Beginme - WELCOME !!! Thanks for joining ! Amanda is the queen of support, and has a great success story already. She'll keep you on your toes!

Amanda - as for me taking holiday pictures -nope - not since I gained the weight. Just a pic of the kids goes out in the cards. I'm glad you have faith in me. As I type this I'm still trying to wake up. Before we went to bed last night, we saw Jillian from the biggest loser on TV - saying that with her work out program, you can lose 20 pounds in one month, and I laughed out loud, and my husband said 'what? i'm sure if you DID follow her routines you WOULD lose 20 pounds in one month".
Why does each day seem like a struggle, yet when a month goes by you look back like - hey that wasnt' that long, why did I do it each day then in this past month I would have lost 10 pounds.
I'm still waiting for my light bulb to truly go over and to figure out my daily way of life - like Amanda with all her great tips for eating healthy and how she knows the fiber in everything. Still working on that !

I'm off to "wake up" now -- oh as for McDonalds - nope I just get the coke, nothing else. And it's just once a day. I will make a conscious effort to avoid all drive thrus for "food" - it's an easy way to feed my kids when we're out and about though ' Hey who wants chicken nuggets for lunch' .

Okay -- today is going to be a good day.

Good Morning All! Today's weigh-in was the second day in a row that I have seen 160lbs...so I got to change my ticker 2 times this week!!! That means only 3 more pounds to go to reach my July goal! I worked out really hard last night - ran very hard on the treadmill for 2.5 miles, then lifted weights. The nice thing about my small town gym is that some of the regulars have seen my huge weight loss over the past year and have been really nice and supportive. Last night - one guy - we call him "Country Joe" (I know, haha, but it is true!) showed me some new moves to work on my triceps - an area I am sure we all hate. I don't know what it is for us women - but the under arm flab is always quite difficult. In any case, doing the move I could really feel the burn - it was nice to be taught something new. Also - after that -another guy "Dewayne" who has seen my transformation came over and started talking to me - saying he thinks he knows me from somewhere - but we couldn't figure that out at all - besides the gym - and he still feels he knows me from somewhere else...in any case, we talked a lot and that was nice - you know - just to have men talk to you (hey, I know Country Joe has a crush on me - he's told me for sometime - I'm not interested, but having Dewayne come talk to me was nice too!)...okay - enough of me gloating about the guys that are checking me out...


2bthin - have you checked your weight yet? I know you said yesterday that you knew you were higher than what your ticker states - get the truth out there!!! What are your July Goals? Have you set up your food log yet?

HongKong - See - now all you need to do is to instruct your children and hubby to never walk the dog - then you will start getting the exercise. Or - they can only walk the dog if you go with them. I've got to go shopping this afternoon as well - DBF's birthday is Monday and I still have a few more items to get him. OF course I'll end up back at The Gap since I have a 15% off coupon and since I went there last weekend and bought a bunch of size 8 stuff (My high size was US 18).

What are you doing for the 4th of July 2bthin? I still haven't made any solid plans - but am going out of town sunday, monday, tuesday - sunday to DBF's mom's home for bday celebre and mon/tues to our old college town (Gainesville, FL - 3 hours north of us) to get away and visit some friends - haven't been back in 4 years!!! Basically I'm hoping to get in some good workouts tonight, tomorrow morning (gym is only open 8-12!), saturday afternoon, and sunday morning - to make up for my lack of working out ability on monday/tuesday - although we may get some hiking in - gainesville has lots of beautiful nature areas.

Well...back to work! It's taken me an hour to type this message already!

So, a bit more about my plan. I'm calorie counting and aiming to eat between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. I'm not exercising yet, but plan to start soon.

Hope everyone has a great 4th!!

Morning Ladies! (although I guess it's evening for you!)

Amanda ~ I hope your shopping trip went well. I had a good day out shopping with my DD yesterday ... or rather, she had a good day shopping! ... She came home with loads of stuff!! I, on the other hand, went through my usual anger and desperation in the changing rooms!! I'm totally not happy with what I came home with, but the idea of going on a beach resort holiday and wearing long pants everyday doesn't fill me with glee! I finally managed to find a couple of pairs of shorts that I could squeeze into ... not a pretty sight I can tell you! And it's only because I know there will be no one there who knows me that I would ever consider wearing them! Note to self: This is going to be the last time I take a holiday looking like a beached whale!

2Bthinagain ~ I also rarely have my photograph taken, and when I do I usually try to cover up in some way ... like sitting down with a bag on my lap or sitting behind a table, or standing behind someone else ... still doesn't help to disguise my huge moon shaped face though! Such a contrast compared to how I used to be a few years ago. I also often think back over the past few months, realising that if I had stuck to my weight loss plan all those other times, like I had intended to, I would probably be at my goal weight by now, or at least close to it. I last started a weight loss plan in January I think ... If I had been sensible, I'd be really looking forward to my beach holiday right now ... instead of dreading the moment that I have to reveal my body on the beach or by the pool.

beginme ~ I'm not exactly a great example to be giving advice about weight loss ... although, I have lost weight successfully in the past by counting calories. Just wanted to say that 1200-1500 calories a day is a little on the low side for someone looking to loose 70+lbs. I know everyone is different, and what works for one person may not suit another, but just be careful that you don't go too low to begin with, because if you get to a plateau and you need to cut calories to help get you over it, you may find it a struggle coping with lower than 1200-1500 cals a day. Where as if you start out slightly higher, say 1500-1700 a day, you can then afford to reduce your intake to around 1400 cals to help you get over a blip, without feeling deprived or hungry. Also, if you do start off too low, you may struggle to maintain it in the long term. Does that make sense? Just a suggestion anyway. Good luck with counting those calories!

Ok, off to do the food shopping now! Hope everyone has a great day!

Hey girls - I will post more later. Our youngest has asthma and just caught a bad cold - he was up until 3am and I don't think I slept all night...plus now I'm getting a sore throat and getting sick. I'm so glad my husband is home for the holiday today...I'm SO tired.....luckily - not interested in food.
I'll post more later today when I wake up and take a shower (it's 9:30am now), and I'm still tired!

It's 5:30 now and I haven't "woken up" all day. Due to the holiday I forced myself to shower - we're having a neighborhood party on our block and I want to take our oldest down for a bit, even though I'm groggy as all ****.
Amanda - so close to goal --- ! Girl, you may as well BE at goal - you have done such hard work and the pay offs must make you feel out of this world. I just hope I can follow your lead and work out as hard as you have and stay as dedicated to the food plan as you have.
I thought I'd posted my July goals -- less soda, work out 3x a week (which means walking actually).... I'm still tired from last night and not thinking clearly. I'll post again in the morning.

Fat in Hong Kong - how did the food shopping go?

beginme - you and I both need to work on our exercise huh? I've been saying I was going to begin soon for 2 years, and I've never made a routine out of it. When I see your posts about your workout plan then that will light a fire under me ! Goodluck with your program !!!

Hello All. I wound up having a terrible food day today. I'll be traveling tomorrow, so it doesn't look like it will be better. Well, I guess I'll just have to start yet again next week.

Fat in Hong Kong, thanks for the suggestion about the calories. I guess one of my problems is that I don't like a lot of healthy food, so I'm hard pressed to eat 1,500 calories a day of good stuff.

2BThin-Sorry to hear about your night! Hope your son is on the mend and that you catch up on your sleep tonight.

Well, I'm off to bed. I'll check in tomorrow.

P.S. Sorry to be having food troubles right after joining this thread. I really don't want to be the one to pull the group down.

2Bthin ~ sorry to hear your son isn't well, hope he's feeling better soon, and hope you've managed to catch up on some sleep! The food shopping went well ... got lots of lovely fresh fruit and salads so I'm well prepared for the coming week. We're having a BBQ this evening and instead of the usual steak and burgers kind of stuff, I've bought some lovely fresh swordfish steaks which I'm marinating in garlic, lemon and oregano and serving with a couple of different salads and corn on the cob. Also got some other stuff for those not having to watch their weight, but I'm pretty content with what I've got on the menu!

beginme ~ one terrible food day is just that ... 1 day ... forget about it, put it behind you, and continue the next day with healthier choices. Don't worry, you're not alone. I don't find it easy to make good choices every day either ... in fact, I really struggle with it! But unlike in the past when I would just give up after one bad day, thinking what's the point in bothering to carry on, I now realise that 1 day really isn't going to make that much difference in the whole scheme of things. It's so easy to give up and feel like you've already failed after one bad day ... which then leads into 2 or 3 days, and so it goes on. This has been my first week back on plan, and I don't mind confessing that it's not been easy for me. I've made lots of good choices, but I've also made quite a few bad ones too, and in the past I would have simply thought, what the ****, and given up! But I know that each day I carry on, instead of giving up, will eventually help to lead me on to the road of success. This week I've been writing everything down that I've eaten ... EVERYTHING from the healthy tuna salad which I had for lunch yesterday, followed by a bowl of strawberries, to curry & rice which I had for dinner on Wednesday (far too much of) ... oh, and large amount of wine I had to drink on Thursday evening!! I don't expect I'll lose much, if anything this week, but I'm carrying on and taking it one step at a time, each day trying to make a few better choices. Don't think you're 'pulling the group down' ... I'm in exactly the same situation that you are and I know I need help and support, that's why I'm going to keep coming here everyday and I'm not going to give up ... and neither are you, are you?

Have a great weekend everyone!

2bthin - sorry about the stressful holiday for you Hope you got some sleep last night Must be tough to be tired all day - I know we all have those days - I definitely have trouble sleeping about 4 nights out of each week...no fun! As far as being to goal - I may be close, but I'm not going to claim it until I'm actually there. I know I posted my photos here - but I'm actually very excited to post in the "Goal" thread once that truly happens. I actually saw 159lbs on the scale yesterday - but then had pizza for dinner...so I'm sitting back at 160lbs today - will probably (hopefully) change over the weekend - but am going out of town for 3 days...so you never know! Also - even though I'm so close to goal - I don't have plans to change any of my habits. I have stopped my actual calorie counting - I was recording at thedailyplate.com - but now I'm fairly good at it and don't really feel the need to. It was definitely one of the most helpful tools I had on this journey.

BeginMe - YOU ARE NOT PULLING THIS GROUP DOWN!!! THE ONLY TIME THE GROUP GOES DOWN IS WHEN WE HAVE A MEMBER LEAVE! JUST GETTING HERE IS HALF THE BATTLE. YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS AND DO IT RIGHT AND SUCCESSFULLY!!! IT IS POSSIBLE! As far as exercise goes - yes, it's easy to put it off until the next day - same as your diet - but honestly, if you stop what you are doing and just do it that day - you'll find yourself much more happy with yourself. You say you are going to start back on plan next week - but what is wrong with today? Just because you had some poor food choices today - doesn't mean you can't finish the day out making better ones. Every single bite counts! Stay here - you'll figure it all out, just keep checking in!

HongKong - Great job at recording all of your caloric intakes. Are you counting anything besides calories? I watched my fiber and sodium as well as protein when I was counting every day. I'm a fiber addict and can swear that it is 90% of the reason I was so successful with my diet. I'm a fiber whore. Plain and simple


Something I was thinking we could all do here every day is actually post what we are eating - so I'll post what I've eaten so far today below and I'll edit this post when I've eaten something else.

If you check out the photos - I think they are on page 1 of this edition of our group - there's a photo of me at a wedding from 2001 - I've been holding onto that dress since that wedding so that I could fit back into it - I always liked the photos from that day - well guess what? yes, I fit back into it the other night - I'll definitely take a new photo with me in it for once I reach goal. I also went shopping at Banana Republic Outlet on Thursday afternoon and the entire store was an additional 40% off - I got a pair of nice work pants for $5.39!!! I of course found a couple of other cute tops - but you those pants started out at $89 (where most BR pants start out at cost wise) - I actually had to ask the clerk if it was tagged wrong!!! Crazy exciting - I just love bargains

Well, I may catch a movie with a friend this afternoon...or I may take a nap. I'm leaning towards the nap first - and maybe the movie later....we'll see.

Have a nice Saturday everyone...oooh...I just remembered out nice and sunny (and not rainy!) it is outside...maybe I'll get to the pool for an hour before my nap!

Today's Food
*Cup of coffee w/Splenda and French Vanilla Creamer
*Slim Fast
*Kashi Vive Cereal w/1% milk
*Cup of coffee w/Splenda and French Vanilla Creamer
*Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bar
*Cheeseburger fully loaded on onion bun with blue cheese - yum
*Tater tots (I know, not really diet food, but I ate so little today, that there was plenty of space for them!)
*2 Miller Lites.

Thanks for the encouragement, folks!! And, no, I am NOT going to give up. My goal is to be at my goal weight by January 1, 2009. Hopefully, that's realistic.

2BThin, where are ya today? Hope your son is well.

BeginMe - your goal is definitely realistic. Just keep up the good and hard work and you'll be there on time! I'm almost to goal and I only started at the end of Sept. 2007...

Speaking of which - we are at 159lbs today! (Even after burger and tots and beers!) I feel lucky! Hopefully my little vacation doesn't screw up this good hard work!

Congrats on 159. That's really great. You are so inspiring to me. I had another bad day today eating wise, but have packed the house with good stuff for tomorrow. And all the bad stuff is gone.

I think I'm finally ready to finish this up once and for all.

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all had a good weekend ... 2Bthin ~ I hope your son is feeling better and you've managed to catch up on some sleep!

Amanda ~ I'm not actually doing a calorie counting plan this time ... it's worked for me in the past, but the problem with me is that I become obsessed with calories, and I end up getting so frustrated having to count every single thing that goes in my mouth, that I eventually give up. I know it's the best way for some people, but I find it too difficult to stick with long term.

This past week I've just basically been writing everything down to give me an overall picture of where I'm going wrong and how I can improve. I've not actually been following any specific plan, but simply tried to make a conscious effort to make better choices. I've still had things which I know I shouldn't really be eating, and I've still had too much of some things, but somewhere along the line there's something switched on in the back of my head that's reminding me each time what I'm supposed to be doing. The outcome of my initial trial week has rewarded me with a 2lbs loss ... not a great deal for a first week I know, as I've lost as much as 4-6lbs in the past, but it's a loss never the less and I'm pleased with that

Now that I've spent the first week reminding myself what I should and shouldn't be doing, and getting myself in the right frame of mind to tackle it properly, I'm embarking on my proper plan. It's a plan devised by a slimming club in the UK which I have found easy to follow in the past (but didn't get to goal as I wasn't in the right frame of mind at the time) and which one of my friends at work has been highly successful with. It's basically a no nonsense, no gimmicks, healthy eating plan, and I can honestly say that I never felt hungry because it also has a 'free foods' list that you can fill up on or pile your plate high with, and I never once felt deprived. There's no counting calories, or fat grams, and there's no weighing (except for the odd 'extras' that you are allowed in limited quantities if you feel you need them). It's basically normal healthy eating (no ready prepared foods though unless you count them as extras) that should be able to fit into any normal lifestyle. So, here I go with day 1!

I also think that your idea of posting what we eat each day is great ... it would certainly help to keep me on track and make sure that I'm making the right choices if I'm posting it for everyone else to see! I'll come back later and post what I've eaten today ........

beginme ~ Good girl for getting rid of all the bad stuff and stocking up on the good stuff! I think your goal is very realistic and the fact that you've already lost 29lbs shows that you're well on your way to achieving it!! Keep up the good work

I'll be back later to post today's food .....

Ok Ladies, as promised here's today's food ......

Breakfast
Oatmeal w/Banana, 1 tsp honey

Lunch
Omelette w/Mushrooms, Ham, Cheese (28g grated)
Side Salad
1 tbs low fat Mayo

Dinner
Sirloin Steak
Butternut Squash 'Fries'
Side Salad
1 tbs low fat Mayo

Snacks/Extras
Milk (Daily Allowance)
Strawberries w/99%ff Fromage Frais
Wine (4 Glasses!)

Just popping in to say I'm on my way out of town until late Tuesday night. I'll catch up with everyone when I get back - stay on plan and keep your heads up high!
~A