Good morning ladies!! I can echo the going to bed early. I am still on EST from the cruise and I am recovering from all the fun. I ahve been having a hard time sleeping on my mattress after we got back, so that is part of the problem too. I am barely making it to my kid's bedtime, let alone mine. DS had to wake me up to tell me it was time for bed (he's only 5yo) Next time I will tell him to get into bed by himself and I will come in and tuck him in later But other than lack of energy things are going well. I have gotten minimal exercise in, but it is better than nothing I guess. Eating had been pretty good, just a little run in with some candy yesterday-but only three pieces. In years past I could clean out a box all by myself. Well, Off to get some hosework done. I have been reallly slow with it this week. I just want to go back to Mexico...Maybe next year.

Hi Lori! about the water vs. Crystal light - the thing about flavored drinks, even if it's Crystal Light or Dasani flavored water or sugar free soda, is that they are stimulating our taste and appetite, sorry to say. And the more we have them, the more we want them Also, anything extra that our kidneys have to filter out, is extra work for our system. Water won't stimulate our taste buds to want more, the way the flavored drinks do.

It's hard, isn't it? I love diet soda, I love the flavored waters...but plain is just so much better for us. And for us who are no longer 20-somethings there is the benefit to our skin.

We have also had a crazy winter. The ski and hospitality industry is suffering due to it! We've had no significant snow, we've had RAIN and mild temperatures...for example, today is sunny and almost 45!!! But a cold front is coming Friday night, and the HIGH on Saturday and Sunday will be 5 above! Weird!

I decided to 'jump the gun' a bit and weighed myself today, even though I was going to wait til tomorrow, which would have been one week. But I'm down 1 pound! yay!

I still was a little sore in shoulders this morning, so I did 30 minutes of low impact aerobics, then 20 minutes of a Hips/Thighs/Bun tape.

bye for now

Thanks Holly, makes sense about the water, I'll just suck down the plain water quickly and get it over with, LOL

Have a great day ladies!!!!!

Holly~I did not know that, but it does make sense. Thanks for the info.

Doing better this morning. I definitly slept better, but was still a little sore this AM DH and I discussed getting a new mattress. I think that is what we are going to do. I will have to call a friend to se if they will deliver it. We don't have a car/truck big enough anymore. I exercised a little today!!! Just getting moving has made me feel better, so I will see if I can get one of the tapes in tomorrow. Well, My free time is gone, so I have to get back to my housework.

Later Chicas

Hello everyone. If you don't mind, I'd definitely like to join in with you ladies. Let me introduce myself.

My name is Lydia, I'm 18 (19 in April), and I'm about 4 weeks into my calorie counting journey. I began seriously changing my lifestyle on November 1st, 2005. I started off just cutting back on sweets (the bane of my existence) and other junk food, and exercising a little (started off as 5-10 minutes) every day or two. I lost 5 pounds over the course of two months by just doing that, but I wasn't satisfied with that little amount.

January 24 of this year, I joined 3FC. I don't even know how I got here, but I sure am glad that I did! I pop in here every day, usually three or four times a day, and it seems to have really motivated me to lose weight. So far, since joining 3FC, I've lost 6 pounds. It was 2 days after joining that I started counting my calories. With the help of 3FC, today, I finally broke through a 2-week-long plateau! It's taken a lot of hard work. Over 6 hours of exercise logged so far this week, more than I've ever done before! Extra-careful eating has definitely helped as well. 9 pounds down, 41 to go. I can't wait.

As far as more personal things go, I'm currently unemployed (but looking) and not going to school, but I do have quite a few projects to keep me busy. I'm an amateur photographer, with hopes of eventually becoming professional. I play the piano (sort of) and sing, though I would like to take lessons to improve both of those. I also enjoy creating digital art, designing and coding websites, and all sorts of music. I'm very interested in different cultures and languages, and I hope to major in International Studies (with an interest in languages) when I finally do make it to college.

As far as personality goes, most label me an eccentric. It's not a bad thing, just misunderstood by a lot of people. But overall, I'm a bubbly, relatively outgoing person who is very sensitive to the feelings and emotions of others. If anyone needs someone to talk to, I'm your gal. I will listen for hours and if you ask, I'll give you advice as well as I can. I can get a little crazy sometimes, especially when I get excited. I don't mind dancing everywhere I go, even if people look at me funny. And trust me, they do.

I used to have very very low self-esteem. I would look in the mirror and see a gross piece of meat with a ragiddy head of hair. All of the years of emotional abuse from my peers really took their toll on me. I became reclusive, and developed social anxiety. Between the ages of 13 and 15, I went from 135lbs and 4'11" tall to 184lbs and 5'0" tall. I grew one inch and gained nearly 50 pounds over two years. I became depressed and was in a near-constant state of self loathing.

But today I'm much different. I know now that I am beautiful, inside and out. Sure, I'm flawed by fat, stretch marks, and a skin condition called keratosis pilaris, but that doesn't change the fact that I am beautiful. After all, even the most beautiful person in the world has many flaws. I've stopped comparing myself to others, and started concentrating on getting myself to where I want to be.

Sorry for the long read, but I really want you all to get to know me. And I can't wait to get to know all of you!

Hi ladies! I've been reading for a long time now, but have never posted. I was doing really great last summer then I moved to Los Angeles and while I haven't gained any weight back, I haven't lost anymore either. So anyway, I decided enough is enough and I'm going to lose 20 more pounds.
I have a few questions:
Is is wildly unhealthy to eat lean cuisines almost every night? I don't, but the nights that I do I feel the best about myself and I am going to try and eat more of them rather than go out, which is what I do all the time. They make it so easy, you don't even have to think about what you're eating! It just seems like all these low calorie meals have so much sodium which makes me retain water which leads me to question two, which is: How do you know if you've actually lost any weight? I could be 144 one day and 140 the next! I don't understand when people say they lost a half pound because how can they know for sure? And is that much fluctuation normal? I could be anywhere between 140-145 on any given day. It's so frustrating! I just want to know that I'm making progress and everytime I think I am, it turns out that I'm not. gah!
Any comments?

Lydia welcome to the site. Sounds like your motivated to reach your goal good for you. Everyday is another step forward toward your goal and changing old habits. Lifestyle changes are a plus and will benefit you longterm. Good luck and glad your joining the group.
Well I did increase my exercise almost 11 miles this week. Changes in my belly fat I think and firming up but no scale loss! I have been told muscle weighs more than fat? Does anyone else experience no loss when exercising harder etc.? I am just wondering? I have been pretty careful of my intakes this week too. I have been sticking with around 1500 cals. I did have a ham sandwich last night it most likely was high in sodium. Oh well I feel better and seem to be more toned better than no changes at all. I will just keep plugging forward. I am planning a workout after work this afternoon. This will be my 5th day of exercise this week.
On the water talk I add fresh lemon to my water. Holly does that also come under things that will increase our wants? Or do you rank it as better for us with some vitmains? Oh well off to end my work week!

One pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. Think of one pound of quarters versus one pound of cotton balls. That would explain why your belly seems to be shrinking but the scale hasn't registered a loss. Gaining muscle is a good thing though! The added muscle will help your body burn more fat. Make sure to take your measurements so you get the "visual" acknowledgement on your accomplishments. I once dropped four sizes but the scale only registered a SIX pound loss. I did this by going to the gym religiously. (I wish I would have kept that up.)

Kimberly

Kimberlyin thanks for that boost of information. I really needed it. I do feel better though this weekend fell off with my intake and exercise a bit. I am planning on walking 4 miles today as it will be in the 30's and the sun is shining brightly. I will take my measurements today. I feel better than before and know that the last few weeks my intakes have been healthier. This weekend I slipped a bit but it was so cold I think it was comfort food! Oh well back on my plan of attack today. Thanks again for taking the time to get back to me. Have a great day. I am journaling my intakes and exercise in hopes to make some wonderful changes.

Good morning all! Sorry I ahve been MIA, but things have gotten hectic. I have been really worn out taking care of all my sickies! BUt they are doing better and hopefully we are off to a great restart! Eating has been good, but I need to get my exercise back in. I have been doing very minimal for the last two weeks. I am recommitting to lose some weight before easter!


Will check in later-I have laundry waiting!

Hello ladies!

hi cacsmc, I am sure that fresh lemon slice is fine...also some fresh Vitamin C there for you - and alot cheaper than a purchased flavored water! And if you are feeling more toned, CONGRATS! Toned muscle takes up less space than fat, but does weigh more. And a fact I just read - if you add five pounds of muscle to your body, that needs 750 calories a day just to maintain that five pound of muscle. Kewl!

welcome to the new ladies! Lydia and CT girl, nice to meet you both! Lydia, you have a marvelous attitude...and CT girl, definitely there are swings in weights from day to day, from hour to hour sometimes! I think the most accurate thing to do is to take measurements with a cloth tape measure, then try to measure once a month.

I see I need to prepare better for my meals...I didn't prepare well last week, and slipped up. So I am going to have to bring a lunch and dinner to work (I work 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) In my early days of calorie counting (successful calorie counting!) I had the same thing just about every day, and that helped me.
Cup of yogurt and cup of Kashi for breakfast;
apple or orange for mid-morning;
can of tuna/1T lite mayo and light bread for lunch (carrot sticks whenever) midafternoon snack of a 120 calorie granola bar and coffee;
and hopefully a sensible dinner

when I try to "ad lib" it, I end up not keeping accurate count.

AND I am going to try to focus on more aerobic time, as opposed to strength. I am afraid of losing ground with strength training, but know that cardio is best for fat burning, right? Maybe i just need to focus on staying away from the d*mned cookies at work!

Holly I have to do my intakes in a journal sometimes it helps to ensure I am not over doing on cals. I also like preplanning my intakes it takes the work out of what to eat later on and how many cals. But I was so hungry last night as I worked later. I stopped for a sub. lite on the mayo of course but still lots of uneeded cals. I did eat a pretty health lunch of fresh veggies dipped in hummus. Today I hope to follow a plan better. I only have 15 days left before my trip. I am sore from my workout on Tues. so I must of worked those muscles well. I did wt. rest. machines then the treadmill. I will try the scale again this week but know I have at least lost muscle and feel better. I am mixing it up a bit at the gym. Too much of one thing I don't think is as good what do you all think?

Hello all,

A big HI to the newbies

All is going fine here! Weighed in this a.m. and scale said down 1.2 lbs, so that makes me happy. Been trying to do smaller portions and get in at least 4-5 days on the treadmill, so I guess its working

casmac~I agree as far as mixing it up, cardio one day, weight training another, not a good idea to do weight training everyday, it worked well with me before, I need to get back into the weight training but I want to go get new weights, the ones I have are to light, maybe this week.

Holly~you are doing great, your such an inspiration! (but ya stand back from the cookies, LOL)

Well I have to get back to work, you all have a great day!!

Lori

CACMSC~Please forgive for my spelling, Im sorry, duh me

LOL!!! I think I get it wrong each post, myself!

Cacmsc, I agree that 'mixing it up' is a great idea! I know I've gotten used to my current videos and they're not as challenging.

Hi Lori!! you are a sweetie to say I'm an inspiration, when I have gained but I had a great on-program day yesterday, and will do my best to do it agian today.

I'm adding 30 additional minutes of aerobics each day I exercise, along with strict watching of calories. That should surprise the bejeebers out of this unsuspeting, cookie-expecting body

The hardest thing for me is when I'm at work, after five pm when my boss leaves, and I'm all alone in the store...with PLATTERS of cookies all around me. Yikes! If I'm not hungry, I'm OK to resist. So I have to plan to have my little meals handy. It worked yesterday.

bye for now