Today I was talking to a close friend about my nerves about my interview tomorrow & my concerns that they will only see my weight (they want someone who reflects their health oriented business). She said after some discussion that I was fortunate that I carry my weight all over and quite well and that I don't have one area that is really fat. This is a friend that can often be kind of judgemental and doesn't really do well at nicing up what she says so I feel like it is a truer perception of how I look. Anyway, it was comforting to think that they won't get distracted by my huge something! lol

From your picture, it looks like you have a beautiful smile...distract them with that!

While writing a check tonite at Walmart, I showed my driver's license. It says 155 lbs. on it, the same it has said for over 20 yrs. (I never changed it no matter how big I had gotten). Anyway, the cashier said "my, you've lost a lot of weight haven't you, what 25 or 30 lbs". So, I just smiled and said "yes, I have". Then it dawned on me that she must think I weigh only 125-130 lbs. Which I don't and never will. I didn't correct her, LOL. This was a great NSV,, as I don't think anyone ever guesses my wt. as less than what it is.

How exciting, Lilybelle! Those compliments always do wonders for my self esteem and motivation. I've been wondering....how's the elliptical coming? Hang in there, you can do it!

Kelly, that elliptical is still hard for me. I can only do like 5 min's, so still using my treadmill a lot. We have 12 puppies, so I have been very busy with them. I need to exercise more.

the ellipitical, i'd love to do it but it kills my knees. i'm 19, my knees shouldn't hurt so badly. when i do squint and make it to 10 mins i burn atleast 100 calories, i can't wait to be able to stay on it for atleast 30!

I have always loved going out for dinner. My husband and I go out to dinner about once a week. I have always dreaded dieting because I knew I couldnt go to a restaurant and eat like I wanted to...I did not want to deprive myself of this enjoyment. In the past, I have gone out and eaten anything I wanted with the plan to "start over" on my diet the next morning....of course, I then had an excuse to "relax" for another day...next thing you know, I'm not on a diet at all.

I'm in my first week of my Southbeach plan. Last night was a big family birthday party for my Stepmom at a really nice seafood restaurant. Yesterday afternoon, I looked up my menu online and made my Southbeach friendly choices. And, I stuck with them! I wasnt tempted by the bread and muffins, I had water with my entree...I asked for vinagrette dressing on the side and I stuck with my planned choices! What is really amazing?..I didnt even feel deprived! I enjoyed the company and the food was secondary. I don't think food has ever been secondary for me before.

I really think I'm getting the hang of thinking about this as a lifestyle change.

Lily, it takes a while, but your stamina for the elliptical will increase! Remember that you're using different muscles than you do on your treadmill...it's a challenge! And those darling puppies.....I keep dreaming of them! LOL!

Rhonda, good for you for sticking to your preplanned dinner choices! I've found that some of the better (healthier) choices actually taste better! Seasoned grilled shrimp is fabulous, I don't miss the deep fried, tartar sauce covered shrimp at all! Water is so good for you, but if you feel you need something else to drink, ask for some lemon to go with it. Squeeze a couple wedges into your glass, add a packet of sweet 'n low, and presto! Fat free lemonade! Keep it up!

This is one of my favorite threads.

Here's my NSVs as I approach the end of my first week of my lifestyle change

As the "social coordinator" in my family, most of our outings have always involved eating... even if it was an outdoor event I made sure there was a picnic with hamburgers or fried chicken and a desert involved.

If we went out to a movie, I made sure it was dinner and a movie, if my husband and I went to a play, concert, or a club to hear some blues singer we like, I made sure we went out to dinner first where he would have grilled chicken or salmon and I'd order steak, lobster (with butter), prime rib, etc... On vacation, I'd really go crazy, eating deserts like Bananas Foster, Cherries Jubilee, etc...

Well, we've had 3 outings since Dec. 28 and food was not the first order of business, in fact, food was not even on the itinerary. It was my suggestion the other day that we go to for a walk at a nearby national park that has walking trails through a wildlife area. When we got home, I just fixed myself a salad with roasted chicken, then went for my regular 1 mile walk in my neighborhood. I didn't even try to justify to myself that I'd already had my exercise at the national park and try to skip my regular mile walk.

My other NSVs of the week involve sweets.

Several days ago my daughter fixed a bowl of ice cream with chocolate topping and I didn't even want any. Last night she had a friend spend the night. I ordered them a pizza and made them some brownies. I did not eat any pizza and though I was tempted to eat a brownie late last night, I fought the temptation and won.

Awesome NSV's! Patty, isn't it amazing how many of our celebrations/socials/good times involve eating?

WTG ladies, I know that for me every social occasion used to involve lots of food. Now, I try to make sure to eat before I go. A movie no longer means having popcorn or dinner out. A buffet used to be Hog Trough for me. But, last night me and DD ate at a buffet while we were shopping. (I could have waited til I got home, but not her). Anyways, I had baked chicken, 1/2 of a baked sweet potato plain and some cabbage. Did pretty well, I think.

Kelly, I make my own lemonade like that quite often and love it. I so wish I wasn't deathly allergic to shellfish now. It would work great with my LC lifestyle. I used to love crab legs, boiled shrimp and lobster. Red Lobster is my DH's favorite place to eat, it's sad, not much there for me anymore. Last time I did have the grilled trout and it was good.

Patty, my kids love pizza too. I do order it occasionally for them. I'll make my own LC pizza and am satisfied with this just fine. DH loves brownies and I make them for him and send them to work with him.

Ok, yes, a lot of why I'm sticking with my weight loss plan has to do with wanting to avoid serious health problems...but let's face it, looking good in your jeans doesn't hurt. So, I am very excited to announce that I now fit into a pair of jeans that has been hanging on my closet door for motivation since October - yipee!

They are 3 sizes smaller than where I started. My old jeans have been hanging off me, but I didn't have any intermediate sizes and didn't want to invest in additional clothes that I plan to wear only for a short period. So, each week I take these jeans down, try them on, sigh, and put them back on the hanger. This week, they are off the hanger and staying on my body! (still a little tight, which means I'm fighting the dreaded muffin-top effect, but this too shall pass)

Windycity, congrats on the clothing NSV! Woohoo! I was fighting that "dreaded muffin-top effect" all day today when I was shopping!

I was determined to buy some size 16 jeans and pants today, even though they're a tiny bit too small in the hips for me still. It's the whole low-waist thing that's getting me. My hips are much bigger than my waist because of that lower roll of fat that will take me a million years to get rid of! Grr!! I did manage to find some pants at Old Navy (hey, a fairly normal store!) and I bought size 16 jeans at Lane Bryant, so they fit pretty well. Yay!

My other NSV is that I upped my running time to 35 minutes today. It still floors me that I can run for that long without stopping.

As for those of you struggling with the elliptical, you'll get used to it. Everyone hates that thing at first, but then some of us start loving it. One of the VERY FIT high school students who was in the fitness center with me the other day couldn't believe I did 40 minutes on it because it wears her out after five. And she's one of our best athletes!

Congradulations to everyone! All of these things mean so much.
Finally, yesterday at work someone finally noticed I had lost weight and today I made it 2 minutes, 20 seconds on the elliptical! When I first started, I could only do a minute.

Justwill, I'm right there with you on that elliptical. I say I do 5 min's. But, that is with stopping every minute or so to pant like a dehydrated dog. Then I go a little more. My legs start to feel like noodles and I can't take another step, that's when I give up and go back to my trusty treadmill. If I ever make it to 10 min's on that thing, I'll be jumping for joy. I even read my new instruction manual thinking I had it on too hard of level. Nope, it's on the easiest level. LOL.