Morning everyone!! WI this morning...I'm down 1 lb. I'm happy with that because this week has been a snacking challenge and nightmare. I've eaten out more than usual, and made some pretty bad choices food wise. Not to mention slacking on working out. I'm back on the ball and hoping to reach my 20 lb. goal next week. Just a few lbs. to go.

Hey hot mamas, Just popping in to say hi. I've 2 things to tell you.

1. Today is international internet HOT MAMA day. For one day we aren't allowed to think a single bad thought about ourselves, or feel self conscientious. We are smoking hot mamas, no matter how close or far away we feel from our goal. "Carpe diem"

2. You know how I was whining like a baby about having a sucky weigh day? Well you all told me that it was probably water weight, and GD it if you weren't right. Well, it was yogurt weight. I'm lactose intolerant, and I thought yogurt was safe. Since I heard that dairy helps you lose weight, I was eating plain nonfat yogurt and cinnamon 3x a day. BAD IDEA!! As soon as I stopped eating so much stinking yogurt and my belly stopped being pissed I snuck in a weight, and I'm 193. Horrah for that!!

hey everyone, been MIA for a little while, H2B went off on some much needed holiday time. It was good, but we had our first big row on Sunday night, I think it was the affect of too much wine when out celebrating a friends birthday, but still feeling a bit hurt and stung. I hate arguments I really do. My mom says I should be thankful as we have been together for a year and this is our first row of any sorts, I guess it just made me wobble a little with the whole moving away thing. We wont be going til September now, he got told today his tour has been extended - damn military!!! Anyway I feel better about it now, more time to get organised and save.
So the same weight on Monday, which is a miracle as my oh my I had some treats when we were on holiday mostly wine, which is even worst as its empty calories. Bah. Went to the gym yesterday, Im now back on track with the exercise will be going tonight, Have treated myself to that incredible sports bra everyone is going on about the enell, so hopefully the encourages me to bounce around some more.
Enough of my ramblings, still a little fragile today, Im obviously far too sensitive! Im also guilty of thinking about things way too much. Going for a girly lunch with my best friend today so hopefully will feel better!
Shari -How is the new place?!? How did moving go?!
Ladybballer - The pounds are just FLYING off, well done on another great weigh in!! WTG!!

Where is everyone?!?
So things are much better today, feeling much more stable!! I guess Im just too damn sensitive!!
I had a better day yesterday, went for lunch and had a jacket potato and some pistachio nuts for a snack in the afternoon. Went to the gym for an hour, but it all went a bit wrong in the evening H2B bought home some nice snacks and cooked more food for himself, sausages and cheese on toast, i did have some cheese on toast. Bah. So tonight I just need to work really hard on not snacking in the evenings. Going to aqua aerobics tonight if its on, if its not i will be going to the gym.
Tired today, H2B couldnt sleep so he was in and out of bed all night, which was waking me also!! Yawn, so sitting here with a big cup of coffee to wake up. Hope everyone is having a good day!

I am still plugging along. Need to increase my exercise...working on that one. TOM came yesterday and I felt awful but after a couple advil I feel a whole lot better so I can exercise today! Yay!

piggin: Maybe you have already tried this, but the best way I know how to avoid snacking in the evenings after dinner is making myself a big mug of tea. I get mine from Trader Joe's and they have every combination imaginable...pomegranate white and blueberry green are my faves at the moment. Definitely tastes like it has some calories but it doesn't! Good luck with that!

Ladybballer: Congrats on getting rid of another lb.! Good luck reaching your 20 lb. lost goal! You're soooo close!

kriket: Good for you for figuring out that your extra weight was caused by the yogurt! Are you cutting it out entirely or are you going to try a yogurt that is lactose free, like a soy yogurt?

wickedest: to the thread!

Shari: You're probably busy packing...let us know how it goes! I remember the last time I moved I lost a few lbs. just because I was running around so much and didn't really have time to eat! I hope it's not too stressful!

Hey to everyone else!

BELLA

I've thought about it, but the point behind it was to get some dairy in me. I avoid too much soy because I have PCOS and too much can wack out my hormones. I may see if lactaid makes a yogurt, kinda counter productive, I really thought that intolerant people could handle yogurt!

kriket: ahh, i see what you mean about the pcos and soy thing. that sucks. when i was younger i was slightly lactose intolerant but i've always had a natural aversion to animal milk and its by-products for some reason...i went through a phase when i was 21-23 where i loved plain fat free yogurt. then i just stopped eating it. burnt out on it i guess. today i mainly drink soy and rice milk although i do occasionally eat cheese, yogurt (vanilla and strawberry only) and cottage cheese. not every day but whenever the mood strikes. my favorite kind of cheese is made from almond milk and is pretty low in calories but is only sold in whole foods and the like.

as far as the dairy goes, are you concerned about not getting enough calcium in? is dairy a good source of any other vitamins? also, one way to get the good bacteria in your body without eating yogurt is to take it in pill form. i take them sporadically. i am really bad about taking vitamins. need to work on that!

what are the rest of our girls up to? inquiring minds want to know....

almond milk? I'm sure you love it but thats.. eww. Ever smelled cyanide? Most women can smell it. I think like 40% of people can't and they are mostly men. It you've never smelled it, It smells like almond. Nasty chemical almonds. I had to work around quite a bit of it once and now I can't handle things that are almond scented or almond related. It's probably in my head, but I just can't do it.

Bella - I have stocked up on some herbal tea and some low fat drinking chocolates, so hopefully I can conquer the late night snacks. I find it hard as well because H2B seems to like me just how I am which isnt much of a motivater. But then if if he told me the sight of my wobbly bits made him feel ill i guess i would just feel hurt and comfort eat so a bit of a catch 22!!
Today is a better day, so far healthy eating 2 slices toast for breakfast 1 apple and a handful of dried fruit and nuts. Lunch is probably soup and something. Going to the gym tonight also.
Im aiming for an on plan weekend, I just feel so bloated and uncomfortable, my clothes feel tight, my jeans button is digging in. My skin feels like it is about to burst like a sausage!!!
Shari - Not sure if your checking in, but hope the moving is going well!!

okay...havent been here in a while because things are just not going so well. I am getting the water and the excersize without much problem. But i don't seem to be doing so well with the eating because my weight is NOT going down. I feel so frustrated. I jog about 4 times a week for 35 to 55 minutes. I don't know if i am retaining fluids or what the deal is...but i do know that the month of may is not over yet...and so i will keep plugging away.

Hope everyone else is having a better time of reaching their may goals. Good luck!!

kriket: nope, never smelled cyanide. not that i am aware of anyway. i probably wouldn't recognize it even if i did smell it. that's interesting that almonds smell like cyanide to you. i don't drink almond milk on a regular basis--i like rice milk better--but i do enjoy it when i have it. i also love eating plain almonds since they are only like 7 calories each and they fill me up quickly. one thing i do make sure of when i buy almonds is that they are unroasted and organic. i pay more for them but i have heard that you should only buy organic nuts if possible.

piggin: good job on stocking up on herbal teas and low-fat chocolate drinks! some nights i can vanquish the snack monster on my own, some nights i need to occupy my mouth with tea or water to vanquish it. whichever way, as long as i don't put any calories in my mouth i am happy! good luck with dealing with your late night snack monster! i'm confident that you can vanquish yours most nights too!

as far as lacking motivation to lose weight because your husband (or is it fiance?) likes you just the way you are...well, my advice is to write down the reasons why you want to lose weight for YOURSELF...such as "I just feel so bloated and uncomfortable, my clothes feel tight, my jeans button is digging in. My skin feels like it is about to burst like a sausage!!!" If your husband/fiance is happy with how you look now, imagine how much he would like you if you were healthier, happier and more in shape. Imagine how much better you would feel. I don't know you two, but I think he would probably like you at any size because he loves the person you are, so you shouldn't stay at an uncomfortable size for you just because you think he is comfortable with it. Know what I mean?

It took me a long time to learn that the main reason for losing weight and getting in shape has to be that I want it for myself. Hence this last attempt at weight loss. I have a feeling you already have thought about all of this though but just humor me!

lumifan: you are really close to your goal, which may be why it is sooo much harder to see lower numbers on the scale. i know you mentioned your eating is not the best...does that mean you're getting too many calories? weight loss is 70-80% diet and 20-30% exercise so it may be that you need to either lower your calories OR your body may have become too used to the exercise you're doing. this might mean that you need to change up your exercise. i don't know if you already do this, but strength training is super good for your body...building muscle will actually speed up your metabolism so you can eat more if you're maintaining or you will see the inches melt away if you're still losing! if you are building muscle, you probably won't notice a difference in the scale but you will notice a difference in the way your clothes fit and in your measurements because you're essentially losing fat and replacing it with muscle, which takes up less space in the body. good luck with whatever you try! let us know how it goes!

Shari: GOOD LUCK moving! Sending stress free moving vibes to you! Be sure to let us know how it went! I miss your colorful posts!

to the rest of the girls! and to all those who are struggling. to those who are staying on track and losing weight! Good luck to everybody this weekend! I weigh in on Monday so I am aiming for a perfectly on plan weekend! We'll see how it goes!

Just wanted to pop in and ask how everybody was doing this weekend? I have done OK so far with my food today but the exercise and water have been lacking. Oy vey.

I am heading out in a few minutes to run some errands. I should exercise tonight but I just don't feel like it. I also haven't had any dinner yet and I don't think I will. I just don't seem to have an appetite. I am having a rough time with my 20 yo sister right now...normally I can ignore her comments to me about my weight (like "you're such a hippopotomaus" or "you're so fat and ugly") but I am under a lot of stress right now from a lot of other things that are happening in my life, such as my other younger sister being in the hospital and being her only sibling who is visiting her (even though 4 other adult siblings live in the area as well and could visit her if they cared). No wonder why I used to stuff my emotions down with food. Now that I'm not allowing myself to binge I am feeling everything and it is so hard. I have been contemplating seeking help...I know I am depressed...but I don't have any health insurance at the moment. Hopefully that will change within the next month or two so I can get some help. It's one thing to be depressed, it's another when an adult sibling uses you as target practice. Even though I know the things she says to me are untrue, they still really hurt. Plus every time I bring up the fact that she owes me money and I need her to repay me (or at least tell me when she can repay me) she calls me names like "hippo" and "fat a**". What does that have to do with the money she owes me? I am saving up $$ to leave but it is sooo hard to be living with her right now. She makes me feel so horrible about myself.

Sorry to be such a bummer. I feel like I shouldn't even be in this thread any longer. I am still dedicated and motivated to lose weight and I will continue to; it's just that I don't think I can be very supportive right now at a time when I am getting zero support from anybody in my real life. To the contrary, I am only getting "you'll always be fat and gross." I know that's not true and it's not even true right now...I am overweight but I am not that big...this particular sister just enjoys being really malicious to me because of a disagreement we have over what she did to another sister...but I never say anything mean back to her. Even when she was overweight, which was as recently as last year, I didn't call her names. I just don't understand. I have told her "do you think I don't know that I'm fat?" but she never answers that question.

I feel so dumb in even posting this. But I thought it was important to be honest.

Hope everybody else's lives are going much better than mine.

Bella - Your 20 yo old sister sounds like a nasty piece of work, how dare she call you fat a***?!?! God im getting fired up over here on your behalf!! I wouldnt take that from her, I would say, I am saving up, Im losing weight Im MAKING something of my life, what exactley are you doing apart from acting like an immature brat who cannot handle their own fiances. Phew, sorry that feels better! You are such a nice person and worth so much more than that. We are here to listen and offer support, even for the bad times. Venting here might help!! Hope your having a better day today. Hugs!!

Piggin: Thanks. Your response and kindness really means so much to me. After I posted on Sat night I felt A LOT better. I mean, I still felt bad b/c of the things that she says to me but writing about it made me feel like it was less of my problem than hers. Getting it out of my mind and onto the computer felt freeing in a way.

You are right; she is a piece of work. As for her finances, I don't think I'll ever get the money she owes me back. It's not something that I think about often. She has her 50 yo boyfriend buy her gifts and give her money so I'm not really sure why she can't just ask him for the money but whatever. She took this whole last year off of school due to her low GPA and has never supported herself. During that time she has worked as a server/hostess on-and-off but she still maintains that she is going to be a super famous actress. Super delusional is more like it. When she was 16 she stole about 2,000 $$ from my other younger sister's checking account and has never apologized nor paid it back. This is a huge source of tension between us. I on the other hand earned my Bachelor's degree in 3 years, have been supporting myself since I was 18 (working since I was 15) and moved back in a few years ago to help my mother out and am on my way to leave again. I can't wait!

I have some good news: I lost 1 lb. this week!! I know it's not much, but it's one less lb. that I have attached to my body. Slowly but surely I will get to my goal. Same as all of you guys!

More good news: My other younger sister is most likely getting out of the hospital this week. I have been visiting her every other day for the past 2 weeks. I think she is going to be fine.

I know I have been saying this for the past week or so, but I really do need to step up my exercise. There are tennis courts near my house that I plan on using this evening if it's not too hot (it was 109 today). I will have to wait until the sun sets tho.

If I had done any planned exercise last week I probably would have lost 2 or more lbs., but I'm just going to use that thought as motivation for this week.

Piggin, how are you doing with the late night munchies? I haven't had much of an appetite lately, but last night I felt sort of like snacking after dinner while watching Desperate Housewives (I watch it with my mom...LOL) and I thought of how you are struggling with the snack monster too and I decided that if you can be strong I can too! So I just had some water and a tiny cup of no sugar added applesauce.

Shari, how did the move go? Smoothly and safely I hope!

How about everybody else? What is everybody else struggling with? What kind of successes has everybody else had this week in the wild and wonderful world of weight loss? LOL. Do tell!

Hey there ladies, I have had an okay month. I just wanted to share that I will be MIA for the rest of the month of may. My grandmother isn't doing well and I decided to load up my kids for their first plane ride to go for a visit. (I figured I would rather go see her now than go for a funeral later ) I am rather nervous about the plane ride (5.5 hours) as I am going by myself with both kids (16 mo. and almost 3 ). Good news is that I plan on doing a lot of running while out on her farm and will get to spend lots of time outside with the little ones. I don't even know if she has a scale, so I feel like this will be a real test to see if I can stay OP in a totally different environment. Don't think she has internet, but I will check into the June challenge when I get back.