Good morning!!!!

I can't wait for this week to be over. My husband has been gone for three weeks now( he is in the military). We just moved in and he had to leave for training. It has been so depressing without him. During our move, I was able to lose 3 lbs, but gained those back and some more while he has been gone. I have hit a all-time high and wanted to go back to weight watchers but i know that when i did that years ago, i got crazy with those points. I kept thinking about it.
So while he has been gone, I purchased a book called 90/10 weight loss plan by Joy Bauer. She has three calorie meal plans, 1200, 1400, and 1600. I thought trying the 1200 plan i would lose the weight, instead the scale has not budged and even worse i gained two pounds. I feel bad enough not having my husband around now im gaining weight. I exercise 30 mins 4-5 times a week but still no results. I would love to see one pound gone each week.
Please help
Danielle

good morning, ladies!

Danielle, I'm so sorry that you're missing your DH. About your program...I think aphil would say that 1200 calories just might be TOO low...I know we all want things to happen as quick as possible, but you might want to start with 1500 or 1600. BUT DEFINITELY keep up with consistently exercising - that is what will keep your body from slowing down your metabolism. HANG IN THERE!! It's hard to be patient. Some people just lose much more slowly...but if you continue consistently, you WILL see results. I was a very very very slow loser at first!! then it accelerated a bit. I'm talking like two months to lose 10 pounds.

Have you measured yourself? that can be a much better guide than relying on that darn scale. Once a month is good to measure, and chart your progress. We all know the scale can reflect falsely. I have seen a 5 to 7 pound difference in a day's time! which is not reflecting true bodyfat/muscle weight.

Lori, what about that last snowstorm!! ARGH!! you said you got 12 inches, think we got about 8, but the windchlll was down to -18 or so, d@mn!! I am so so so sick of winter. I am, though, loving having it be light out at 6:15 in the morning! makes it much easier to get up. Your trip down south is coming soon, right? lucky you!

Hello to everyone else, and thanks aphil for the "Introduction" thread.

Ladies - those who know me know that I have been one of the "no-fad-diet" people here...bear with me...I am with my husband on South Beach For one thing, it's something we are doing together, and we have had such a terrible past year that I am grabbing at whatever to try to get us being OK with each other again.

Second, can you believe ( I still can't) that I have gone 6 days without ANY sugar, refined flour, or starches! Just lots of veggies, chicken breasts, tuna, lean deli turkey, lowfat cheese, nofat yogurt. I can't feel the good effects of the no refined sugar yet, 'cause I'm still struggling with work worries and not sleeping too well at night, but I feel such success at working in a deli/bakery and not having ANY tastes of those d@mn cookies

Had a great exercise session today; did my "Aerobics for Dummies" tape (about 40 minutes); Gilad's Hips Thighs Buns tape (20 minutes) and Gilad's Abs tape (20 minutes)

T-shirt weather is coming (someday ) and I want to be able to bare my arms confidently!! and my legs, and my midriff, etc.

have a great day all!

hey im new here and I already introduced myself in the noobee thread but I have to say Holly...you rock!! you work in a deli/bakery and you haven't eaten any cookies?! you ARE my inspiration. When you said 10 lbs in 2 months, was that you highest or lowest rate of weight loss? because I am certainly on pace for that.

Hi Brooklyn chick, and welcome! hey, you're exactly 11 days younger than my older son

thanks for the comp, it's actually getting a little easier each day that I don't grab a cookie as I have been doing for months And no more of the nightly bowl OR TWO of kid's cereal.

My weight loss WAS slow - let me get my journal from 2002 and I'll check - okay -
I started Feb. 04, at 176....
April 11, 166.
Then JULY 3, 156. So there's FIVE MONTHS it took to lose 20 pounds. However, look - July 22, 150.
August 6, bought my first ever size 8 jeans.
August 12, 145.
August 16, 143.
August 24, bought my first ever size 6 jeans.
November 22, my lowest-ever adult weight of 142.

I clearly remember being so psyched that summer at my losses, that it became easier and easier to eat right. and I became a lover of working out. Plus, I had my secret weapon, which I can't recommend to everyone, but was my new motorcycle, and learning to ride, and discovering how much I loved it

You have an admirable goal, to run the NYC Marathon next year! WTG!!!

Hey everyone,
I finally, finally, FINALLY hit the 10 pounds lost mark and I am excited. At first I wasn't really seeing a difference, but I looked a pic of me in a dress about a year ago and I resembled a stuffed sausage (even though I was wearing a waist cincer thingy) and I looked at a pic of myself in the same dress about a month ago (with no waist cincher thingy) and I look smaller! I see a CLEAR difference. I've been working out and for the most part, watching what I eat, now I can't wait to see this 15 pound mark. Oh, and I made an appointment with the nutritionist, so hopefully she can give me some good ideas.

WOW, brooklyn chick, you want to run a marathon? YEY, you can do it, I'll cheer you on. 26 miles, wow, go you!

good morning everyone!

University Princess, congratulations!! that is wonderful. Isn't it great how successful losses encourage us to continue on!

I found a lunch item at our local dollar store Canned chicken breast meat, it only contained the chicken breast meat, hydrolized animal protein and salt. I drained it to get rid of the salt, then added just some pepper and a shake of dried dill. It was moist enough to eat without adding any lowfat mayo, also. AND it didn't come from some foreign country - which isn't bad, but it's just kinda odd that at this particular dollar store, they have things like Corn Flakes, but the print is in Arabic

Well, we have yet ANOTHER snowfall forcast for us tonight/all day saturday - "between 6-12" of snow" is predicted. Lori, I think it also extended to up your way also, sorry!!! You and I will be snow crazed soon

I have to get crackin' on my exercise, then get to work. Have a great day!

Hey everyone-doing great here! Just been SO very busy.

Holly-anyone who has asked me about any lower carb diets, out of all of them I recommend South Beach the most-simply because in the later phases there are a lot more fruits and veggies and whole grains allowed-unlike Atkins, etc. Let me know how you are doing!

UniversityPrincess-I know what you mean. My loss has been so stinking slow-but Jason and I recently were watching clips from all of our New Years parties-and the changes in me over the last 3 years is VERY apparent. I look so different each year!

Morning Ladies,

UniversityPrincess~ on your 10 lb loss, good for you! I look back at pic's of myself and I cannot believe the difference! It is so awsome and a great feeling to see a weight loss. Keep going girl!!!

Holly~ I am so happy for you that you havent been into those cookies at work, good for you! You are doing real good! I just wish I could get into the excersise the way you do and enjoy it as much, to me its more work Thats all you guys got was 8 inches of snow, must be nice! We just got that 12 inches and now this other storm coming in tonight they said should leave up to 20 inches by sunday morning, ARGH!!!! This is crazy. They said this has been one of the worse winters for snow up here since like 95 or something. I am so tired of it. I would love to get a motorcycle, what would you recommend for a first bike?
I leave for SC to see Amie on the 17th, only 6 days away my kids and fiance will be lucky to have me back home, I keep telling them I am going to stay
Well I have been doing good staying on plan of eating and I finally got in some time on my elliptical last night and did some arm weights, it has been 5 days and I am very upset over that but "life happens"!!! So now I am getting back on track with both so hopeing for a weightloss in the next few days.
Hope you all have a great weekend, you all know what I will be doing...SHOVELING (the excitement is killing me )

Lori

Hi Ladies

Just a quick note to say hi. I am doing good and OP. I had taken a Sunday and Monday off from my work out becouse I had such a cold but I am feeling better and was back on the work outs the rest of the week. Today is my off day.

Welcome brooklyn chick~ We all want the weight to drop off over night but the truth of it is the faster you loose it the faster it will come back. If you are doing it slow and healthly it will stay off longer or for a life time!

UniversityPrincess~ Great for you ! Makes you ready to get the next 10 off.....

Hi Holly~ The feeling of puting on a size 6! Wow that must have been the best day ever! It made me dream of the day. I am in a 12 and want to get down into a 6-8 someday.

Have a great weekend girls and I will check in after weight in on Sunday. It is looking like I am sticking to the 154.4? The week before I was at 153.6 then went to the 154.4 and have stayed there for about 2 weeks? I am happy as long as I don't gain any more, but I hope to see another 1-3 lbs gone in the next two weeks???

Amie

Hello ladies!

aphil - I'm very glad that South Beach is okay "in your book" I was secretly afraid of receiving

Lori - ARGH!! I feel for you, that you get even more snow than us. Ack!! Our driveway is like a canyon. Do you have someone to plow your driveway, or do you shovel it by hand? My husband and I stubbornly have done ours by hand for the 19 years that we've lived here. A neighbor (a crusty real Vermonter) once asked if we were cheap or crazy

I am glad though to find out that this used car I have (Geo Prism) is fine traveling in slushy or unplowed snow (as long as I keep my speeds reasonable).

Your trip will be so much fun - so it's just you, not the kids/fiance? About a beginners bike - I would go for something small, 250cc or so. and preferably used. However, my husband went ahead and bought a brand new 600cc bike for me to learn on, so who knows Definitely check the classified, they will start to be advertised at this time of year. Also, if you know of any bike mechanic/garages, ask them if they personally know of any. Sometimes 'networking' like that works.

Amie - hi!! sorry to hear about your cold, hope you feel better soon! and good luck in seeing a loss coming up. You're due for one!

Hi universityprincess, brooklyn chick, Danielle, and rebelridergirl!

Our pastry baker at work blew us off for this weekend and with all the consistent snow we've had lately, PLUS more forecast, and we're a skiing town, I just knew we needed more bakery items. So the boss OK'd overtime for me, and I went in at 2:00 am and by 6:00 am, had made:
2 Apple pies. one regular top and one lattice top
2 Apple blueberry pies, one regular top and one lattice top
2 Lemon blueberry pies, one regular top and one lattice
one raspberry pie, and one raspberry almond lattice top.
Also filled the pastry case with some ready-to-use items, like frozen premade baklava, peanut butter pie; frosted and decorated a carrot cake; then went into the deli and sliced meats and veggies for 30 minutes...and did two loads of handtowels and rags laundry. I can be a workhorse when I am focused!! and NO TASTING AT ALL

I have lost a number of pounds and I can certainly attribute some of them to that "water weight" lost during the first few days of a strict diet...I am still going to wait a week to measure. But I do feel better. Probably a combination of many things; getting along better with husband, a little more sleep, and maybe not having ANY sugar or white starches (or any starches) for 8 days!

Hey everyone, thank you for the support! I am soooooo excited, I can't wait to see 15 pounds gone and 30 and then 60, you get the point. This weight loss feels better to me, because I know EXACLTLY what I'm doing to lose it. Times before, I'd lose weight, but I didn't know what I did, but now I do, so hopefully that will help keep me from gaining it back. I'm heading into finals week...but it should't be too difficult.

Holly, watch out for the food at the dollar store. I heard somewhere that it can have bad things in it and often times it is written in another language...

Brooklyn Chick, yup, I'm in your cheering section. I also read somewhere that it is good to take pictures at different stages of weightloss so it will more reigster quicker in your own mind. Because if I didn't have that pic of me, I probably would be able to see my 10 pounds gone unless I was on the scale, but now, I know I can see it in my clothes. YEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

It's intresting to hear all of you talk about snow. It is 70 degrees here right now. It's unusual, but I need to break out my shorts. I think we are going to have a hot summer with lots of bugs because we didnt get THAT cold this winter.

yikes! I hadn't considered that. thanks!

Morning everyone!

Man I have been busy-trying to weed through all the work I have to get done here. It is great working from home (my costume making) but sometimes not-because I get into places where I either can't STOP working-or I have trouble getting STARTED.

I am so busy-but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have been hit with a major cold this past couple days. I feel like a hammer hit me. I am still working, still exercising though. I am determined to get to 160 by summer if it kills me. I have my motivations.

I did take a break with Jason Friday night and went to the coffee house with him to hear the folk singers. We had a nice time.

Well-I need to get back to the sewing table, and I have dance rehearsal tonight. Have a good Sunday!
Aphil

Good Morning Everyone Nice to see some new faces here besides mine Its nice when there is a place to go and talk to people that are facing the same every day things like we all do. Food is such a hard thing to avoid LOL
Holly~I think its great that you do all that baking and don't taste any of it, I am such a sweet addict, but I have been doing wonderful as far as temptation goes, I made homemade fudge twice since I started my lifestyle change ( made it yesterday ) and only had 1 piece AFTER I ate all my meals for the day, and made sure I had enough carbs, fat, calories and protiens left. I did make a chocolate cake with diet cherry coke the other day and I did have that but again after I made sure I ate all my healthy meals for the day.

UniversityPrincess~Seeing those pounds come off makes you feel like a million dollars doesn't it? Soon your whole attitude is going to change (which is probably started doing already) Good Luck in your journey, you will do it

Aprhil~You sure keep busy! Good for you! Do you ever take pictures of the costumes you make? I'd love to see some of what you do

have a wonderful day all.