AMMI, I forgot to say what a cool NSV you had knocking out that Richard Simmons tape! I remember the first time I walked for even 30 minutes, then eventually 40 etc. It's wonderful to feel that endurance building! Thanks, too, for your kind words about my writing. You guys here inspire me I guess.

NELIE, I'm sorry you've been in a funk. You're a member of our elite 100+ club AND you got that fat meter to read 37.5%! Dwell on that if you can. You've done SO well! I'm ecstatic because this week is the first time I got the stupid fat meter to read at all - 50.0% - before it's always just said "ERROR".... and we thought MISTI's bra lady was rude!! I hope you can feel just a little of the joy I feel FOR you! Have a beautiful Wednesday!!

MELISSA, I think we should all unite to send the FFM to your house to break that plateau! Hang in there - You KNOW it has to give up those pounds soon! Maybe a few days or a week of higher intake would kick up your metabolism so you could get back to burning again. Sounds like you might be in starvation mode? Good luck!

AMY, I eat as little lunch meat as possible. It seems they're all really high sodium! I try to keep cooked chicken or burger on hand and just dip it in a bit of mayo or ketchup. ** I totally agree with you on the importance of coming to this forum. It does the same for me - keeps me focused on what's at stake and what I need to do. ** On getting enough veggies, I like them, but have realize in the last couple days that I don't get nearly enough. Even when I journal food normally, the emphasis is on the calorie count and I barely jot down WHAT I ate. Now that I'm on this Challenge thing, I have the whole day laid out for me, meals and snacks, and then I can make substitutions or changes. Now I have to THINK about balancing everything, and I've noticed how much effort it takes to get all the F & V in. Obviously I wasn't getting enough before.

BRENDA - HaHaHa! Good deal on the new oven! Now that you're cooking again, just let us know when dinner is served. ** Sorry you have so much grief at work. Good that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Is there any way that you can just smile at her and say "Just a few more days of your crap. Then I'll be gone, but you'll be an idiot forever."?

TRIXIE - Thanks for the support. I always appreciate it!! It sounds like you're doing great too!!! ** Poor kitten! I just had my pup snipped & I was all in a dither about it. By the end of the first day he seemed to have put the whole thing behind him. I hope your kitten fairs as well.

Hang in there PATTI! It has to budge eventually. Hope you're out of that rut soon!

Everybody, thanks for your support. It's wonderful to see the perseverence, determination and commitment from so many who are struggling right now. It's inspiring to see the success of those who have struggled and are winning this battle for better life. Thanks for sharing it all!

I'm on a roll at the moment, and oh so proud of myself tonight for even getting out and doing some strength training and crunches tonight in addition to my walking & stuff this morning. Before I worked out I felt like I couldn't eat another thing, even tho my cals for the day were way too low - under 900. But by the time I got home I was starving. Some lean meat, spinach & 1/2 of a protein shake took me right up to where I needed to be.

So, have we decided if we agree with the nation's school systems? I mean, does ketchup really count as a vegetable??

Misti -- Your story had me laughing! I'm sorry you had to go through this. Like you, I tried to buy bras one size down, but I started going down cup sizes as well as band sizes... so you might want to wait, cause I had a bunch of bras that never really fit... first too small, then too big, but in a different place... Now I wait till I fit into the bra, though now that I'm finally in a cup/band combo I can actually FIND, I hope I don't lose another cup size...

Ammi -- That is an AWESOME NSV! I know what you mean about those being so important!! I am really proud of you!

Ammi and Valerie -- I GET what you mean about this being "for real" I still can't believe I lost 100 pounds, I mean I haven't been extreme! But I HAVE been committed to this endeavor! And it works! Who knew!

And man, if *I* can inspire others, then that just tickles me to death!! Cause I have been so inspired here!

Valerie -- Sorry about that Curves experience, but look you went ahead and worked out anyway.

You posted on the exercise thread the other day that you had missed a couple of days of exercise in a row... but I don't know if you saw that I pointed out how it was the 25th and you had kept exercising all month!! It's changes like that where we find our progress...

Melissa -- 6.5 pounds in 6 weeks is still FINE progress! You cannot have a fit and let the stupid scale WIN. That's what it WANTS! It is , you know!!

OMG, it took me so long to write that post, 5 people posted while I was working on it!

Xena -- You are sooo right that people don't change unless they want to. Didn't that happen for all of us with weight loss????

Okay, I see now you made that point in your post... I just read the start of it and didn't finish before I started writing this, and now I look really silly!

Kenya -- Welcome BACK!! Hope you had a good reunion with DH!

Valerie -- Ketchup, if used in enough quantity, simply MUST be a vegetable!!

I like the way you said this! It was weird for me to see that this lifestyle really works as well.

Okay, I'm a little freaked out about something. Hubby and I got back from the gym and after a bit he said, "Do you feel good?"

"Yeah, I feel kind of energized."

"Me too." He said. "I think it's the gym. I hate you." [He's kidding. He hates that I've helped him eat right and exercise, but loves the results.

Is it possible I'm really starting to feel the positive effects of exercise? Am I going to learn to like it?????? 'Cause that's freaky talk...

Kim--I know what you mean about work pants!! Its nice to have them be too big but who can afford to buy new ones all the time? Oh well, I guess it could be worse--could be you have to buy new ones because the ones you have are too small!

I'm sorry to hear about your car. That really stinks!! I know what you mean about no independence. That is so frustrating. Last year my glasses broke and it was a week before I could get new ones so my boyfriend had to drive me around! I was not pleased and it was kind of inconvenient for him, too. I'm glad to hear you got it fixed, but sorry you are out the $700.

Brenda--I'm so sorry you had a crappy day at work. Is that one lady still getting to you? What is her deal? Doesnt she know you have a whole bunch of big friends here that will kick her butt??? Good for you for taking a positive approach and deciding to work it off in the pool. See, you're beating that food-soother attitude already!

Ammi--You are totally not daft! (can Americans say "daft"? ) I always got a little teary eyed during the cool-down, too! And I have a theory behind that, anyway. A friend of mine that runs used to say that sometimes after a really intense run she would just break down and cry for no reason. She thought maybe it was because she needed like an emotional release to go with the physical release. Who knows? It could be true...

And thanks for all your encouragement. You are right, if I stick with this it will take less time for the weight to come off than it took me to put it on. I hadnt thought of it that way.

I didnt know you are a "Lost" fan! I LOVE LOVE LOVE "Lost"!! You will die when you see the season finale!! It is SOOOOO good. I cant wait for season 3 to start. I dont have any TV channels but I think my sister is going to let me watch it at her house so I dont have to wait for it to come out on DVD!!

Trixie--Yes, I intend to join the excercise thread for October, too. I think it will help to keep me accountable. I know the weekly goal forum has helped a lot. Today I had such a bad sinus headache I was going to skip my workout, but I went ahead and did it because I didnt want to have to report that I didnt make my goal again this week!

Good to hear you had a good day and are staying OP with your eating. You keep it up eating that salad, girl! My kingdom to actually crave salad!!

Xena--You only pay $26/mo for the Y??? When I had a Y membership it was like $46 for just 1 person and $70 for a family!! I always thought that was a total rip off that it was only $24/mo more for a family. That is strange that there is that much of a difference in price regionally. And I love Curves. I use my Curves membership much more than I ever used my Y membership.

As for me, I think I decided that I am going to have to give up my cat. See, I am actually allergic to cats so I have to take allergy medicine every day. But even with it I still have symptoms. And like right now when my allergies are bad anyway its just about unbearable. Plus, I am moving at the end of next month and all the places in KC want between $200-$400 for a pet deposit (sometimes non-refundable) in addition to the regular deposit for the apt. Plus he has bladder infections constantly. I am not exaggerating. Its not like he takes meds and they go away, its like it never goes away. The pee problems have been going on since December and I just cant do it anymore. Just in the last 6 weeks I have taken him to the vet twice and spent almost $300 on vet bills.

I just really have a lot of guilt over this. I've had him for over 2 years (since he was a baby) and all he's ever known is me. I feel like when I decided to take him I took responsibility for him, like I took an oath to always be there for him and take care of him. This may sound really stupid to a lot of you, but its like he's my kid.

He's extremely charming and very cute. He has his own little personality, like most cats do. That's what makes this even harder.

Plus, I feel like a total hypocrite. I always talk about how people are so terrible to take thier cat/dog to the pound when they move just because thier new place wont take pets. If you have a pet then you move somewhere that does take pets.

But I will not take him to the pound. I know what will happen to him if I do that. He is a black cat and is not declawed--two strikes against him already for getting adopted. Plus I've heard of people adopting black cats around halloween and doing terrible things to them as pranks. I will not let that happen to him. He has been too good of a companion and deserves better than that. I am going to put an ad in the newspaper and also ask around at work. Its also possible that Nat will take him, but that wouldnt be the best solution because they have a black lab and that probably wouldnt work out too well. I would still be able to see him if I did that, but I am trying to do what is best for him, not me.

Well, other than my kitty-mommy guilt I am doing ok. I had chicken alfredo for dinner, all OP. It was really good. I could only have like 1/4 cup alfredo sauce but that was really all I needed. I also ate an entire green pepper so I could get my veggie servings in.

My sister gave me her old knife block and knives because she got a new one as a wedding present. As I was cutting the green pepper I was thinking "Wow, these are still pretty sharp". At just that moment I sliced right thru my thumb. It hurt so bad it took my breath away for a moment and I couldnt even curse! I ran it under water but it kept bleeding. Without thinking I shook my hand to get the water off and droplets of blood sprayed all over the counter and my clean dishes! I actually was going to take a picture of it because it was kind of like a scene from Psycho. Anyway, it hurt so bad I called my sis to come look at it (she lives in the apt above me) to make sure it wasnt going to need stiches. The damn thing wouldnt quit bleeding! But it ended up ok. She bandaged it up and listened to me whine. You cant buy service like that.

Amy -- OUCH on the thumb! Those sharp knives! At least when they're sharp it's a cleaner cut... so "they" say...

Quote:
Is it possible I'm really starting to feel the positive effects of exercise? Am I going to learn to like it????? 'Cause that's freaky talk...

This totally quacked me up!!
Actually HEATHER, the problem this morning was at my areobics/kick boxing class, not Curves. I felt bad leaving because I really like the lady who was filling in for our regular instructor, & I know she felt bad that I left. But NOT exercising just wasn't an option. As a matter of fact, I intended to do 8 laps, but as I finished the 8th lap I realized that my feet were still on the track headed around the corner again instead of taking me to my car. My head decided it had nowhere else more important to be, so it let the rest of my body make a 9th lap. ...I should have done 10. In any case, I've done more exercising this month than I think I had for every month this year COMBINED! I LOVE being home I LOVE being home I LOVE being home....

AMY, I'm so sorry about your kitty. I feel the same way aobut commitment to an animal, but I understand your predicament. I hope Nat & his Lab can work it out. My boys know that when it comes down to it, a cat is always the boss, but if the cat will run they're more than happy to chase. Good luck with your baby.

Watched a good movie tonight - the one with the snotty figure skater and the ex-hockey player. Plenty of time for leg lifts, lying on the floor watching the tube. My right cheek especially will probably be complaining tomorrow! * OH, and TOM has come for a visit - YIPPEE!!! The scale had already gone down a smidge before that hit, so by my first official 'Challenge WI' I should have even some more help bumping that reading down. The timing is so good, it's almost like cheating!

Hi everyone. It is late but just popping in to say my new weight loss support group is wonderful! I loved it!! There were 11 of us, most of whom I barely knew or not at all. I am really excited about having it and also so many neat new friends!

Oh I posted this latest progress picture of me elsewhere but wanted you all to see it!!! I am on the right.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...02#post1419402

Misti - You know the only time I ever walked into a store and was purchasing something and they had the nerve to ask if I thought I had the right size was also in Seattle. At the time I was buying something too small as well in hopes that I would fit into it later because I really liked it. Sales people just don't get it sometimes.

Neli - Its funny how our end goals change although you might want to reevaluate as you get closer. From the people I talked with who also weight trained the whole way down they said they didn't lose much muscle mass as they lost, but apparently at the last 20 or so lbs there was a dip down so it might not be 205 when you get there. I know my goal is 150 but I'm also willing to up that a ways until I hit the right "spot"

Going out of town for a funeral so I have to spend tomorrow getting ready to go out of town. This will be the first time I'm away since starting over. I'm going to do my best keeping up with tracking my food and trying to fit some walks in for exercise, but who knows what kind of food will be available. I'm a bit nervous because other times I fell of the wagon it was because of being thrown off track on a trip. Determined to not let that happen this time.

Hope you all have a good weekend see you mid-next week

-muse

Hi everybody!

WOW I missed a few threads again. Hubby and I were out for most of the weekend doing outdoor things, walking downtown, etc. I was super tired after that. My mind is more willing than my body at this point but I'm fighting hard!!

I changed my avatar photo. I got tired of looking at the old one, and since it wasn't true to how I look now anyway (that pic was from about 3 yrs ago) I figured I should update. Now you can actually see my face. If you are wondering who I am (if you're like me and are bad with names and better with pics) I'm the one who has the 2 siamese bad boys. OH so bad.

Speaking of ... one of my cats mastered the art of the water cooler button, I mentioned that last week. Well since we have gotten 2 new taps that are child taps. You have to push in on one side and then push the lever down. The cat hasn't figured it out so far. HOPE HOPE he doesn't. Otherwise I'll be back to the drawing board again. I love them both and honestly it makes me laugh a little but it makes a big mess on the floor. Yeah sorry I talk about my fur babies a lot, they are like the kids I don't have (as I type this, he's at the machine trying to figure it out)

I tried to catch up on what I missed but it is SO much!!

Nancy- I feel for ya on the BF thing. I've been in that situation myself. I think it's the best thing to do to try to work it out if possible, of course. I hope he'll see the light. Credit card debt once it gets up there is really hard to get back down. The interest just builds and builds and before you know it you're lucky if you can pay the minimum.

Lillion - OMG what happened to your DH's nephew! that's horrible!!!
It's SO lucky he survived. What an awful thing. I hope they can save his other hand and he'll make it through okay. I hope too that the word gets out and maybe it will save someone else from making one of those bombs.

Misti- I liked your cartoon, it was funny
Sorry about your experience at the bra store. Eek.. the nerve huh?
I had someone once come up to me while i was browsing underwear in wal-mart (this was years ago) and she said to me "oh dear, we don't carry underwear in large sizes, none of these will fit you". NICE. Thanks, lady. I was looking to see what sizes they DID have, but thanks for reminding me that I'm "large". Ruined my whole day. and obviously it stuck with me, I haven't forgotten it. Grr. Dumb people. (she was an older lady with a pooch herself so I guess she thought that gave her the right to tell me that). Maybe since you seem to be buying a lot of bras, you might want to go buy one with a LOT smaller band size, and buy one of those extender thing-a-majiggy's. Do you know what i mean? They are like a little square of material with 3 rows of hooks on them. You could put that on the bra and then when you get smaller you could reduce it and then eventually lose it. I have a few of them, they came in a package for about $5. (different colors) Unless of course you enjoy buying new bras, and if that's the case, that's great too. It always feels nice to get rid of the old bras.

Ammi- nice that you're fitting into some new pants, congrats

Melissa - I'm glad you're still keeping a positive mind about things. Your weight loss will kick back in soon. You'll see

Sorry that's about all that my brain retained.. I'm awful with that stuff unless I take notes.

I am still here and hubby is not out of town so I'm online less. He's going away again in late October for another 6 weeks, so I'll prob be around more then. I'm keeping on plan, exercise is doing really well too, since we've been walking up a storm.

Talk to you all soon!!

~ Angie

Well I'm SO ANGRY , I did most of a post then my internert connection went off and I spent 30 mins trying to sort it out, I had to use a repair thingy we have and restart the pc.
Anyway, Lilion, I'm really sorry about your nephew & I hope he recovers & heals quickly .xxxx
Violet, sorry about your cat, I remember when you came on before he was having 'trouble' with his water-works. Why don't people want black cats? That's the colour I'd choose if I had one, I hope you can find a home for him and I really understand the guilt about him. We bought a lovely dog (Staffordshire bull terrier) from some druggies who were mistreating him. Even though he has the most wonderful temperament he used to wee the floor when we went out or at night; two dog behaviourists later he was no better. As I got pregnant it all got too much, I would have two babies and a dog to clean up after. Luckily (sadly!) my parents' dog died and they took Tiger (our dog) as they missed him so much AND HE STOPPED WEEING THE FLOOR!!!!!! maybe he needed to be the 'baby' again. Sorry for going on but at least you know I understand your guilt & concerns. About the meat I try to buy organic or fresh meats wherever possible and cook them from scratch, failing that if you buy pre-packed they shou;d have the salt content on them.xxxxxx
Muse, sorry about the funeral & I hope you stay OP, or at least don't go mad eating bad stuff.xxxxx
Trixiepixie how do you walk a cat????? Has she/he been doing it since a kitten? It fascinates me!! At least he/she won't pull your arm as much as my old dog did!!!lolxxxx
Misti, the bra thing shocks and amazes me!!! I worked in a food shop after graduating and whilst looking for a teaching post, I always tried to help, but it would be like me telling a fat woman 'No cakes for you, try the veg!!!!' It is so rude!!!! In the UK we seem to have the opposite probs in bra shops I've been to, you really have to ask & wait to be measured!! Though I know which one I prefer!! xxxxx
Xena, glad to see you're back, I know how you feel, I hate to stick to my plan, or any at the mo, but I'm forcing myself, one day at a time and looking forward to Saturday when I will have some 'naughty' stuff after weighing in. Have you thought of researching different plans or is it a mental thing like mine? Hope you feel more positive and KEEP COMING BACK HERE FOR SUPPORT!!!!!!xxxxxx
I forgot the rest, what with the pc being a pain in the bum!!! lol. I feel really fed up, I can't take any meds til Friday when the old ones are out of my system and I feel REALLY CRABBY, if someone says/does the wrong thing to me today I may just have to kill them, lol!!
I have been totally OP and exercising 75-105 mins each day and 4 of the 7 lbs have gone, but I only have til Saturday to lose the other 3. I was really hoping to change my ticker DOWNWARDS...sob.. Still I was a pig for 2 days, shame it takes 7 DAYS TO UNDO IT!!!
Oh well....
Take care & stay healthy,
xxsharon

Amy - My Y membership is only $26 because the company I work for subsidizes our membership there. The normal fee is $40-something.