Abbeycat - That is great news about your blood pressure going down! It is always good to hear positive health information. Keep up the goo work.

Newsnerd - Wow I recall how fun bike riding was! I am so happy for you. My entire family has bikes and when we take the kids to the park I usually just sit and watch them ride. I am so excite for you. Maybe one day I will be able to enjoy bike rides again

NoLifeWithoutHorses - you are doing so good and I am sure your scale will show the change when you get back!

Nightkatt - Great job on your fat % going down. I really need to get me a great scale like the one you have. I have a WW scale that I love. Maybe once I shed 100 pounds I may buy me a better scale as a gift to myself.

Wyllenn- I finally joined the exercise thread. I hope I can count my dancing as exercise I think it will be good for me and I have set a very small goal this month since it is my first month. I am looking forward to the challenge I have given myself. I think with my increased dancing I will finally make it to the 200's. Also I am happy you enjoyed your ice cream. I think you will be fine. You have lost almost 100 pounds and seem to be doing great. I am sending you support against the brownies

Princess Puffy pants – Congrats on the new car. I think the Saturn Due is a nice SUV. I drive a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer myself and I am still getting used to parking.. I am such a bad driver. I have never had a accident but I honestly know people laugh when they see me driving this big SUV which I can’t park. It was my husbands ideal to but it. While he drives a new ford mustang GT. convertible.

Everyone else who I forgot to mention please have a great day and I am wishing all good vibes

Ok now ladies I think this may be the week where I finally make it to the two’s. I have gotten on the scales and it is going down but I am waiting until my weigh in date ...I am keeping my fingers crossed. I and dancing around the house and about to start some major studying. My semester starts in less than three weeks and we have so much to read before the start of classes this semester. It is hard to believe I will be a RN in may. I have worked so long and so hard! So everyone have a great day and stay cool!

rkrs -- YES! Dancing COUNTS as exercise! I'm so happy you joined the exercise thread. The accountability has REALLY helped me. I will be sure to report back that I did NOT eat a brownie today!

Sharon-- congrats on the loss and comments from hubby. Those really do make a difference!

Hey everyone,
Is anyone doing the forum wide weigh in....I weighed in this morning and hope to challenge myself...Its going to be a rough 2 weeks I know I am going to go to the smokey mountains in 2 weeks and I love to see new things (never been there) but I absolutely hate going out to eat....had a couple of horrific encounters...but my family shouldn't suffer. I worry during the whole meal and I never really enjoy myself. anyway I am rambling... I just got off work... I am a night shifter and was curious if anyone was doing the august challenge......I hope everyone has a nice day...
Rene

thanks for the welcome back all!

sharon - yeah i see that WW is finally working for Ammi - shes my inspiration

PrincessPuffyPants - Welcome back on board and hope you have as much great support as you need ... on here its never in short supply. Its always great to have an inspiration to help you achieve your goal

Sharon - WTG on your "unofficial" loss ... its always a plus to know that by the weigh day you wont be going up at least ... esp when you are a little more restricted in exercise with your ankle ..

rkrs - WTG on the way your scales are going ... seems a way away for me yet but I have that in mind by the end of August Will watch out for your big 200 moment

Wyellen - I am going to join the exercise thread as well .. just starting off slow to start with .. but hoping to improve that next month and the month after etc .. will get over there and sign up in a mo

Rene - Im doing the weigh in too Good luck to you .. and everyone else that is joining in

Huggies and HIII to everyone else .. I have only had 3 hours sleep .. so might try to get in another couple of hours lol ..

Rene ~ I am doing to forum wide weigh in. Should be interesting!

Melissa - you are going to need patience with your body. I would definitely take measurements and rely on those rather than the scale. I love the scale too but sometimes I don't think it loves me My recommendation is definitely up your workouts in some way. It may be weights or it may be different type of cardio activity. You may also look at what you are eating. Are you eating processed foods? Lots of sodium? Are you drinking lots of water? There are so many things that can affect the scale that it isn't really reliable from day to day.

Melissa - Hang in there! Like Nelie said, the scale is not always the best measurement of our progress. Sometimes, for seemingly no reason, it doesn't move how we would want. However, that isn't a reason to get defeated. It took a long time to get to the weight you are and it is going to take a long time to lose it. We may not like that fact, but it is the reality of healthy weight loss. Taking your measurements is great, also thinking about how different you are feeling with your energy levels and fitness. There are many measurements of success. It is so important not to base everything on just the scale.

If having a timed deadline of seeing your family is causing you pressure, then you might want to rethink you goals for that. Personally I find time goals to be destructive rather than helpful for this very reason. It will take the time it will take. As nice as it would be to wow your family, the most important thing is to get there in the long run.

I have been having a rough time lately. Although I have started my exercise again fairly aggressively, my eating has been about 85% and I think it is contributing to the scale not moving. Although I am eating pretty much as I have been (staying under 2000) I am actually up from my ticker weight. It is really starting to get to me, and I am having trouble not getting depressed about it. So actually writing this was a good reminder to myself about the same thing. This is a long journey and it isn't always going to go smoothly or as we hope.

HI everyone!

Tuesday weigh in day for me today. Melissa, you and I are together on this one, I lost NOTHING this week. matter of fact as of today I am up 1/2 pound from last week, but I am NOT changing my ticker. It doesn't take 1/2 pounds anyway so hehe.

My pounds were ALL OVER the place this week. Went down to 298 then up as high as 301 just yesterday, now back to 299.5. I bet it is because of several reasons. First, I am definitely puffed up today. Not drinking enough water for the whole week, I know it too. Also, bad sleeping habits this week. The only thing i have done well this week with is my eating and exercsie. That's ok, it's bound to happen, and I accept it. Melissa, don't be down, you're just working so hard, so don't beat yourself up about it.

I have something in common with Nightkatt I too met my husband via online personals in 2002. Really odd twist though, as well.
I had been on the personals site for almost a year when he came along. We chatted for about a week, then decided to meet for a coffee. As it turned out, during our chats on the phone, and talking about where we were from, etc. he tells me that he is from a small town.. and the SAME small town where my ex boyfriend was from. So, I said aww darn, I hope you don't know him! I said his name, and he said ... noooooo.. I think we have met before!!! Turned out that when we were both dating other people, one day we'd met at a market. Since my ex and my now hubby had known each other, they stopped to talk and I was introduced but I never saw him again after that. This was about 4 yrs prior to the online dating.

So, we got engaged 7 months after we met, in Niagara falls, and married just last spring in Las Vegas! So, anyone doubting that online personals can work.. yes, they CAN. I don't think I'd want to go through that process again, because it was.... tough. A lot of people on it seemed to be saying they were looking for a relationship, but in reality I think they were just using that as a hook to 'hook up' if ya know what I mean.

Anyway that's enough ramblin on my part.. jeez sorry guys, I get carried away.

How do you guys keep track of everyone on here to be able to give them all little notes? Do you just scroll back and forth as you are writing? Just curious.

I hope everyone's having a good day and thanks everyone for the very much appreciated support, this place is just helping me so much

~ Angie

Angie - that is such a sweet "connection" .. I went to Niagara Falls in 2004 when I was doing my world tour and after getting over the initial AWE of the magnificence of the falls .. my only thought was .. and some idiots went over that in a barrel .. rofl .. but definitely a memorable and romantic spot to be asked .. and Vegas!! Thats somewhere I want to go to for sure one day .. not to gamble .. love the history of the place lol .. And yes .. I personally go back over the posts to try to answer everyone since my last post .. my memory is crap so its the only way .. lol .. that and makes it easier to get everyones names right while I am still learning them all lol ..

Melissa - hun please dont be hard on yourself ... you have achieved well so far, so keep that in mind ..I have been told that when you have a plateau sometimes you need something to jolt your body into remembering what its supposed to be doing .. but then again .. you also have to keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat .. so if you are working out lots and building up your muscle you may be losing fat still .. but the muscle is stopping the scales from moving .. would be great if you can find out your fat percentage etc and use that as a guide... that is what my JC councellor said .. when I reach a point where it doesnt look like I am losing anything .. watch the fat percentage .. chances are you may be losing the fat .. just not the weight .. if you cant get scales that do the fat thing .. then use a tape measure. Its great you want to wow your family for XMas ... but you also want to make it a fun journey, not a chore and a depressing/stressfilled event. Keep talking tho .. it helps a lot too!

Nancy - Keep the faith hun .. you are doing fantastic so far .. would be a shame to start doubting how well you are doing Its great your goals are in lots of mini increments ... but dont you start stressing too much either.

Happy day all! My daughters birthday tomorrow and Im making my favourite macaroni cheese with bacon .. omg .. gonna be hard rofl .. but I have Mac Cheese for my JC plan tomorrow anyway so I will just be happy having that instead and will just enjoy the smell of the bacon rofl .. Im wondering if I will be able to have a LITTLE piece of her birthday cake .. but I will have to see what sort of cake my dad makes I think. Should be an interesting challenge tomorrow then lol .. ciao!

melissa i know how you feel i have been stuck for quite a while now but i never give up hope i just try to think what i need to do then do it! and coming to this site is what gives me such hope for success!

Nightkatt.. OMG I never would have thought to put bacon on KD (aka mac and cheese)! You got my mouth thinking.. mmmm baaaaacooonnnnn. BAD nightkatt! hahah