Also I have been calorie cycling for about 2 months I really like it because I can usually have what I want on my 1700 calorie days. I lose about 7 lbs per month. I know this is something I can keep up for the rest of my life!

Hi all;

I am interested in hearing more about calorie cycling--is there a book that you guys recommend on it or is it just word of mouth?

Nice to hear about your life, Jeni--you are doing great with your exercise and I am sure you will attain your goals very soon!

I am currently off work due to stress and am just trying to figure out what my life will be like in the future. I had lost a bunch of weight last year and then gained most of it back when I went on stress leave. I have been resting and working on my health for most of this year but i have had some immune problems meaning I just get sick a lot so it is hard to get much accomplished.

I realized with all my other problems that I didnt need to be seriously overweight too so I decided to start working on this again. It is hard to lose weight when you have health problems but I am doing the best I can and with the help of the lovely ladies on this board I am doing a little better.

Most of the time I stay home and do small projects like house cleaning etc--I cant do too much because I am still recovering. My hubby is a musician so he is gone weird hours mostly in the evening. We get to spend time together a lot which is nice since I almost never saw him when I was working. He needs to lose weight too and has been working on that--tho he recently got a stash of cookies and chips so I guess he is not trying too hard!

Have a great week everyone and stay on plan--we need some wiggle room for when Thanksgiving hits!

I would love to hear what everyone else is planning for Thanksgiving!

First off, thank you all for your warm welcomes! I appreciate them so much. I need to do some reading of previous posts, and get to know all of you better, but I've read enough to know you all seem to be kind, considerate, determined people!!!

Just dropping back in for a minute to tell you I've done well with calories so far today. That's what I do .... old-fashioned calorie counting, keeping it under 1600/1800 most of the time, and try to exercise about five times a week. (That's what I was doing when I was very successful at losing.) So here we go again!

I have so far had about 500 healthy calories today, and have the rest left to spend at the hockey game I'm going to tonight. That's either two hot dogs, or one hot dog and one soft pretzel with mustard plus Diet Coke and a few sips of my husband's Corona. I won't go near the buttered popcorn or pork bbq sandwich, I promise! Everybody, have a great evening .... BIG CONGRATS ... .... on the pounds lost. Now everybody say:

GO CAROLINA HURRICANES!!! BEAT THE BUFFALO SABRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sno- No books for me, I actually heard about this on the board. I started off doing basic old fashioned calorie counting, but I found that once or twice a week I would go like 500-600 calories above my goal for the day. Then I felt so guilty about eating more than I should and I had to give myself a pep talk each week that I wasn't failing. Then someone mentioned that a lot of people calorie cycle without realizing it and that is what it sounded like I was doing. So I started planning higher calorie days into my week that way I wouldn't have that guilty feeling. It has stuck with me!

Hey, can I join you chickies? Geez I was in a Jan 1 challenge and it looks like everyone quit as I am the only one posting anymore! And darn it I am doing really well!

So I am way behind the rest of you but can post my stats since I restarted my weight loss efforts on October 2:

Oct 2: 182
Oct 9: 180
Oct 16: 178
Oct 23: 175
Oct 30: 174
Nov 6: 172.5
Nov 13: 170

Total: -12 pounds (6.59% body weight)

So proud but really, really need daily encouragement. I am doing Weight Watchers flex plan and exercising... goal of 1,830 minutes of intentional exercise and original goal of 165 by Jan 1 (although I may bump that down since I am doing so well. Can I join you?

Sojourner--welcome. You are doing so well--12 lbs in a month--that is awesome--you should be proud. Please join us! We need some daily posters--thats what keeps these challenges going!

I am going to add you to our chart--feel free to copy paste and change it if you want to adjust your goals:

Stacy: 32 by 2007. 21 down, 11 to go!
Markie: 10 by 2007!
Jeni: 12 by 2007
Brenda: 15 by 2007
Nina: 16 by 2007
Sno: 25 by 2007, 11 down 14 to go!
Sojourner: 5 by 2007!

Markie: you are doing great--what fun to save your cals for the game--hope your team wins!

Jeni: thanks for the tip--I like the idea of the calorie cycling--sounds really great!


PS: doing really good with exercise--second day doing my 30 minute walk and then stretching--passed on some of the calisthenics because my muscles were cramping.

Snow, I'm afraid that Buffalo beat us 7-4, but we had a good second period, and it was still a fun evening. The Sabres are a hot team ... I'll give them that, and we have too many good guys out with injuries. Oh, well, it's still early in the season, and we have our Stanley Cup from last season to comfort us! Good news from the game ... I did stick to hot dogs & pretzels, nothing any richer. So I end the day with 1800 calories.

Snow, you said that you were out of work because of stress. Everybody, at some time, finds that particular monster too much to handle. You will get through it, and be stronger in the end. So your DH is a musician ... I come from a very musical family, as well. Mainly stringed instruments, and piano ... Losing the weight IS easier when your husband works with you. Mine is very good about that. He's never been more than 10 to 15 lbs. overweight, never lets it get out of control He eats healthier than I do, and walks four miles every morning. He'll eat any style, any time, to help me, and I have friends who's husbands go to the opposite extreme.

jcatron, I don't plan my *cycling* but that's how my calories work out, too. One day I'll be 1400, another day 1900 .... never the same, but it just works out that way for me.

Sojourner, you are doing just great .... keep up the good work! 12# in a month ... can't hardly do better than that!

Stacy, isn't it aggravating to lose weight, then re-gain it???? Everytime, I SWEAR I won't do it again, yet here I am, I've done it again! We can't give up, though! This time just might be the magic one for both of us, when we never gain it back!

Have a good night, ladies.

Okay I am back from vacation. It was long and I was glad to be back. Washington D.C. was beautiful and the weather was great. I had never seen all the fall colors in the leaves and they were spectacular. I did really well eating wise while I was gone, except for the last three days. It start with my free meal on Saturday night and then I just went on a binge Sunday and Monday. I know it was because I was so tired and could not plan my meals. It didn't help that when I got home the last thing I wanted to do was grocery shop so no fruits or veggies at all yesterday. My stomach is revolting and I haven't slept well the past two nights. When in D.C. I took my pedometer to track my miles...let's just say that over seven days I walked over 40 miles and my calf muscles felt every minute of it. The good news is I am back on track today and had my morning workout. I have decided not to weigh in until my normal day on Monday, that will give me time to get back to my normal routine the next few days. The bad news is that I have two Thanksgiving dinners planned this weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I can get through it know. I am planning on walking after those meals to keep from snacking on desserts.

I am really excited to see some new faces on this board....WELCOME ALL!!!!

Just stopping by for a minute. I have so much to do today! House cleaning, shopping, you name it I have to do it! At least the house cleaning is just picking up toys and vacuuming! I did about 70 minutes of exercise yesterday, I am going for 90 today, (it all depends on the kids). I really want to reach my NOV exercise goal, but I took 2 days off so I feel a little behind know. I want to be half way there by tomorrow (Nov 15) which is 65 minutes! Wish me luck!

Well actually 12 pounds in 6 weeks... a month would have been quite difficult! Can you change my goal to a total of 18 pounds, 12 down, 6 to go? I figure there are 7 weeks left and losing roughly a pound a week with some wiggle room for the holidays is very reasonalbe for me. Plus I just have to see my "12 down" because I was working so hard on the other now-defunct challenge. So 6 more pounds in 7 weeks... that will be a pretty good challenge for me considering it will be over the holidays! That would put me down to 164 which will be a fabulous way (or should I say "weigh") to start the New Year!

Stacy: 32 by 2007. 21 down, 11 to go!
Markie: 10 by 2007!
Jeni: 12 by 2007
Brenda: 15 by 2007
Nina: 16 by 2007
Sno: 25 by 2007, 11 down 14 to go!
Sojourner: 18 by 2007, 12 down, 6 to go!

Hi all you motivated ladies. Its great to here how everyone is doing. :Sojourner on your 12lbs in 6 weeks and welcome.
I had a good day yesterday, ate all the right things and only alittle stomach grumbling in the evening. It usually takes me a day or two to get used to not eating in the evenings. Went to the gym last night for the third day in a row and I'm paying for it today. My knee hurts and all uninjured body parts as well. I think I'll take a break from working out today. I wish I could do some walking but that will be a week or two yet.
Markie I've watched alot of hockey in the last three weeks. Sorry Carolina lost. Our family are all diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fans. I live about 40 minutes from Toronto. We've been on a quest for the cup since the last time it was won by the leafs in 1967 so you must be proud to have it.
Sno sorry to hear you're on stress leave. I think we've all been there a time or two. I'm self employed so have always been able to have choose who i work for and the intensity I want to work at but my hubby deals with job stress all the time. Having the time off can really lets you focus on you something thats hard to do these days. Immune disfunction can be very challenging so goodluck with your recovery.
Jeni good to here about you. It can be very challenging do anything with little one but it sounds like your doing great. I like the idea of setting a monthly exercise goal. It must be very motivating see all those minutes add up.
Dollpie, good to hear you had a fab vacation, and were so successful with your eating.

Bye for now,
Nina

Well i for one am just so tickled that the board has been this active here lately. Really keeps me hopping. Makes me think, well if all these people are doing it...i can do it and i can keep on doing it. Thanks for all your active responses.

I made it to the gym today. Did some soul searching...was feeling lazy. That little voice in the back of my head was saying, "you've lost 35, that is enough...you could live at this weight...you are just one of those people that was not meant to be thin "....i could go on and on. Well ds came in and told that voice to shut up by simply saying, "hey mom, we havent been to the gym since last week....we're going today right?". So how could i say no...so we went and i had a great work out...hated EVERY SINGLE minute of the ellipitical today...i wish i could figure out why some days i could go forever, then some days....i dont want to go at all and i feel every minute of it. I was really tempted to get off of it and just go do the bike..but i know i burn more cals and get in better shape on the ellipitical so i stuck it out...full 30 minutes. I did do my usual first 10 minute warm up on the bike, so that puts me at 40 minutes total cardio...i am happy with that. I have been eating really well today. Did okay yesterday too. Been drinking my water during the day, then at night when it gets cold i drink hot lemon water...i actually like it better than the hot tea i used to drink and i know it is better for me than my usual after dinner coffee.

Nina- Good for you for making it to the gym 3 days in a row ...that is a tough one for me. That injury has got to be driving you nuts. I know recoupering from my simple cyst removal surgery is still a pain...got my stitches out yesterday but still "on hold" til next week for upper body weight training. But i am sure toning my buns in the mean time, ha ha.

Sojo- So glad you are here. I too need daily encouragement. That is sort of an accomplishment though with your old January 1st thread...you were the last survivor...the winner...look at it tht way, and now you have found another great thread to carry you to the new year. 12 pounds in 6 weeks is a perfect 2 lbs a week. That is awesome. I have 11 to go for this challenge...i am nervous...i too need lots of wiggle room for these up coming holidays. I have decided NO SPLURGES until thanksgiving...i just cant keep this up with bad weekends AND a splurge on thanksgiving too. I am determined to hit the 230's by new years.

Dolly- So glad you aren't MIA anymore, we have missed you. Sounds like you did great while out of town...i am bad to splurge EVERY meal while out of town, so good for you for keeping it to a minimum. I think waiting til monday to weigh is a wonderful idea. Get some of that water weight off first.

Markie- Good job on the hot dogs and pretzels... i bet that was a tough one. That is wonderful that your hubby is so supportive of you taking charge of your health. Mine is at times, he wants to get healthier too, but then when he gets a pizza craving....all bets are off. He is only about 20 pounds over weight though.

Sno- You reached your monday goal....2 pounds. Good job on the walking and stretching daily. It IS hard to lose weight when you have health problems. I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) with insulin resistence, which *can* make it very hard to lose, but i am just working extra hard to prove that i can lose weight too. I may have to eat a little less than others and exercise a little more...but it CAN be done. Good for you for taking some time off to get your health in order.

Jeni- I lose about 7 pounds a month too. I keep shooting for 10 a month but it always seems to fall just shy of that. Working in a resturant would be terribly hard, as far as temptations go. I can resist sweet stuff more than i can resist fatty meals...like the burgers you flilp....double yum. Sounds like you have a wonderful workout routine. I used to do pilates ALL THE TIME. i LOVED it as a stress release at the end of the day. I have gotten lazy about it lately. My goal is to go to the gym and do a 10 minute warm up, 25 minutes weight training, then 30 minutes of cardio on my off days, and to do pilates on my work days...but for some reason i always seem to skip the work days...i have no real excuse though...tired doesnt count does it? ha ha. Oh my gosh, i know all about mommy time. Its like some alarm goes off when i do try to exercise at home, that is one of the reasons i started to go to the gym. It would seem EVERYONE needed something the minute i hit play on my workout dvd. Drove me nuts.

Ok, sorry this is so long....man, i had a lot of catching up to do. Good to get back in the loop.

HI everyone:

it is so much fun to see all the posts when I come here--very inspiring.

Thanks to everyone for the support re; my stress leave. Some people just dont understand it and keep asking when am I going back to work (my mom). I even saw a former co-worker at the mini-mart a few weeks ago and she wouldnt speak to me. It really hurt my feelings even tho I know she has a lot of problems. The nice part is that there are people like Markie who are able to look at the big picture and see that this is a life cycle challenge that happens to a lot of people in our work-crazy culture.

I have been eating really lightly because my stomach has been feeling sick around 1200-1300 cals--hope this does not reset my metabolism too low. The good news is that I was still 243 on the scale this morning--sometimes my weight will yo-yo right after a loss and it can be discouraging. I think the walking is helping keep my weight down.

Welcome back to:

Dolly--so great to hear from you--I forgot you were on vacation. sounds like it went pretty well with all the walking. Well a little binge upon return is not so bad--I know you will catch up fast. Your Thanksgiving dinners are this weekend? That sounds hard. I am thinking about the one plate strategy--only getting one helping at my holiday dinners. That is usually enough to fill me up--it is all the extras that get you. lIke the extra roll and the extra serving of mash potatoes and gravy.


Sojourner: glad you fixed the chart--that goes for everyone--if your goals shift or you want to change it just cut and paste it!

STacy: you are such a powerhouse--sorry about the PCOS--I hear that is really hard. I guess life always throws challenges and reasons not to lose weight and exercise and the deal is how do we handle that.

Jeni--When you do a bunch of housecleaning like that it surely counts as exercise!

Nina--thanks for the encouragement--glad to hear I am not the only one. Make sure to ice that knee--it really helps.

Markie: interesting to hear about your calorie cycling. I know it hard to keep confronting the same problem over and over--I can so relate. I really want to learn behaviors that will keep me at a good weight rather than just going back to eating like a cow when it is all over.

I forgot to add Dolly! She is another one of the big losers!

Let me know if I got any of this wrong!

Dolly: 30 by 2007. 22 down, 8 to go!
Stacy: 32 by 2007. 21 down, 11 to go!
Markie: 10 by 2007!
Jeni: 12 by 2007
Brenda: 15 by 2007
Nina: 16 by 2007
Sno: 25 by 2007, 11 down 14 to go!
Sojourner: 18 by 2007, 12 down, 6 to go!

Good evening ladies ... I finally got myself out this afternoon to do a 2-mile walk! YAY!!!!!!!!! Like pulling hen's teeth. I'm so out of the exercise habit, and have to get with it again. I admire those of you who are exercising every day, or doing quite a lot in one day. I'm going to shoot for a water aerobics class tomorrow ... does anybody else here do those? You can accomplish so much in the water, and it is such a comfortable way to exercise, with the water cooling you off.

I've finished eating for today, and am in at a little over 1600 calories, which is good. I could still eat a bear, I think, but lucky for me (and the bear), I don't see one in the yard anywhere!

Nina, I get knee problems, also. I usually don't walk two days in a row because of that. My right knee just about gave out on me two years ago, so I know not to push when it feels cranky. Your Maple Leafs are doing GREAT this season .... good for them (until such time as they might meet the 'Canes. )

Dolly, nice to meet you and glad your trip to D. C. was good. Sounds like you did a good job of managing your diet .... and it's only human to trip up a bit now and then, so don't be too hard on yourself.

Ladies, it's so great to come here and chat with you, and get inspired. Knowing I would report in to you girls is what got me walking today, I swear! MUCH WILLPOWER to you all! Let's do it ...


Markie