Hey everyone~

Andie~We lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lived there all of my life till now. We moved to Barrow Alaska(literally at the top of the world in the arctic). Extreme difference from back home. I miss home a lot. Or at least I miss the south in general. But I don't miss that heat/humidity!

Ammi~I guess I explained it wrong...but my DH didn't get the job yet. But he made it through some other steps..and now its down to a few people. He has a REALLY good chance at it though. I am keeping fingers crossed for sure. But thanks for the Congrats though! Glad you are feeling better! Oh and we decided no matter if he gets the job or not...we are going to pay the money for some workout equipment. We really think it would help!

Patti~Stew...YUM! That sounds so good. I think I may to make some this week. And its a great meal to freeze and have again.

Nancy~That is great you met your goal for the walk. Sounds like you are determined and you are going to get back on track! You can do it!
Oh and congrats on your 3FC anniversary! This is a great site!

Sharon~Good luck at the Dr. I hope he can tell you whats going on! Hope you feel better soon!

Sandy~Hope everything goes alright with your DH talking to you SD. Hopefully he will make the right decision. Enjoy your turkey dinner! Thats sounds really good!

Well slow day here. Just doing some cleaning. I may go rent some movies later. I miss going to theaters...but we have a great movie rental place up here.

Sort of a few nice NSVs. Ok first of all...I used to drink so much coke and spirte. And now that I am drinking more water I notice I am not having as many break outs on my face. I think all that junk really made my skin break out. Which makes sense. And also...I was out last night and noticed the jacket I wear all the time is a lot looser. And its funny how I don't lose any pounds or inches...but I see major differences around my ankles,face and clothes.

Well I am off to go clean. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Michelle

Valerie, Thanks for sharing your SD experience. I do believe ours are related as well as their mothers. (mean, selfish and thin) He doesn't want to spend any money on her wedding and I just don't think that's the right thing to do. I'm just not gonna put her wedding before our kids at home needs. If she doesn't like that, then too bad.
Valerie, you are an amazing & strong woman. I respect & agree with your decision and thinking. This will definitely make you stronger yet and put you in more control of your life. It's so cool you have Gabe. Animals are so loyal, aren't they. And they give us such comfort. He's beautiful by the way. My 8 year old saw his pic and gasped at his beauty. And you do deserve a partner. It took me a long time to find my dh, but he is in fact my partner, respects and values my opinion and feelings. There is NOTHING worse than being lonely while IN a relationship. It sounds like you've exhausted all other options and it doesn't seem he's worked at anything. Hang tough, woman. You'll make it. I'm here too if you ever want to vent, cry etc. :hugs:
I've been looking for a way to add more protein to my diet without a ton of fat. I really appreciate the info on Naturally More.

Misti- I look forward to your report on it too. :-)

Michelle, Great NSV's!!!! I can't wait til I can wear my OLD, OLD winter coat.
Couldn't even think of getting it zipped for a long time. The other day I did wear a sweatshirt I couldn't wear last year. (got on a different one today too that I couldn't wear last year)
I've lost only 12 pounds, so since I can wear a size smaller shirt I'm thrilled. Pretty soon I'll be able to wear the "Air Force" shirts my son-in-law bought for me. Can't wait to wear them. They're a 2X and I'm now in 3X down from 4X.
Ok my wonderful and supportive friends, my turkey is smelling wonderful and I have to check it out.
Valerie, hang in there, Honey!!

hi everyone! i just joined last night, so i'm not sure what everyone is talking about, but i'm going to jump on in and hope i catch up. these threads go fast!

anyway, i really just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has already made me feel so welcome here. i think this is a great site! i'm glad i found you guys.

i wanted to ask everyone a question--i was looking at goal weights and wanted to know how you decided on yours? i looked at height/weight charts and thought about when i was at my best (high school, size 12 and 5'8) and my second best (2000, size 16/18, about 200 lbs and had trained to do a half marathon), and settled on my second best cuz i remember how hard it was to get there and maintain that (which obviously didn't last long since i'm no longer there). everyone else seems to have a more ambitious goal then i do. i know it's not a competition, but what is your opinion. should i shoot for a goal weight that is more in line with the charts or stay with what i have? i guess i could just go for my goal now and rethink things when i reach it, huh?

Sharon--i saw on one of your posts that you have a son with autism. i am a nanny for a family whose son is on the autism spectrum--he has pdd-nos, which is pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. it took a long time to get a proper diagnosis--from nothing, to add, to adhd, to a doctor who just wanted to fix everything with more meds, to finally a doctor who knows what he's talking about. anyway, i'm sure you already have some support for that, but if you ever need to rant or just complain, i'm here for you. i've been with this family for 4 years, so their kids feel like mine sometimes and i know it can make for a very challenging day.

nancy, nightkatt, misti and ammi--thanks for the notes of encouragement and welcome. i've decided to weigh myself on tuesdays, so i'll let you know this week how i'm coming. i think i'll join everyone in november on the exercise minutes for the month too.

thanks again for the encouragement already and i can't wait to get to know everyone else! take care, lori

Greetings all,

Welcome Lori! I decided on 150 based on where I'm supposed to be on weight charts and with my bmi. Actually, I am supposed to be no more than 130, which seems so unrealistic I couldn't bear to put that number down as a goal. I think I may have been 150 in 9th grade...

I'm just jumping on really quickly to let you know that I'm feeling bunches better and am anxious to start exercising again. I've definitely made up for not eating for 3 days and I'm afraid to step on the scale Tuesday. Oh well, I'm not in any competition to lose this weight, so if I gain a lb or 2, so be it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful OP week. I hope to be posting those exercise minutes tomorrow!

HELLO and WELCOME LORI! I think your goal is a very personal and flexible number. What's comfortable for one person isn't necessarily comfortable for everyone else. I pulled my goal number out of the air - 200 pounds even would have been about 136, which I'm sure is too low, so I went with 190 total pounds. But even so, I may decide I'm comfortable at 170 or something else. Direction is sometimes more important than final target. Even setting small mini-goals and deciding on a final goal when you get there is just fine. Final goals weights just aren't written in stone. Heck - this is the internet - they aren't even written in INK!

Thanks again my dear friends for all the support. He's due home tomorrow morning and managed to not even upset me when we talked tonight. (Bore me yes, upset me no.) And when he gets here I'll be out to exercise class, and when I get home, he'll probably be asleep, so I don't even have to deal with the welcome home crap. He's taking the whole week off and spending next weekend with his "buddy" down in Columbus. That's good. I don't care about the Amway garbage anymore, and it's good for him to have friends to hang with. (He should actually be suspicious when I ENCOURAGE him to go waste a weekend with those people. Last year I was begging him not to let them interfere with our marraige... he did anyway.) Boy! I'm liking this state of having finally made up my mind. It's SO much less stressful and trying! But I better go beat up on my treadmill anyway, so see ya later!

Howdy everyone!

Well, I'm back from Six Flags and had a great, but COLD time! Thought I'd freeze for sure! The DS was very happy and that made it all worthwhile. Lines were long, as usual, but I actually FIT IN THE RIDES! That's new this year! Ate too much, got lots of walking exercise, screamed REALLY loud on the roller coaster (not even the scariest one.)

I have missed way too many threads to try to catch up...but wanted to say hello to everyone! And I'll try to get caught up tomorrow!

Later!

Lori -- My goal weight has been evolving. I think it depends on a lot of factors. For the longest time I didn't really set a goal weight. I finally picked 179 because at my height (5'5") it is where I am technically not "obese" any more. Now that I'm close (I think I will be at 183 tomorrow!) and have started working with a trainer, I have decided to go for 165. I'll see after that.

I agree that it's really individual. I didn't want to set one for the longest time because I think I was afraid of failing. okay, I am still afraid of failing, but I'm really starting to believe I can do it -- only took losing 100 pounds to convince me!

WELCOME, btw, this is a great place!

Lilion -- Glad you had fun at Six Flags! Last week hubby and I were chaperoning some students and the school paid our entry. It made it an easy decision to pay for a set of "flash passes" and skip a couple of the lines. That was nice...

Valerie -- You sound really strong these days -- and given everything going on, that's not a given... good for you!!!

I am cooked out! During the week I love the fact that I don't have to cook, but I'm wiped out! yesterday I made my homemade minestrone-like soup, and today skillet chili-mac. And hubby grilled up chicken breast, so we are all set on food this week!

And the baby carrots and grapes are packed up and ready to throw in lunch bags. I tell you, this is a part-time job!

Hi Lori .. I know what you mean lol .. when I see others goal weights who are my height (or taller) I do question myself about whether I am really aiming low enough! I know my goal weight would still be regarded as overweight, but I have decided Im going to go for that goal (which is 100kg - like round figures lol) ... and then when I reach it I will see how I feel and if I am happy there ... if I feel like going down more then I will .. but Im not aiming to fit any moulds ... I was once within 5kg of my ideal weight (LONG time ago lol) and I looked like a walking coat hanger) ... soooo instead I am going to get down to a healthier weight range .. but not necessarily the "ideal" one ... Im fortunate that I am healthy otherwise (low BP & cholesterol etc), so my real goal is energy and to be able to buy off the rack under a size 20 rofl.

Dont, whatever you do, measure your goals by others .. same with your successes/achievements ... everyone has a different goal and different reasons/issues ... and look at it this way ... if you aim for 200 and you feel great there and want to lose more .. then lose more .... but if you aim for 130 and you cant get near that it will just make you feel like you cant achieve it .... Good Luck and its lovely to see you on the boards

I'm loving my treadmill these days! ( Did I just really say that?) Sometimes it's still really hard to get started, even with all my good intentions. Today for example, I only did it once - I skipped it this a.m. But when I do it, I feel FANTASTIC afterwards (not necessarily DURING so much.) It's not only saving me right now - emotionally when I'm very stressed, physically by making me stronger and leaner, and saving me from the plateau that tried to get me and even push my weight back up - but I'm also seeing markers of progress that I love seeing!

The way I was when I started: 10-12 minutes on my treadmill was an accomplishment.
Today: 30 minutes or twice that is no problem... I just get bored a bit.
The way I was: 2.2 or 2.4 was my top speed, 1.5 was my warm up/cool down speed.
Today: 3.2-3.5 is normal, I top out at 4.0 (if the music's good), & I cool off at 2.7-2.9 - FASTER THAN MY OLD TOP SPEED!
The way I was: I remember when I did my first half mile in 12 min (a 24 minute mile) and couldn't sustain it to a full mile.
Today: I did the first FULL mile of my workout in 18 minutes... and kept on going!
The way I was: When I worked out at Curves, I could easily pump my heart rate up to 144/minute.
Today: Not only is my recovery time better, but even working hard my HR is 120-126, and reaching 132 is difficult to do. I haven't been able to hit 144 in quite a while.

And I don't know what this means, good or bad, but:
The way I was: When I was done, even if I was exhausted & gasping for air, I was sweating but just enough to shine.
Today: When I sweat it pours off me. I feel a bit of victory even when I feel that first trail actual run down my face or neck.

You see? PROGRESS! I'm a bit proud of myself!

OK, I'm not proud of the sloppy joes, chips and teeny-weeny tiny piece of birthday cake I had today, but I think my calories were still under 1700 for the day, so I'm not going to worry about it. His excellency, the scale, said something very polite and quite hopeful this morning, so I'm crossing my fingers that it'll happen for another two days so I can ssssssmack my ticker down!!

....off I go, doing the little post-exercise dance!

Noname: Your darling little girl is so cute!

Misti: I think you should take the tough comment as a compliment! You are tough. Look at you hanging tough and exercising and going down in weight and sizes. Look at you hanging tough and eating right. So, Ya, you are tough! lol.

Ammi: So, so glad that your blockage moved. Hope the tummy is better tomorrow. Don't over do it! I have a few more doggies in costumes. One is of a Bassett hound with a fake knife through his head. I love it but I am afriad to offend anyone. I will post another few of them before Halloween.

Sharon: Good luck at the Dr. I hope you feel better soon.

Nancy: Hugs to you and Happy, Happy Anniversary. I'm so glad that you found this site and especially that you found this site at the same time as I'm here.

Val: Oh, big hugs again. I feel so selfish as I say I'm thankful that I have never felt like you are feeling now with a hubby that needs a kick in the butt. I have been with my dear Hubby since I was 19 years old a loooooong 21 years ago! Over the years we have had our ups and downs but never anything like what you are going through. I wish I had some kind of magic words to make it all better but I don't. I do want to tell you though that I would be devastated if you got so sad that you quit coming here! I know everyone feels the same. Don't let Bill take away your progress and joy at getting healthy. I know you are going to get healthy physically and you are going to get the job of your dreams and someday hopefully your prince charming! Until then, please, hang in there and never, ever feel bad or like you rambled on. That is what we are here for, each other's support in every walk of life! Hugs again. Let Simon give you a super dooper puppy cuddle!

Wyllen: Oh, I love the different doggies for halloween!

Lori: Welcome. I hope you love this site as much as we all do. I'm truly looking forward to getting to know you better.

Lilion: Yea! Getting to go on the rides with your son must have just made his Day! I'm so, so happy for you and very proud!


To all of you who have been hoping my back gets better. Thank you. I have been pretty still. I have been usuing this time to paint some ceramic Christmas ornaments and I watched a couple of Movies today with DH. It was after all a rainy day! lol.
Well all my MIA chickies, luan, Kayley, Zelma, Brandnewme, Newsnerd, Patty, Melissa, Sandy, anyone else I didn't mention by name, big hugs to you all.
Blessings,
Annie

OK... I'm going to try to make my responses 'brief', before I have to go and get some school work done. Term 4 started for the staff today and the kids start back tomorrow. This term is only 8 weeks long, so we have a lot to fit into a short time.

Ammi - I am SOOOOOO glad that you are feeling better now. I'm not sure that I envy you your 'explosion', but it obviously did the trick. Did you have to take anything to make it do that, or did it just do it of its own accord?
Oh!!!! I LOVE the pics of you on the gazelle!!!! You are looking SO good and SO much smaller in them.
After seeing your pic with your Aussie treats, I suppose now isn't a good time to ask if you would like me to send you some for Christmas huh? They would probably make you ill.
How is Beth feeling now? I hope she is back to 100%.

Valerie - I am sorry to hear about your divorce plans, but I believe you are making the right decision for you, based on what you have told us. A couple of your posts have talked about your 'indifference' with things your husband is doing, and that was my best indicator that it was time to end my first marriage. I simply didn't care anymore. I didn't hate my first husband, or even dislike him. We had simply grown apart and had been living together as friends for a number of years. Nothing more. He was a really nice guy, but I knew there was nothing left to fight for. People talk about counselling, but I think you can tell if there is a basis for counselling. When I found myself WISHING that he would find someone else that would bring the 'zing' back into his life, then I knew that we didn't need to be together anymore. I'm not sure if that makes much sense, but it certainly made sense to me at the time.
I totally understand you about the treadmill. Some days I can't wait to get on, and other days I have to drag myself on. But either way, I feel SO much better once I've been moving for a while and I feel WONDERFUL when I have finished. It is always great to keep track of your improvement in stamina as well. Great job!

Annie - I love your dog pics too. I would love to see the one with the 'knife' through its head. I'm sure he looks cute.
It sounds as though you had a lovely day inside, avoiding the wet weather. I LOVE Christmas!!!!!!! I'm sure your ornaments look gorgeous.
I hope you manage to keep resting your back until it is a good as gold again.

Lori - WELCOME!!! I hope you love it here as much as I do. I don't post anywhere NEAR as often as I would like, but I read every day to keep track of what these wonderful people are doing.
I set my goal weight on the BMI and general weight charts. I didn't, however, account for the excess skin I would be carrying around and my body has decided that it just wants to sit here for a while, so I'm letting it. I would still like to get a little further down, so I have a little breathing room, but for the moment I'll just relax a little. I have actually put on a few pounds over winter and with an estrogen cream I've been put on. I'll hopefully be able to throw them off again once the weather warms up and I am onto more salads etc.

Heather - It sounds as though you and DH cooked up a storm over the weekend. I managed to make my turkey and vegetable shepherd's pie with pumpkin topping, but I am going to have to make the date scones during the week, as I ran out of time on the weekend.

Lilion - I'm glad you had such a lovely time at Six Flags. Your DS must have been SO thrilled to go there. It was a surprise for him wasn't it? What a buzz, to be able to fit into the rides. I certainly know that feeling. One of those 'freedom' moments.

Michelle - I will keep my fingers crossed that your DH gets good news about the job. I'm sure it has been an 'experience' for you to spend some time in Alaska, but it will be great for you to get to somewhere warmer (when would you be moving, would you miss winter in Alaska) and to be closer to family. I can't even BEGIN to imagine the temps you would be having up there. We hardly get to 0C/30F and we are FREEZING! I also don't think I would cope very well at ALL with the 24 hours of darkness business.
Great NSV about the skin getting clearer. Hubby and I noticed that, and we also noticed fewer headaches and allergies. Obviously there is a lot more 'stuff' in food that sets off all kinds of reactions in our body that we aren't aware of until we stop eating them.

Sandy - Can you please give your DH a hug from me? It sounds as though he deserves one, for appreciating you and knowing just what a special person he has for a wife.
I am sorry you are having to put up with such... you know what... from your SD. Jealousy is definitely rearing its ugly head I would say. I also wouldn't be surprised one little bit if she disappeared again after the wedding. I have to say that I think your husband could be on the right track with not putting any money into the wedding. I don't think she should expect it either. I (well, husbands and I) have paid for both weddings, as my parents paid to put me through college and I didn't think they needed to pour any more money into me, especially seeing as I was earning my own money. The staff at school put on a reception for DH and I for our second wedding, which was lovely, but we certainly didn't expect it. I have to say that she sounds like a VERY selfish person and I'm not sure that is going to change in the near future, so your DH may have to resolve himself to not seeing much of his granddaughter. His daughter will probably just hold her over his head anyway, as bribery. That could be a little harsh, but I have known people to do that before.
I hope that things get sorted out soon, and I am SO glad that your DH has his head screwed on right and can see just what sort of person his daughter is.

Katt - I hope all is still going well with you and your family. Is your dad still with you, or is he back as his place? Has everything gone through with the house yet? I suppose it takes a while for settlement etc, so it may not be finalised yet.
How is the weather over there? We had some BEAUTIFUL weather for the last few days of the holidays, but today has been pretty yuck. I think the rest of the week is getting better and Friday is going to be fine and 29C/84F, then Saturday is going to be stormy and 33C/90F. Not sure I like the sound of the weekend forecast, but Friday sounds glorious.

Nancy - Happy Anniversary! Mine isn't until January, as I didn't find this wonderful site until I was heading towards the end of my weight loss journey. At least I am here now, for the 'maintaining' part.
Well done on the walk, AND achieving your goal of sponsors. $500 is a great amount!!!!
I am glad that you are back on track with the eating now and are not spending ages kicking yourself about your choices recently. What is done is done, and we can't change it. We can only move forward. After your great walk over the weekend, and your new determination, you will soon be seeing positive results.

Sharon - I'd definitely be looking at having some prunes, or prune juice. It usually works for me. I can't stand being 'blocked up'.
I hope you get your meds sorted out soon. Is the doctor you are going to see the one you spoke to on the phone? If so, I hope he has something a little more productive to say than 'maybe you aren't depressed'. You need ACTION, not comments like that. Fingers crossed that the right treatment is found soon, so you can be feeling 100% again.

Misti - I am sorry you still haven't seen a change in your weight for a while now. I know you don't want to hear this, but could you be doing TOO much exercise and not eating enough. I know it isn't ALWAYS the answer, but I know it is something I personally did, and once I spent a few days resting and eating a little more, my body forgave me and started losing again. I was actually sabotaging myself I think by pushing my body too hard and it just decided to tell me to 'back off!'
I will keep my fingers crossed that the scales are good to you soon, as I certainly know how awful it feels to be working so hard but not seeing the results. I KNOW that we are doing this for our health, and we are certainly healthier, but it is always good to have that numerical evidence as well.

Oh dear... I KNOW I've missed people here, but I really do have to head off and get some work done. So much for 'brief' responses. I never have learnt to abbreviate things.

Oh, just another brief message. Hubby and I spent a lovely few hours wandering around another national park yesterday. Beautiful weather, beautiful surroundings and beautiful company. What more could a person ask for?

We were also naughty and bought a new, large (well, not REALLY large, but pretty large) plasma TV at the weekend. DH and a friend picked it up today and it is now all set up, ready to watch. We were getting tired of missing out on whatever was being shown at the edges of shows as we didn't have a widescreen TV. It is a bit of a luxury, but I think we deserve it. I can't wait to watch something tonight. Not sure whether we'll watch Monk, House, Due South (we have the DVD sets of these) or maybe Murder She Wrote. These seem to be our favourites lately.

Take care all,

Zelma

Valerie -- Great post about your treadmill improvements!! That's terrific! I haven't been on a treadmill in months -- over the summer I walked a lot outside and biked and lately I've been kicking it with the elliptical at the gym.

But even though I dont have the same equipment, I've seen similar improvements in abilities. I couldn't even DO the elliptical last December when we joined our first gym. I'd be working out on the treadmill for months and 1-2 min on the elliptical killed me. Now, I get on and go, 30-40 min, no problem!

And I DO like how I feel after exercise much of the time (esp yoga, but even weight lifting). I even, sometimes enjoy doing it (I love having my ipod and getting lost in the music). But I still still struggle sometimes just getting on my shoes (and after that, I'm good!)

Annie -- I'm bad at personals and had forgotten about your back! I hope you're doing better soon!

Ammi -- Sounds like you're feeling better, that is terrific!!

Good morning, everyone! Happy Monday!

Zelma (and others) thanks for your encouraging comments. No, I honestly don't think I am eating too little as I have never been on a low calorie "diet" -- besides I "upped" my calories for just a day or two and started gaining weight like crazy! Now I am "up" the whole five pounds again from my previous low... I've lost this same 5 pounds 6 or 7 times by now. I am doing a lot of exercise but not so much that it seems harmful.... and my doctor advised NOT to back off of it but to up the intensity. But yesterday and today I won't get much exercise since I am leaving work at noon today for a funeral so won't get in my walking. Also, this week I will only have 1/2 hour lunches since we are working overtime so that will cut into the time too. And I do take days off if I feel too exhausted, but that doesn't happen that much any more. Maybe I will try taking a few days off completely from exercise... but LOL I am afraid I won't want to start up again.

I am trying to vary my meals a bit more too... I seem to have fallen into a rut of same old, same old. Yesterday I bought some hot cereal called "Peach Porridge Hot." Has anyone tried it?

http://www.grizzliesbrand.com/produc...e=detail&id=16

Since it is a bit high in calories I mixed it half and half with oatmeal. I put a small bit of brown sugar, a chopped banana, pure vanilla powder and vanilla extract, with milk... and had it for dinner! Wow it was wonderful! But even the 230 calories (1/2 cup makes a big bowlful cooked) it is not all that bad for a nice breakfast.

I also got some Seeds of Change pasta sauce and ground turkey... thought it would be good over a baked sweet potato, with some veggies

http://www.seedsofchangefoods.com/ou...a_sauces&p=226

Oh and that Naturally More stuff sounds great! I was glad I didn't buy peanut butter yesterday as I would like to try this! But hey, how did I get appointed the nutrition police?

I realized yesterday how picky about that I am becoming. I bought stuff to make meat loaf and realized I don't know what seasonings to use since I have always used the packaged meat loaf seasoning! Hmmm... paprika, basil maybe? I looked on the package and it said paprika, spices... that's right.. spices... WHAT spices it doesn't say! I am BUYING this stuff and they don't even tell me what's in it. Then of course there was the long list of stuff with long funny names which is probably chemicals and then the good old "natural flavors" which now I DO have some idea of what is. I bought it this time but am going to do research to find out how to spice up my own meat loaf!!!!