Journaling works wonders for me. I'm much more aware of what's going on that way. I also have a visual reminder in the form of a tracking bracelet. It's basically a beaded bracelet with a charm that I can move along the beads for each WW point I use up. It's really helped.

I've been having some questionable days myself, though. Last night I ate at Long John Silvers. Even though I stayed in my point range (for the most part, and only if you factor in exercise), I couldn't believe when I found out how much trans fat that stuff is swimming in! I have no idea how my points went today. Neither my husband nor I were in the mood to cook, so we ordered Chinese. No nutritional info available. Szechuan tofu and vegetables, but it was still probably too much. Tomorrow I MUST cook.

yesterday was much better .. chinese sounds good .. unfortunately my kids don't care for it (maybe that's a good thing).

I wish I didn't like Chinese food so much! I could eat it every day if provided to me.

This weekend is going to be another test, I think. This will be the first family gathering since I've started dieting again. I've been banking some points for this, but I almost lost them last night with a bowl of macaroni salad! Not a major get together, but enough that there will be plenty of food.

that pasta will gobble up the points .. i tried a spaghetti squash dish last night .. i was good but not as good as real pasta .. it was a little crunchy ..

The last time I tried to cook a spaghetti squash, it turned out all mush. Perhaps I just got a bad one, but I was turned off of it. I tried whole wheat pasta a few weeks ago. That wasn't too bad, and the fiber helped knock the points down.

This past weekend wasn't a total flub. I still lost half a pound, but I ate at too many restaurants overall. I've got to kick up the discipline this week!

I had to give up Couch-to-5k. My lungs and stamina were getting stronger, but my knees just couldn't handle it. I started taking glucosomine, and I may try again in a few months, but I'll stick to walking and the stability ball, and whatever quiet workout tape I can find for now.

I don't think I really liked the squash all that much .. i'd much rather have the pasta .. my hubby comes home tonight .. i've managed to lose 5lbs in the three weeks .. i would liked to have lost more but i'll take the 5 .. oh well ..

I don't really think I'd like the squash even if it had turned out perfect. I used to hate all squash no matter what, but these days I do have a liking for grilled summer squash. I'll just stick with that.

5 lbs in 3 weeks is a good pace to lose. It's more likely to stay off that way. I've been losing, but at awkward intervals. 3.5 one week, 2 the next, .5 the third, and back and forth. At least I'm not really gaining back for the most part. The hardest part is getting my exercise in. The weather has been very uncooperative, and I've gone through a whole bunch of the library's workout DVDs without finding one I'd like to stick with yet. Don't laugh, but my latest experiment is with bellydance workout DVDs. I haven't given it a full try yet (probably tonight), but it looks fun, and looks like a good trunk workout without jumping all around like with arobics. So, with luck, the downstairs neighbor won't be banging on the ceiling!

Yesterday I checked out a library book on Volumetrics. It seems like it might help me make the most of my points. I haven't read much yet, but it's quite interesting.

How did the challenge with your husband go?

i won the challenge .. he only lost 2 lbs .. what is volumetrics? Sounds interesting. You only have 3lbs to go to meet your goal .. that's great .. you'll do it! I haven't really been doing that well with exercising either. My brain is telling me "go for it".. my body is tell me different. I did get out yesterday to rollerblade .. that's a plus .. My doc put me on a pain med this week (for my back) .. I've been feeling a lot less of it so hopefully this week I'll get some more exercise in .. I also have an appt to go see an orthopedic doc .. a nerve study I had done on my back indicated a problem with my 4th and 5th vertebre .. yippee yahoo ..

The Volumetrics book that I got is mostly recipes and such, unfortunately. The library doesn't have the one that has the science behind it. I did get the gist of the program, though. It basically had lists of food (and lots of recipes) that give you lots more food for the amount of calories you eat. The basic idea is that you can feel full and satisfied without going overboard with calories. The comparison pictures of regular recipes and their volumetric counterparts (same calorie count in both) are fascinating.

4lbs was a weird loss last week. I have a feeling that most of it was water weight, but it's pretty cool to see that big of a difference on the scale

I really hope that pain medication does the job for you. I'm glad you were able to rollerblade. Hopefully seeing that doctor will help get your back in shape soon. I have to get in for back and knee x-rays and a bone density scan soon. I've got a persistant sharp pain in my back just above where my pant line sits, and my doctor wants to see if it is a compression fracture or not. It's not constant, but movement related. It flares up sometimes when I bend forward, or push or pull things around. Of course, I've got to save up money first, because work changed insurance AGAIN, and we all have to pay our deductible again this year. So, yippee yahoo all around, I guess.

health care stinks .. wish we could all fix ourselves! Hopefully you'll be able to get in soon and get that checked out.

volumetrics sounds pretty cool .. eat more and lose weight is a great program .. i'll have to check into that this summer.

I keep teetering around 185 .. i need to get over that hump .. perhaps a good kick in the butt would help me .. the kids and I are leaving for orlando tomorrow afternoon (my husband is there now) .. going to hit seaworld .. hopefully I'll be good and eat only what my tummy tells me to and not what my eyes think they need. All the walking should hold back some of those calories .. we'll be back on sunday

There are times when I think I might just be able to fix myself better than the doctor has been! I have an appointment this coming Friday for the bone density test. I don't think I'll have the money for the Xrays the same day, but we'll see.

I tried making a volumetric tuna sandwich the other day for lunch. I couldn't figure out when to stop adding stuff to it, and it ended up being a huge tuna salad instead. I used a can of white solid tuna, a couple spoonfuls of fat free mayo, diced green pepper, diced vidalia onion, diced apple (sounds weird, but it was good!), and some broccoli. I usually put peas in my tuna, but I was out. I think that's why it got pretty crowded coming up with substitutes. It was pretty good, I think I'd do it again

I hope you had a good time in Orlando. I'm sure that walking will have paid off!

I majorly fell off the wagon the last part of the week. I pretty much had a mental breakdown at work dealing with a problem vendor. It culminated in me being asked to write the fateful letter threatening to terminate our contract with them if they don't shape up. I hate confrontation, so I was really stressing out about it. All I remember were the M&Ms... Lots and lots of M&Ms. *sigh*

Also, my mom's retirement party was this weekend, so it was really hard to make up for the "stress meals". I don't think I'll weigh in this week...

have you had your appointment yet or is it tomorrow? It is good that you are getting yourself in to be seen. We did have a good time in orlando .. not a great time as it rained the whole time .. and it still hasnt' stopped. I think I gained all the weight back .. I'll just have to get back on track now.

I go in this afternoon for both the x-rays and the bone scan. I'm nervous out of my mind! I almost had to cancel because my husband couldn't get the time off to drive me to the clinic (I don't drive), but I was saved (if you can call it that...) at the last minute by my boss who offered to take a late lunch and drop me off. I'm scared to death to do this by myself, but there's no other way. I guess that's just the kind of person I am.

I'm glad you had a good time despite the rain. I doubt you could have possibly gained ALL the weight back. It should be fairly easy to get back on track, anyway.

I got an exercise dvd that has an extra 10 minute flexibility routine I've been doing in the morning now, and the ironic part is that my neck has never been so stiff since I started!

I hope everything worked out for you .. the tests really aren't that painful or scary .. i've had both before .. it was nice of your boss to take the time out for you also.

I see you have a new mini goal .. i'm on board with you there .. again .. I did gain the weight back (go figure) .. but have come back down to 187.8 .. I decided to join weight watchers online to keep me accountable .. i did really well with the ww at home a few years ago .. i just got tired of having to figure out everything for myself .. i lost interest and gained it back .. hopefully this will work this time .. 2.2 points down since I joined it ..

i have yet to find a good stability ball dvd .. library didn't have anything .. i see them in stores but i don't want to shell out the 20 bucks for them .. i could buy another ball for that price .. have my daughter join me ..

Well, I ended up not getting the X-rays done, partly because I chickened out at the last minute, and partly because I was on a time crunch with a dinner invitation. I did get the bone scan done though. It was weird because it was in a van behind the outpatient surgery center. The test itself took less than 10 minutes, and I don't know how it could have gotten a good reading since the van was really rocking every time that laser arm went back and forth! I should have results in a week from Wednesday. I did find out that the X-ray center is totally walk-in, and has Saturday hours, so perhaps next week I'll get those done.

Since I flopped the last mini-goal, I think I'm going to double up and make SURE I hit the new one. I think I'm going to start trying to get up early and do my workout before breakfast instead of in the evenings like I was. I was finding too many excuses to skip it (ie, too tired, too hungry, etc.), and maybe I'll do better at work if I'm loosened up in the morning. I tried it this morning. Got up at 5:30 (monumental for me!), did a 30 minute video, showered, and still had time to pack a lunch and have breakfast with my husband. I hope I can keep this up!

I thought about doing the online WW, but I'm so used to the Winning Points system, that I don't know if I'd succeed with either Flex or Core. I think it would help a lot, though. I hope it works well for you!

I gained some weight back, but I'm wondering if it's water. I'd been getting too much sodium lately. I need to start watching that.

I just bought a new stability ball dvd. It's the For Dummies one. I'll let you know how it is. I also started a thread in the Exercise Videos forum to get some recommendations, and I got some really good suggestions.