Judy, I totally agree that I can't ab lib. Straight calorie counting is the only thing that works for me. Sorry about the 1/2 cup of cashews. Don't you hate when they disappear and you don't even remember enjoying them?

Carol, I agree about when people look for another job, there's a reason. So did your current employer as this co-worker to stay and match the salary??? If not, take that as a BIG compliment.

Penny, you're flying off tomorrow. Did you know I think of you every day??? I love my orange blossom soap. I think I'm an addict, I stand in the shower and sniff the bar for quite some time. I do love it so. The first bar is getting thin but 11 to go. Enjoy you time with your parents. We'll just hope you don't shock them so much with how great you look that they have a heart attack. 40 pounds is so significant!

I swam again today. I'm getting the art down of how totape my wrist and hand. The first day I left the thumb out and that hurt a bit, and I also didn't make it go up my arm enough. Monday (swim 2) I did a back dive into the pool. DH said no but I did it. Probably the worse backdive of the season but that's okay. I couldn't break the water with my hands. Today, I taped it perfectly and front dove as the back dive was hard on the arms. The front dive wasn't easier but at least my ribs don't hurt. I've also improvised the splint for normal wear as my wrists are really thin and the brace wasn't holding it steady enough. Now perhaps it'll start to improve.

Cals for yesterday adn Monday 1210 -1220 both days. Walked the doggies 1.5 miles both days and SWAM 1/4 mile on Monday. So exercise is good. So is food. Even the evil square box is being nice these days. I'm weighing daily again and trying not to be mad at gains. (I'd been losing for a week straight and yesterday it said I'd gained .6 pounds. Today it plus another .2 was gone. I'm thinking that the every day may have more fluctuation but then I see it go away faster. Truly a mind game...)

Well, time for my nightly ice cream cone. TTYL.
Marie

Judy - I was thinking of watching The Biggest Loser. I've never watched it but I heard that Alison Sweeney was the host and I used to enjoy watching her on Days of our Lives years ago. The sound effects seem a bit distracting though, so maybe I'll just peek at it now and then to see how they are doing. I just finished watching my first ever "survivor" type show - Design Star on HGTV. It was very good and I'm rooting for Kim to win - she has an amazing sense of style and taste but is completely self-taught with no formal interior design training. You can look up all about it on the HGTV website if you're into that sort of thing.

Marie - You're a real trooper doing all that swimming and exercise despite your injuries! Sounds like the scale is cooperating these days. I'm glad you're enjoying the orange blossom soaps. I'm taking a couple of little bags of the petals I had left over when I made your soaps and some cucumber loofah soaps for my Mum.

Hi Carol, Nikki, Jennelle and Emma - I hope all is well with you.

I'm off to the airport soon, I can't believe this trip has come around so quickly! Thanks everyone for your good wishes for my trip. I'll have a "cuppa" for you when I'm over there and if I can get to a computer I'll check in and say "hi".

Hi everyone may I join your thread ??? This morning I woke up in a good mood...still a little sleepy but I put on my sweats and a T shirt and got on the ab lounge to excersise....and it woke me up Now I am here at work and I have been drinking water all day long, and had a trailmix snack and now I am going to eat my left overs from last night. I didnt grab a ton of it...but it is spaggetti. Just a small portion is all. I also brought fruit. So far so good... how is everyone doing???

Bon Voyage, Penny!

Hi, JayaGoddess . Nice meeting you. Good luck on your mission, i can relate to that. How are you planning to reach your goals (besides staying awake on the ab lounger )? I'm on a lower-carbs, god fats plan, and working out most days.

Marie, you little water baby, good for you! When it gets too cold to swim, you'll be happy that you made the extra effort, despite the problems with your wrist.

I did well today. My weird snack combos are helping keep me full--half an apple and an ounce of smoked tofu, or four celery sticks and 2 oz. sliced ham--in the morning and afternoon. I've also discovered chocolate-covered Altoids, which totally quell that late afternoon must-eat-now-or-else panic that drives me to an extra 200-calorie snack.

Take care, everyone--judy

Thank you Judydc...!!! What my routine has been so far is I get up and walk the dogs in the morning for like 15 minutes, of course they do most of the walking....then I do the ab lounge for 10 minutes because I am just starting out with the excersising. Towards the end of August I went to the doctors for a regular physical. When I stood on the scale I kept seeing the nurse move that darn metal balance and the weight up farther and farther. I was afraid to ask my weight. I said so how much do I weigh. She says oh 230 pounds I was like feeling so much heavier after she told me that. When I got home I sat down just wondering well I am over way over weight and I need to do something. I started to changed my eating habbits. And then in a week I lost 5 pounds. Next I started a body cleanse because well I am sure that my body could use the cleanse. So I weighed myself this morning I lost 2 more pounds. I now weight 216. So I have so far lost a total of 14 pounds. I have not had a soda since last weekend... and I am not going to lie I do crave it a little but I have been really good in just drinking water. I have cut back on my food intake because I was eating like everything junk food. Tonight I will be going to the gym in my complex and walking the treadmill. I will do that for 15 minutes. The starting tomorrow I will be doing the treadmill 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the evening.

Oh so this morning I have had the following:
(1) Cup Of Trail Mix
(4) 8 oz of water
And in 15 minutes I am going to have a chicken pot pie for lunch. I brought fruit an orange and an apple for a snack. I think the only thing we have left at home is hot dogs, so that is going to be dinner...not so great but have to eat ..... Tomorrow I am going to shopping for all the right healthy foods. This weekend is going to be a real challenge for me because I will be home with my teenagers ......!!! Meaning no junk food .....hehehehehehe

Welcome Jaya. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Do you read the nutritional labels on the trail mix? I was always under the impression they're really high in calories per serving. If yours aren't, what kind do have? That would be a great snack.

The scale continues to be friendly. I am blessed that the scale was so evil a week ago Tuesday after the sweatbox of southern Cal and not eating great for a while. I'm down 9.8 pounds from that awful weighin. I know about 4-5 was mostly bloating from bad foods and the traveling, but I'll count the rest. I'm now 4 pounds lower than when I went to Alaska. I'm even wearing my jeans - I've avoided them since I got back. Just in the nick of time for the weight loss as the high this weekend is supposed to be only in the 60's. Brrrr. The jeans will make it better.

Yesterday Stats: 1290 (a bit higher, but ok) and walked 1.5 miles
Wednesday's Stats: 1178 cals and walked 1.5 miles and swam .25 mile

I am so thankful it is weekend. This has been a horrendous week at work. I'm guessing next week won't be better but I get a reprieve for 2 days. 3 hours, 34 minutes till weekend!!!
Marie

Hi Marie,

Ya um about the calories on the trailmix well....I didnt check that... I am going to go shopping tomorrow, and am going to look to see if there is anything that has low calories...hahaha..the other trailmix that I have seems to have gotten stale....blah....

I am looking forward to the weekend....sort of scared because I have been doing so well and wondering how well I will do this weekend...I think I will do good. I need to go and get more water though because all the water I am drinking is going quickly ...hahaha... Well it is 15 minutes until time for me to leave for home yay!!!!!

I hope all of your have a great weekend, oh and I am sure I will check in tomorrow because I will be heading to the library to go online. I dont have internet at home.....thats a real bummer.....but hey less time sitting on my butt I guess....lol.... talk to you people tomorrow.... Bye !!!!!

Good morning! This is my last weekend to myself for a while. My sinuses are really bothering me. I got up and put on my workout gear but so far I haven't done anything . Maybe it's not meant to be today, we'll see. The scale is still at 221.5, and I would like to see 219 before going to the nutritionist on Wednesday. So I'll eat lightly today, work out later if I perk up, and focus on kicking this congestion to the curb.

Jaya, there's nothing like having a lady in a white lab coat say your weight out loud as she writes down on a chart! I always say the same thing: "Well, it was [four pounds lower] when I weighed myself this morning!" But alas, the number she wrote doesn't change. And I as I get off the scale, I move the slider down so that it's under 200...it's pathetic, but what can I say?

I love trail mix, but I agree with Marie, just a 1/4 cup is usually a lot of fat, calories and sugar grams, but it's hard for me to eat so little of it and walk away. I'm sure you'll figure out what will work for you. The main thing is that you're being intentional, not just eating whatever.

Marie, wow, despite all your adventures this past month or so, you're still doing great . Although i'm picking up a faintly negative vibe regarding work . Hope you enjoy every minute of your weekend.

I need to do some chores today--laundry, groceries, bills--and will go into the office for a bit on Sunday. It's beautiful outside, so I'll be sure to spend time walking out in the sunlight. I am sticking with my planned meals and my log, but I didn't work out yesterday, so I want to be sure to ride that stupid bike or get in other workouts almost everyday between now and when I leave town next Friday. So mucus, begone! I need to breathe!

Take care-judy

Hi everyone!

Judy have you gone to an ears, nose and throat specialist? You sound so much like my sister in how many sinus infections she had. She went to an ENT and they did some hocus pocus (surgery) and she's been pretty much infection free for a year (I remember one this past April). There actually could be something clinically wrong that a reg. doctor doesn't find. This is a do as I say, not as I do since I mentioned to DH that if my wrist doesn't start to improve in 2 weeks that I'll think about making a dr. appointment. Today is week 4 since the accident.

So Judy, where are you going next??? I don't know how you do it. We went over the mtn. today and I'm wiped out. I hate traveling 75 miles more or less all over the country.

Jaya, you've bummed me out. I had hoped you'd found a lo-cal trail mix. So where in California do you live? I live about 6 miles from the Cal-OR border.

Today DH walked the doggies with me. We went the big block minus the big hill since I can't walk down it. I walk up it every day, but down would kill the knee. Then we walked all over Lowes and Costco. 2.5 miles on the doggie walk and probably another .5 to 1 mile in the stores. I only counted the doggie walk. We bought supplies to start building the pedestal for our wood stove. Nowhere had the piping and DH will buy it in town this week. I'm so excited to have a fireplace. I just hope the asthma willl stay at bay during its use.

Drum roll, I lost another 1.2 pounds. I have 4 more to see my lowest ever and about anther 3 to where I was last spring.

Yesterday's stats: 1212 cals and walked 1.5 miles

I'm starting to think I'll stay on Marie's Induction period diet for a while (that's my 1200 cal goal). I'm liking losing weight regularly.
Marie

Hey all!! I really missed you guys! I've been back for over a week but was so busy with work I never got the chance to post on here. I just got the chance to pop in and say hi. Everything is well, I didn't gain which is good. I'm still on program and trying to get exercise in whenever I can.

Will post later

Hi everyone, things are going good today. According to the scale, I gained .8 but since that's not physically possible, I'm not worried. I think the weighing everyday is making gains and losses more in perspective.

DH and walked the doggies 1.5 miles today and then we went out rock "shopping" in our yard (several acres) for the rocks that will be part of the base of the wooed stove. It's looking cool.

Right now I'm watching Nascar and Packer football - yes 2 TVs on at once. And I'm surfing. I was researching double coverage health insurance in case we add DH's insurance during open enrollment. Trying to decide if it will help or hurt. I need more info on mine but the federal employee insurance websites are much nicer than mine. So we'll see - I send mine an email requesting info on double coverage.

Emma, I'm glad you're back. I thought you stayed on vacation. Good job on not gaining.
Marie

Hey everyone! I'm trying to find the time to post on here which is really hard with all the idps and salary reviews going on at work.
I think I'm going to revise my birthday goal, there is no way I can be 225 by 19th Sept which is on Wednesday so I'm going to make it my goal for September instead.
Did 20 minutes on elliptical and 30 on treadmill yesterday *yay* hoping to catch my exercise buddy later for an hour of exercise in the evening.
Food wasn't great yesterday, will try to make up for it today.

Penny ~ I hope you had a safe and easy trip

Jaya ~ Welcome to the thread, I hope you'll love the support here as much as I do.

Judy ~ I hope the congestion easies down, go easy on the exercise, I know how hard it is when you can't breath! Let us know what happens with the nutritionist.

Marie ~ I wish my vacation was longer, it was amazing! I was weighing in everyday before I went on vacation and you do get upset sometimes when the numbers go up so I decided its not worth it. I wouldn't count the .8 as a gain either. yay for 1.5 miles done, how is your wrist feeling?

Carol, Nikki and Jennelle ~ Hope you guys are doing okay!

Emma, it's not doing great. No improvement, no worse. I'm actually thinking of calling my dr. for a consultation on it. Now that my swimming season is over because we're taking down the solar panels early (long story) I don't care whether it's casted. I have my priorities right - swimming was more important than the wrist... I don't get into specific goals anymore that I can't control (number of pounds) only the one I can (number of calories consumed). Som my goal is an average of 1200 or there abouts for the enar future. I figure I control what I can, the other will happen when my body is in the mood. BTW, the scale was even meaner this morning. Amazing that I gained another .4 pounds when I ate 1200 both Sat and Sun. It's not irritating me as I know it's a fluctuation (probably because I had loads of fiber this weekend). But, I do give the scale a nice view or my middle finger. just for the fun of it.

I did a 5:00 am doggie walk - another 1.5 miles. Now that swimming is over, I'll have to find something to give a little exercise after work. I need to really try and get into yoga. I need to work on my balance and coordination (as the bike accident suggests I have none of). Maybe I'll stop at the store and find a beginner yoga DVD. Yoga for Idiots??? I think I've see that before. I wish blockbuster rented them to try.

Back to work. Yuck!!!!
Marie

Yikes. I think my head's going to explode! Not from the congestion, but from work--too many things do all at once, and people are steady coming up with more for me to do...

Emma, I'm glad you're back. With Penny on vacation, and some of the newer folks taking a while to get into the swing of nearly daily check-ins, it might be a little quiet for a few weeks. You did well to maintain during your vacation. Good luck with your new-tweaked goal for next month.

Marie, don't think too much about these fluctuations of less than a pound. Hormones, water retention, etc....even if your calorie counts are off by a few hundred calories, between your careful eating and exercise, you've gotta be on the right track! I thought you were anti-yoga . I like the Gaiam/Living Arts Yoga for Weight Loss.

Still fighting the congestion, I think we may be in the early stages of infection (yet again). I'll have to break down and see my doc so I can nuke the germs away...it might be useful to see a specialist, but because it's just annoying, not debilitating, it's hard to get my primary care doc to take it seriously.

I'm still on program. Based on two days' weigh-in, I've changed my official weight here to (drum roll, puh-leeze) 220.5! . My weigh-in with the nutritionist is Wednesday, so I'm doing my best to be as close to 219 as possible by then. Macy's had those Rocket/Magic Bullet blenders on sale for $25, so I've been having fun using them for shakes (instead of my old stick blender).

judy