I'm Sara,..23 mom of two boys Seth (just turned 2) and Lance (10 months old today). I would say I've had in issue with weight in a way. When I was in highschool I had a fight with anorexia for about two years. It all ended after graduated and right when I started dating my best friend and now husband!! I was always pretty much a healthy weight when with him. Never had an issue with dating or anything. Then came the boys! *lol*...and with them came about 40 to 50 extra pounds, a flabby belly, bigger arms, legs..back fat!! OHMY LOL. I swear I had 2 years of nothing but maternity clothes...at times I don't even know how to dress myself anymore. I wear a lot of pj type pants and t-shirts, or jeans and t-shirts. I'm looking to lose some weight and hoping that coming to a place like this will keep me a bit psyched about it!

Right now I'm mostly a stay at home momma, I work very part time at our Local YMCA in the daycare. I plan on either getting an associates in Early Childhood Development or becoming a Hair Stylist (both things I love . My husband works for Dannon...and works A LOT

can't wait to get to know everyone

I also wanted to add so far I have NO plan *lol*...I have Cut out pop except for an ocasional treat (why completely deny yourself right?). I really drank a LOT of pop...like maybe 4-5 cans a day. I want to get a plan...I need a plan. With two boys 2 and 10 months it's hard to sit down and think of a plan! So anyone with good ideas...I'm open. I need something that doesn't take too much time or too much thought.

Hi Sara,

Welcome to our little group. We are just getting started, but we definitely have goals and aspirations of getting to our slim selves again. I recently had twins and you know, pregnancy really changes your body. I just got my mind set to lose the weight, but the weight isn't slipping away as easily as I would like. Seems like my body wants to hang on to this extra weight and it is quite frustrating.

In terms of diet, I know that you have a busy life with 2 little ones on top of all of the other responsibilities, but is there any type of food that you really hate or any foods that you really love. Alot of the plans popular today cut out or greatly decrease carbs, so if you are a carb junkie, you probably don't want to do Atkins or similar plans. I love carbs, so that type of plan doesn't work for me. But alot of people have had fabulous results. Unfortunately, outside of making healthier food selections, you're probably going to have to find something that works for you so that you have some parameters. Either calorie/fat intake count or points or nutrisystem or whatever works for you. Right now, calorie/fat count is working for me and so I will probably stick with that until the results stop or slow down dramatically.

One resource that has helped me alot is fitday.com. It is a very nice site and it is free. You have the option to buy the program, which I hear is a lot better, but right now the free one has been okay with me.

Well, hopefully, a few of the other ladies will be around soon and will chime in with some of their suggestions. This weekend may be kinda slow though considering it is a long weekend. Anyways, just hang in there and post as often as you can so that we can help and encourage each other along the way.

Look forward to getting to know you better and glad you decided to join us!

Ciao!

Elycia

thanks a lot! I appreciate it. It's looking like calorie/fat is the easiest way for me to go. I can flip the food right over and see that on the ingredients. What I also need to get down is portion size! I know that's a big deal. My husband loves HUGE portions..he'd love nothing more than for him and I to sit on the couch watching a movie and both to sit with a pint of icecream (yes each). He doesn't see the problem with that. Ofcourse his metabolism is at the speed of light as well.....*UGH*...

I've often wondered if any of those pills work? Not the fat burners but the appetite suppresants *sp...forgive me its late. The few times I've tried with portions before it was HARD. I was still so hungry. And nomatter what drinking water doesn't work *LOL*

Welcome Sara & Whitney,
My name is Norma and I'm a calorie counter. Since I'm 57, I am old hand at dieting. I decided that if I was going to lose weight, I had to throw out typical diets and adjust my eating habits for life. Why go on a program that I knew would be foreign to me and that I would cheat on? So, I eat everything I am used to. I either measure or weigh. I have a digital food scale and it measures grams or ounces up to 10 pounds! I've learned to read the back of a package or can and only eat what the recommended portion was. That's new for me. I have added a salad before every dinner to allow me to eat more and feel fuller. I even get dessert. Weight Watchers make great ice cream bars for 110 - 140 cal. and I can't cheat by serving too much. This is a lifestyle I can live with. It may come off slow, I'm averaging 2.5 lbs per week, but I'm feeling no stress. The hardest thing I've had to learn to do was drink lots of water. I'm not a water person, unless I'm bathing in it! Exercise for an obese person is tough, but I'm toughing it out. A little more each time I do it.
I wish you both the very, very best in your weight loss journey. Elycia is a super motivator! If you don't check in with her once in a while, she'll go looking for you. I know. She tracked me down and here I am!
Norma

Hi there Norma. Thanx for the compliment. I feel that with a check-in, you should CHECK IN on each other. That what makes you strong and helps you to stick with it.

Sara, in regards to appetite suppressants, I don't know much about those. You mean like Dexatrim or something? I really haven't tried. I know that you said water doesn't work for you but that has been the best for me. Either water or fruit or some type of small energy bar. The goal is not necessarily to get full, but just to shut your stomach up from growling. Definitely try to eat every 3 hours or so to keep your metabolism going and then you shouldn't get as hungry. Typically, it is 3 meals and 2 snacks throughout the day. I know, I know, it is very hard to get those in, but it is doable. Try to get yourself on a schedule and then it will be second nature.

Well, i am off. I have to feed my girls and take them out a little. I will see you guys probably tomorrow. Hopefully everyone is doing well.

Ciao!

Elycia

i would love to join in this thread if thats ok.

im mary jane im 31 and from ireland. im a mother of 3 children. my youngest is 17 months old and ive been promising that i would diet since before he was born but i just cant seem to get motivated. i have a couple of weddings to go to around christmas this year and this is making me a little more determined but i could still use some support from you folks and would be happy to help you all too if i can

Hi Mary Jane: Welcome aboard! Everyone is welcome here. Sounds like you have set yourself your own challenge of weight loss by Christmas. That will be a good motivation for you. We are here to help. Good day, bad day, or any day, you can come and vent. Hopefully, you will brag about how great you are doing. Either way, come. We want to hear from you. We are all in this together. You come from a beautiful country! I would love to go to Ireland. Hope to see you around here often.
Norma aka harkeyvalley

Hi there Mary Jane:

Honored to have you join our little group. We are just getting started, so we are in the getting to know each other stage. You are so right that even though we may have determination support is always helpful. I am glad that you decided to join us.

As you can tell from my screename, I am a HUGE U2 fan. I just love the band and of course they are from Ireland. Like Norma said, I would love to visit Ireland. It seems like such a serene place. Maybe one day.

So, you have 3 little ones? I bet they keep you busy. I have 2 little ones and I know that they are always running around. They are my main motivations for losing weight. I have to be able to keep up with them.

Well, hope to see more of you. Hey there Norma. Good to see ya. Thanx for helping to make everyone feel so welcome. You are such a sweetie. How are you doing? I hope all is well and you are still working toward reaching your goals. That is so inspiring that you are willing to stick with it, even though you know the weight loss may be slow. It is so easy to get discouraged, but you aren't. Great to hear Norma.

Well, I better get going. Everyone take care and I hope to get to know everyone better soon.

Elycia

Hi Elycia: I'm doing great. I got a little overheated yesterday with a 2 hour lawn moving experience, by hand. I got a little dehydrated and came in sick to my stomach and dizzy. I didn't eat but half of my calorie allotment since I didn't feel good. I didn't feel much like eating today, but I'm planning a nice dinner. I've also gotten extremely mad at my scale, telling me lies. I went to amazon and ordered a doctors type scale. I read alot about different scales and I knew my weight would be a life time challenge, so I got one to last for life. I'm still real motivated, still working hard to get enough water (hard for me), and varing my types of exercise as not to get discouraged with the things that I can not do. I'll write when the new scale arrives. I just hope that my weight doesn't jump up because my evil scale lied to me! The scales of justice will be triumphant!LOL
Norma

Hello ladies! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend.

I've done ok the past few days. I was invited to a cookout yesterday but decided not to go...I just wanted to stay home and relax. Bad idea because I ate a ton of WheatThins and cracker cut cheese. My favorite! Oh well, today was much better. I made up for it by only having 1100 calories, which consisted of tons of fruit.

Another thing about yesterday...I saw a guy that I used to date and he slapped my thigh and said, "Oooooh...those are getting thick!" I wanted to cry! I was probably 145 the last time I saw him and now I'm 156 or so. Damn I was embarrassed! To add insult to injury, he also said, "You know, I can train you to get some of that weight off." Talk about embarrassing...

Comments like that make it very easy for me to just starve or only eat one meal a day, but I have to realize that I am in it for the long run. No crash dieting or quick loss this time around. I am trying to lose at least two pounds weekly and I am weighing in on Mondays. I was 161 last Monday and since I was 156.5 mid-week, I guess I hit goal early. But from now on, weigh ins are only on Monday.

Additionally, I have not done much exercise either. I've done little things in my apartment (crunches, lunges, arm weights), but no cardio. I plan to go for a walk/run tomorrow.

Best wishes to all

Norma - Good luck with that new scale. I had a bit of a scale mishap not long ago. The scale I was using was very wrong. Twenty pounds wrong, actually. And not in my favor either.

Whitney - Despite any weight you've gained, what a jerk of a guy to make such a comment. Some guys just don't know when to keep their mouths shut, I guess.

Sara - Cutting pop has really helped me so far. Actually, I started noticing a difference in my energy level right away when I replaced all the pop I used to drink with water. It's amazing how less sleepy and sluggish I am.

Mary Jane - Oh, how I would love to visit Ireland! It seems like such a beautiful place!

My weigh-in days are Tuesdays, but I was so anxious to see the fruits of my first week of dieting that I hopped on the scale this afternoon. I'm down to 249.5!!! Yay! I was very surprised at the difference. I've been strict with myself this week, and I've only eaten what I planned on eating. My calorie intake has been between 1600 to 1900 each day, and I've been walking at least a mile, if not two every day. I think the walking has really helped me, not to mention that portion control that I've got going on. I hope to get rid of that other half pound by Tuesday for an even five. :-) I just needed some dramatic results this first week to give me motivation to continue this for the next several months. I haven't changed any of my tickers or profile to reflect the loss because I want to give the official number on Tuesday. But, yay! Nearly five pounds gone!

Oh, I forgot to even give my name. Shame on me. I'm Gail. :-)

Gail congratulations on that weight loss. That is awesome. Doesn't it feel so good when you see that your sacrifices and efforts have paid off???!!! Very proud of you and the hard work that you put in. Keep it up and you will be where you want to be real soon.

Norma, I tell ya, that scale is NOT my friend. It has been sending me on emotional roller coasters lately. One day I'm up, the next I'm down. It's all over the place and I don't know why, but I always let it control my mood. If I've lost I'm on cloud 9, but if I gain I'm in tears. I don't quite know what is going on considering that I am being very strict on myself. Like many of you guys, I have completely let go of pop. This a MASSIVE accomplishment considering that I was knockin' back 3 liters every other day. Then up until yesterday, I hadn't eaten any fast food. All my foods that I prepare are either baked, grilled, broiled or microwaved. I just can't understand why the darn scale keeps jumping around. Oh yeah, plus I have been working out at least 5 days per week. I don't know what is up, but you know what, I NEVER let that scale completely blow me down. I am in this until the end. I am going to reach my goal of 147 come H$@# or Highwater.

Whit, I am sorry that guy was so insensitive to you. Ugh! When are guys going to learn not to say anything about our weight? Especially talking about getting bigger! But, don't let it get you down. Let it motivate you. Everytime you are doing that walk on the treadmill or doing that kickboxing workout, act like you are working out that frustration on him. I've had some of my best workout sessions when I am MAD! Also, good job of passing on that cookout. That would have been temptation city.

Well, I just got finished (yep 10:00 at night) Total Muscle Shaping by The Firm. It was a toughie but fun. I'm trying to stick to a workout rotation and boy was I thinking about sitting out this one. My sweet husband was like "go ahead and get it in" so I did and I am very happy that I did. I've worked out the past 3 days and thankfully tomorrow is a rest day. Yay!

I will see you lovely ladies tomorrow. Everyone have a great evening and morning.

Ciao!

Elycia

Elycia- What a wonderful group! Your babies are looking so cute as always! I bet they are a true joy to be around You are doing great on your weight loss! Congrats. Thanks for telling me about this new group!

Hello ladies! I am 29 married with two children (7 & 4) . I am in my final year in nursing school right now. However, I am sure I will be right back in school when I finished because I intend to get my MSN, and PHD in nursing also. I figure I will be a lifetime student Which isn't such a bad thing when you take into account that as a nurse usually one will be touching someone's life in a positive way. Possibly even saving a life along the way. So I am cool with being in school until I have reached the goals I have set for myself.

Let's see I have been eating healthy and exercising for almost a year now. I started on September 10, 2005. It is a bumpy road for me at times but I keep at it. This looks like a wonderful group of ladies and I wish you all the best support I can give!

Hello Whitney - I am also a fellow Missouri Girl That guy was a true jerk! You would think that someone you previously dated would be more sensitive about your feelings. To me it shows a lot about his character! Anyway, don't give him another thought! Focus on being healthy for yourself and I am sure you will do great. I also weigh in on Mondays. You seem to be on a great start with your weight loss!

Hello Gail- Wow five pounds gone away is great! I think it is super cool!

Hello Norma- I am so happy to see you here. you are also doing great on your weight loss Also I must admit I am a serious calorie counter also

Hello Sara- Congrats on cutting out your soda intake! One step at a time is something I feel makes a very big difference. I am sure you will find a plan that will work for you and allow you plenty of energy to run around after your boys. Oh sometimes I miss having babies around the house

Hello MaryJane- Wow what a wonderful place to live! I am sure with your motivation and support you will look great by Christmas.