Hi it's biggurl and I am proud to say I am about to get on this treadmill. I have 2hrs before my son gets home and I will get some walking in. I feel great today, I feel very encouraged and thanks all for the encouraging words. I will not overdue it and I will take it one day at a time...........

hey there im her sortta i really have been doing bad 1/2 a doughnut today i couldnt restist
I hope i can get off my arse soon to get to exercising
thanks to all for the welcome i will check in later

Hello all! Thank you for your support. I think "checkin in" daily as well as supporting others' progress will definitely help me.

The eating is going well - i have been fairly restrictive (more than i plan to be) just to jolt my system out of what I have been doing to it. I have been eating mostly fruits and vegetables, my Kashi cereal, and occasional small portion of protein (fish). I have managed to keep every detail for the past 3 days on FitDay. So far i have kept under 700 calories, had around 25-30 grams of fiber and under 7 grams of fat per day. I know that my body will not run on that for long, especially as I exercise more - so I'll probably add more after Thanksgiving. I really have not been trying to eat so little calorie-wise, it has just worked out that way since fruits and veggies are so low cal.

In the past 3 days, when I have not been doing school work or going to my clinical, focusing on this has helped me think less about the past or how bad I feel. I hope I can keep it up and not disappoint myself again!

Best wishes to all of you tomorrow as you get on that treadmill, or drink more water, or make food choices that are healthy to your body and spirit!

Starfrog

Goodmorning all I am up and feeling great, my son will be off at 9am and I don't have to be at work until 10 so I will again get on that treadmill for atleast 15min. it's a start for me considering doing nothing at all. I am very excited about being here and reading others success and just the encouragement along means alot to me so thanks everyone and all have a great day. "We can do what we want, let's choose today to do better than we did yesterday"..........

Well it's me again I am on my break and you know it back on the treadmill. I hope I am not over doing it but I had chicken tenders and fries and ice cream and feel a lot guilty and I am going to do myself a favor and get on this treadmill for the second time today. I have to have more self-control or else this battle again will get the best of me. I can do it food does not control me I control it..................

I think I'll join all of you ladies for a "new beginning". I started off a wee bit ago with the 6wk body makeover diet but it's a little too restrictive for me. I'm exercising faithfully and trying to watch the old diet but for some reason I'm still not losing. I'm so discouraged. I have so much to weight to shed and nothing is happening. Maybe I'm just not watching the calories enough. I'm not overeating but maybe the foods that I'm eating are too many calories? I don't know but feel like chucking it in. (A lot of good that will do me) Anyway, I guess I'll try to be more restrictive with the calories. Does water play an important role in losing weight? I'm definately NOT a water drinker but I'm trying to get two glasses in a day.... Wish me luck!

Hi Sugarbaby. Good luck on getting back on track. I do think water is important in weight loss. I know we could get into a scientific discussion about it, but I think the body needs water to run efficiently - and the more efficiently it runs, the better our food is metabolized. As far as your plateu, maybe it would help you to shake up your exercise routine. Or to journal what you are eating and drinking to get an accurate picture of how much fat, calories, fiber, etc you are consuming. Maybe then you would have a better idea on what you need to modify. Just some thoughts!!!!! Best wishes!

Hi everyone...
So sorry I have MIA for a few days, but I'm glad I popped back on here and read your posts. biggurl...you are inspiring me to get on my bike today. I haven't exercised since Monday. Have had a busy week, but that is really NO excuse because I could have found time to work out! Right???
So I am hopping on my bike as soon as I am done with this post! According to my exercise schedule, I should be up to 30 minutes of exercise this week and 25 is kicking my butt, so I really need to kick it into high gear!

Food has not been great this week, although I have been trying to get in my fruits and veggies and trying to stay away from SWEETS (which is my biggest downfall). I wish those chocolate chips were not in my cupboard, but I just can't bring myself to throw them away! They are Ghiradelli! I had about 1/4 cup of them with some cashews last night. I really wasn't even hungry or wanting anything...just a habit! I need to kick that habit!

Sugarbaby...sometimes posting here what you eat is helpful. Maybe we can help you by giving you some tips on what you are or aren't eating enough of. And...you can be truly accountable! ARe you journalling your food? I mean EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth? It's important especially in this stage of the game...even if you don't want to count calories (which I personally dread) it helps you see what you eat! Good luck! We are here for you...don't give up, ok?

Starfrog...I worry about you eating so few calories. It's ok (and actually good for you) to eat protein with each meal. That will certainly get your calories up there. Your body needs protein for fuel! 700 calories is way too little for your body. I know you know that, but I hope you will start adding more calories/protein. I'd be sooooooo hungry!!!

Elisha...where are you chickie?

OK...gotta go get on my bike! See you soon!

Morning ladies!

Sorry I went MIA yesterday... I was just... eh, no excuse. Sometimes I just do that.

Julie, I say this to you now for your own good: STEP AWAY FROM THE CHOCOLATE! And go get on that bike!

StarFrog, I agree with Julie--700 calories isn't enough to sustain your body. Your body needs food, chica! Honest!

Michelle, 1/2 a donut is better than a whole donut! Did you get your exercise in?

Jeni, did you stay away from the sundaes yesterday?

Sugarbaby, ! It's great to have you on board with us here. And what StarFrog said about water is absolutely right--it helps your body function more efficiently. I'm sometimes known as the Water Cop (even though I'm not doing so well with it myself at the moment), because I'm all about touting the benefits of drinking water. It does more good for you than you'll ever know, and YES, it absolutely is ESSENTIAL to losing weight.
However, you might want to try adding some flavor to your water, if that is what gets you. Try Crystal Light or unsweetened tea or just adding some lemon or lime to your water. Pretty much any beverage without sugar or caffeine counts toward your water intake (some will even say that even caffeinated beverages count). Do whatever you have to do to drink as much water as you can.
And Julie is right as well. Have you tried journalling your food? Sometimes it is hard for us to get an accurate picture of what we're eating if we don't see it in black and white. I use a computer program called Diet Power to track my intake so I can't cheat myself on calories.
Maybe if you posted your intake here for a day or two we could help you spot some trouble areas. (Trust me, I've read just about every nutrition book on the market.)

Biggurl, WAY TO GO getting on the treadmill! That is a great step!
The thing with guilt is, it serves no purpose. You can't undo what's already been done, so just strengthen your resolve to make better choices in the future, and move on. You are absolutely right--food does NOT control you.

Food has no power. It's only food. YOU are in complete control of the situation. Food cannot make you feel better, or help you get ahead, or do any of the other things we try to make it do. The only thing food can do is nourish your body. That's it, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The only food-related choice we ever need to make is "how will this food affect my body, and is that effect something I want?"

I say this for everyone, myself included: FOOD HAS NO POWER.

And with that said, I have yet another meeting to attend. Have a lovely day, everyone, and a lovely weekend!
Elisha

I'm popping in to give a quick hello to everyone, and to warn Elisha and Julie that once I'm done hosting Thanksgiving this year (my first one!) that I am going to be back at this. I am tired of dragging my fat around, and letting it limit what I can do, and how I feel. I had lost over 75 pounds, and by giving up my control, and letting outside situations take control, I've put the weight back on. I can't keep doing this. Working in our yard, trying to rake and bag grass clippings- 209 feet of front area, by 15 feet deep, nearly killed me. I'm badly out of shape, and feeling poopy, and I need to recommit to making this happen. I'll be taking baby steps to begin with, like getting my water in, and 20 minute exercise commitments with WATP, but I am going to get back at this- and I cannot do it without the support and strong shoulders of my chickies.

I'll be back, but just wanted to say Hi (again!) and start my mental prepping.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all the encouragement. Wow! I did try drinking more water yesterday which is so hard. I know it's really good for the body but have you ever tried to drink when you're not thirsty? It almost makes you sick to your stomach. I know I need to keep track of calories or what have you. Today I haven't had anything and have this FFpeppermint mocha from starbucks sitting here (no whip) and will sip on that for a bit. I think I must be getting in too many calories and just not realizing it. How do you count calories? Does the fitday thing do it for you? I'm still trying to figure that one out. Like how to put in a Starbucks ff peppermint mocha with an extra shot of espresso 16oz and no whip....
I am doing the exercise thing. I walked today for 45 min and I am about to head to the gym for an hour. I have absolutely got to lose this weight!!!! I feel like a pumpkin with a head walking around.
Thanks for all the comments Starfrog, Julie and Elisha. They really do help and I'll post food intake later when I've eaten something.

Hi all. I it is good to see more traffice here today. Today was a big day for me - my school program's (occupational therapy) research conference, where I presented my research results along with my partner. I couldn't turn off my brain last night and I didn't fall asleep until 4, then woke at 6 to get ready and go to the conference. I did eat my Kashi cereal before I left, ate a salad with mushrooms, water chestnuts, brocolli, tomato, and cucumber, and FF honey mustard for lunch. We made it through our 20 min presentation so I am relieved about that. However, all week I have been a little anxious about the dinner I knew we would be going to at a german restaurant at the end of the day......and whether or i not I would throw this whole week away. Well I didn't do great...but I don't think I was a total failure. I had a portabello mushroom sandwich and a potato (no butter or sour cream). However the portabello mushroom sandwhich was a bit oily and it had a slice of cheese on it. The bread was also toasted in butter. I could have scraped the cheese off or left out the bread, but I ate every bit. I also had ONE fried kraut ball (about the size of a golf ball). I do feel pretty guilty about that. I also had a mixed drink which added to the calories. When dinner was over, two of my friends left with their significant others, the remaining 2 left to continue (they are young) for a night of drinking and partying. I felt that emptiness inside of me as I drove home, and felt compelled to stop for fast food or buy some alcohol at least. When I'm driving, especially if it towards home where i am alone, it is hard to battle the thoughts of past/current hurts with my marriage. The pull towards the alcohol was almost stronger. But instead of stopping at the liquor store, I stopped at Wal-Mart for toilet paper and a new beta fish. And here I am venting to you guys and trying to distract myself from making poor chioces!

Sugarbaby - you might check Starbuck's website to see if they have that drink's nutrional information listed. If you find it, then you can enter that info when you click "add custom food". From what I've noticed so far from FitDay, they do not list specific brands of foods, drinks. So a coffee drink may be listed in their database, but it may not be100% accurate to what you had. So when I first started and ate my Kashi cereal for example, I clicked on "add custom food" then entered the information listed from the Kashi label. But then if i ate a banana, for example, I did a search for "banana" on FitDay and then added to what I had that day. I'm not sure if this is what you were asking - but I hope it helps.

Group - thanks for your feedback about the calories. I promise I won't keep it up like this for long- but right now I'm so afraid of going on an eating binge, that severe restriction is almost easier. Sorry I wrote so much tonight. Goodnight all.

-Starfrog

Thanks for that tip Starfrog. I did find the calories/fat grams, etc. for my coffee. Those drinks can get pretty high on the calorie counting. Today I didn't do that great with the dieting of things. I had a burger and onion rings and then we went out to a Japenese restaurant where I had chicken, steak, rice and veggies. For the most part it was healthy and I didn't eat much of the steak but it was so good. I was going to try to stick to a 1/2 cup of rice but I think I managed to eat more like 1c. Oh and I had a salad. So... I know that all added up calorie wise. The worst part was the dove chocolate bar I ate after all that. So... here I am wondering why in the world I can't lose weight. Well... hello chicka!
Don't ya just hate it when you have to do a presentation and you can't get to sleep the night before because you are so busy running through it over and over in your mind? Hope your weekend is nice and relaxing.

S.

Sugarbaby, your helloo chica cracked me up. Well today is a new day foodwise!

Well i guess i made up for my lack of sleep. I slept from midnight to 11!