dont think you have no friends ... on here we arent just friends ... we're family Huggies

SUE - Get out that tape measure for sure ... and forget the scales ... they arent always the best judge as most on here will tell you. Great on your NSV of staying OP ... and great for sticking to it and not giving in Huggies

ANGIE - Great on your new food discoveries .. I have lots of those sorts of things ... love cooking .. but I get some of those meals and then cook up a bunch of vegetables to go with it ... but even those are getting less and less ... my stomach must be shrinkin under all this blubber rofl ... just as well! I think I have seen some of those teas at the supermarket, but I have never tried them cos Im not really a fan of tea ... but maybe I should try extending my tastebuds a little....

MELISSA - Wow!! Great loss in the measurements dept!! What a difference that must make you feel ... ... Im not surprised tho with so much exercise that you do ... you remind me of a whirling dirvish (think thats spelt right lol) ... I get tired just reading all the exercise you do!! rofl

JEN - WTG for reaching the Twozone!! Im hoping that isnt too far away for me ... seems like such a milestone doesnt it to see the first number change lol .. *applause!!*

JILLY - you are doing so great!! Keep it up I have been thinking about food all the time too .. not that I want to eat it .. just thinking about what the next meal is .. how many kj everything has in it ... I think maybe when you are starting the new lifestyle that is expected tho because if it was automatic before where you watch what you eat etc then you wouldnt have had the weight problem to start with ... so this is really no surprise that while you are learning all the new foods etc that its at the front of your mind .... Im hoping that later it will become so automatic that its not a thought at the front of my mind so often!

NELIE - Hopefully your TOM will come and go without too much of a problem to the scales .. and good on your for your preparing the bulk foods in advance .. its a great idea and a great way to stay OP for sure!

NANCY - OMG .. what a horrible mistake to make, grrrr .. that sort of bureaucratic foul up is just cruel to customers ... esp when its a medical expence .. I mean really .. if a medical bill is that high would they not think it was a serious issue and extra stress wouldnt really be advisable!! I really hope it all works out better for you and congratulate yourself that you didnt go off the rails ... BIG HUGGIES

ERICA - HIIII and welcome on in .. let us know more about you .. and like Ammi said ... we will cheer every pound lost .. and cheer even louder when we hear youre expecting! This is a great site and a lot more supportive than others I have tried .. so jump on in and have fun! And dont think you have to post personal notes to everyone ... most of us dont do that all the time rofl ... this is prob the biggest one I have done and thats only cos Im so far behind with all the news!!

Forgot my news lol ... the only new thing I have to ad is that umm .. Oh .. we have a new member (maybe two if I cant just pick one lol) joining our family on Sunday ... Im getting a LAMB!!! And then once it (or they lol) are off the bottle and feeding ok I will then be getting some Chickens!! ... Will have to remember to take a piccy of my new addition (or additions lol) on Sunday when we get back and have him/her settled

Have a good day all .. to those that I missed above .. so sorry ... these posts just move so darn quick lol .. Great work for those that have avoided the urges, lost pounds/inches or had some other NSV ... Commiserations to those that had a little off the rails moment .. but happy to see you back on track again!

Huggies all from NZ!

Hi everybody!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I am SO behind on posting here! Reading all your messages as usual and then I want to respond to everyone individually but there is no time... whew!

Matrishka and Erica... a belated So glad to have you here. And of course we understand that it might take you a bit of time to feel comfortable and get to know everyone... just post whatever you feel comfortable doing!

Jen congrats on making it to Twotown. LOL I can't believe you weren't shouting it from the rooftops!

And Ammi... I didn't realize you were a "lady of leisure" -- yah no wonder you can post such great responses!

To those f you who are struggling with the munchies, hang in there! Remember your purpose! It is not always an easy battle, that's for sure, but the rewards ARE worth it!

I am wondering what I am going to do YIKES when the pool closes! I had it in my head it was end of Sept. but it closes Labor Day weekend... another week! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa my water aerobics are helping SO much! I will have to come up with a way to keep up the good exercise! There are public pools indoor but I can't yet wear my swimsuit and I don't think they will let me in in my tank top and biker shorts that I wear at our apt. complex.

Blessings to all
in Seattle

Ammi: It helps to have relatives who work in hospitals and a foster sister who works with the homeless and indigent. Otherwise, I wouldn't know about hospitals either. You're also better off in ones that are not profit. Yeah, I know, sounds weird. But here in the States the ones I'm talking about are like the ones affiliates with different religions. If there's a "Saint" in their names, they have more leeway about writing things off. Hope I'm never in that situation, but it is good to know.

Hi Everyone,

I had a bummer of a day. First off I spilled a whole cup of coffee on my desk and it went everywhere, including inside my 3 drawers. Can you believe that! hahaha Oh well it was over due. I hadn't spilled one in a couple of years now.

But the kicker today was this. I went outside to water my new flower plants, and discovered someone had stolen them out of the ground! They pulled all of the tags out too, and set them to the side (the little tabs that come in with the seeds). The nerve of some people! I was upset because I have been watering them every day since end of May. They left my poppies, and took the ones that hadn't flowered yet, but were getting close to doing so. I was upset about it because they were my first flowers from seeds that I had done, and my hubby and I worked on it together, on our first wedding anniversary. So they were a reminder of the day and what we'd done together that day. In the grand scheme of the world of course I realize that if this is all I have to be sad about, then I have no complaints. I was just sad and it put me in a funk. LUCKILY I did not overeat but I lost my "omph" for the day and took a nap instead. I feel better now. They are exposed to people who could walk by and unfortunately I didn't have a better place to put them but they WERE in my yard, not near the road. Some people are SO rude, huh?

I haven't lost anything so far this week.. still lingering at the same number as last week ended. I guess I am happy at least I've gained nothing so no complaints there. Maybe this is just one of those weeks where I won't lose any. I'm stickin to it though, no going off plan.

Melissa I agree with the others, you're probably gaining a bit of muscle perhaps. You have been weight training, and doing a lot of exercise so likely thats what it is. Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space, so that's likely why you're shrinking.
Keep doing what you're doing. Perhaps you'll just have a slow week or 2 scale wise but your body will change as you progress. You've done remarkably well so far, so remember to cheer yourself for that, too. Sometimes we are so easy to beat ourselves up for what is not happening and wait for OTHERS to tell us we've done well. You need to remember to tell yourself you're working really hard and feel good about it.
Time and patience, stay on plan, it will happen!!!

Welcome to the new people! Nice to have you here!

Oh yes.. re the Lean Cuisine dinner I mentioned yesterday. Ammi commented how she was amazed it would fill me, having eaten only half. Oh I should have clarified... it's not one of those little boxed dinners you put in the micro. it's a dinner called "Skillet Sensations" that comes in a bag (like french fries, etc) and you pop it into a pan and stir it there until it's cooked. it's a bit larger than one of those boxed lunch ones. And YUM it was soo good. I'm going to take Nightkatt's idea next time I get one though and add more veggies. The sauce was a bit salty so I agree I think it could withstand more veg. It had mostly pasta, carrots, and a few bits of chicken but I think it would be great with some celergy and other things in with it.

The iced tea I mentioned yesterday too was not a real tea based flavor. I do not enjoy real tea myself. This was an artificial lemon iced tea flavor, which I do like. Not sure if you have Nestea there Nightkatt where you live, but that's the brand it was.

Misti sorry about your pool closing for the season? That's a drag, why do they not keep it open, is it because it's outdoors?

Ok I'm off for now I have to have a snack since I neglected to have a lot for dinner. I will get a munchie fit if I don't snack now.

~ Angie

Hello All,

Well I started off today feeling like a stupid idiot. I got the family up at 9 am, and we were all getting ready to go to the hospital for Daren's appt. I got the letter ready with the appt on it, read it, to check which dept he has to go to, only to find that the appt was YESTERDAY. I had even put it on the calendar on the right date, but for some reason I thought the 22nd was Wednesday. DUH!!! I rang the hospital and they reckon as he was a DNA (did not attend) he goes back to end of the waiting list and probably won't be seen for another few months!!!! I am so annoyed at myself.

But anyway as we are all up we decided we will still go out, to Swansea rather than the hospital. I am ready, but the other slow pokes are still getting dressed etc, so I thought I would catch up here. I am in a much better frame of mind now because some new trousers arrived this morning that I ordered, they are a 24, and they are my fave style, only my other ones are a size 30 and way too big for me. So I have on these 24s, and a size 24 blouse too, and I feel so much smaller than when I wear baggy clothes. It's a nice feeling It helps me to get over missing that appt yesterday

Erica - that's great that you are seeing the ob-gyn soon. You will have a much better idea what to aim for then. Perhaps you can make a ticker with your first mini goal being to get half way towards the goal you are set?

Matrishka - It makes such a big difference being amongst people that know exactly how you feel about being big, and the time it will take to lose the amount of weight we need to lose. Also a lot of us have, or had health issues, so again, we can relate to what you have been through. Mine has been 3 surgeries in the last 3 years all in relation to having had Ulcerative Colitis and neeing an ostomy. It's good to have you here and I hope you will post often.

Patti - thanks for your wishes for Daren to have a good report from the doctor. You will have noticed by now that I missed the appt, got the day wrong I do intend to still have a great day shopping though I hope you are having a good day and that you won't have a headache today.

Missy - my only thoughts on the amount of exercise you do, and this is just my opinion, are that if you do such a great amount now, when the weight loss does plateau will you be able to do much more to give it a kick start again? I do half an hour a day of exercise, unless I go walking on a day out, and if I keep on having smaller losses of 1 lb then I will increase my exercise to an hour a day. You are already way ahead of that, so maybe if you cut back a little you can increase it again as and when you need to?

Katt - Good advice about the Perky Nana bars lol, fun name. I think the last thing I need is to have another bar of chocolate which I will love. Of course it does help that they are not easily accessible. I will have to decide once I am in the shop

Good for you for not worrying too much if you do have a gain this week, I think it makes all the difference if you know what you did to gain rather than if you diet like an angel and gain, that is too depressing!!

Great news about Ash coming home from school on time yesterday, and going off to school this morning. that she won't wag again, at least not for a while

I am glad you are trying to keep positive about your nephew and the month coming up. Being positive and having hope are paramount in times like this

My cold hasn't devloped, it's kind of threatening to come, which is annoying. I want it to just go, or come so that I have the chance of feeling better before I go to London. Beth is sounding a lot better now too, though she still looks a little pale.

Oooh how cute, getting a lamb, and chickens too, I hope you take lots of photos so we can see them.

Misti - yep I am a 'lady of leisure', this year is the first in 4 years that I haven't had to have surgery and have finally started to feel well again. I have been on disability benefits and they run out in November, so after that I may need to look for work. No more 'lady of leisure' then

Sorry that the pool you go to is closing sooner than you thought. Doesn't it suck that some pools won't let you wear your shorts and t'shirt in the water. Blokes wear shorts don't they, so what's the diff if women do and that they add a t'shirt. I don't go swimming for that very same reason. That said, there is a link on here somewhere to one of the clothing shops for the larger lady, and they have some fab swimming costumes there. One set is officially a swimming costume but it's just like shorts and a sleeveless top but in lycra, but still slimming ! I would have bought a set but with the customs charge I would have had to pay when it got over here it wouldn't have been worth it. I think it was Junopia or something, the name of the site.

Thinthinker - aaaah so that's the secret to your knowledge Well it's great that you can share it here, and much appreciated I am sure.

Angie - sorry you had such a bad day. The coffee incident was bad enough, but to have your plants stolen as well, that just sucks. Unfortunately I know all about having things stolen from your garden, so I have learned not to put things out there now. What's the world coming to when you can't even have a plant pot, or in your case, planted flowers in your garden without them being stolen

I am glad you are determined to stick OP despite not seeing a loss this week. I think the best part about not seeing a loss is that hopefully at the next WI you catch up and see a good few lbs gone

Thanks for explaining about the Lean Cuisine meal you had, it sounds great, I don't think I have seen them over here. I would love to try one at least once though if I do see them!

Ok I better go, now everybody is waiting for me Take care and I hope I can catch up later when I get home.

Hugs,

Ammi

Hello all- wow so much has happend since I last checked in, and I just don't have the time to respond properly. Everyone you all seem to be keeping a very positive adittude! melissa- how great about your pants- I'm sure that helps you feel better about the scale! Ammi- so sorry you missed the appointment yesterday- on the bright side - now you have more time for shoppping!

Sorry I've missed so many people, but I have to be at work in 30 minutes, and I'm still not dressed! My nerves are going crazy about this interview- I really don't like the idea of a pannel- and it's right after I'm finished with work, so I'll have to do the interveiw in my uniform. Not that they wouldn't understand, they all work above me right now already, and know that I'm working the floor- it just sucks that I won't be able to look great- that usually helps me with confidence. Okay- I'm off- everyone have a great day!