Morning all,

Oh no - do not be a whinging Pom Red. I might have to move along if this is to be!!!

Red - on my other thread, we have a challenge going to lose a nominated amount by Halloween. I have signed up for 3kg. from 81 - 78kg. My doctor told me to lose 4-5kg and go back for another cholesterol test. It was apparently a bit high last time and since I haven't changed what I eat, it has to do with a lack of exercise since that is the one thing that has changed in my life - apart from not working that is. But not exercising has been longer than not working. I've never heard of NLP. Is it some kind of sleep programming??? Listening to sublime messages?? Sometimes I wonder if we dwell too much on this sort of stuff - like not achieving - and our own inadequacies keep us on the back pedal. Not sure if I am making sense here, so I am off to work out the menu for the week and go shopping for the necessities. All my green veges are now coming out of my own garden although I might need to plant some more very shortly. It's cut my budget a bit although soon it will be too hot for the garden and the lettuces and tomatoes will shrivel up and the bugs will be back to eat the lot. Bah humbug.

1300 (about) daily calorie limit - Day 17 1 pause day left
Exercise daily - Day 17 - 1 pause days
Portion control - Day 17 - 1 pause days
Water - 1 litre at least - Day 17 - 1 pause days

Weight is down again this morning after going up on Sat/Sun. I really should add journalling to my challenges to see what it is that is causing these silly swings. I have a fair idea, but it is not proof yet. Maybe do that next time around.

I had a busy (but fun) weekend and was away from here for a couple days. So I have to catch up with what y'all have been doing. DH and I went fishing on Saturday which was fun and a gorgeous day to be out on the boat. Had a good day yesterday, but was busy from before sun up to well after sunset. I wanted to work on my website...but with the weather being SOOOO nice, and knowing that I'd better enjoy the nice weather while it's here...I chose not to spend too much time on the 'puter (just enough to track my WW points online). My eating went to **** at dinner time (had 2 grilled hot dogs with sauerkraut- yummmm!) - but I haven't used all my weekly extra points yet...so I guess I'm still okay. I'm continuing to step up the exercise, so hopefully my weigh in this week will be good.

Journal and stay within WW points - 3 pauses left - Day 6 completed
Drink 64 ounces of water - 3 pauses left - Day 6 completed
20 minutes (at least) of cardio - 3 pauses left - Day 6 completed
25 crunches - 3 pauses left - Day 6 completed
At least 10000 steps per day - 2 pauses left - Day 3 completed

APPLE - Good for you on the no beer challenge. Were you able to keep it up even with company around?

SHAD - Good for you for doing well on your challenges and on your weight loss! Enjoy your fresh veg while you have them. I still have garden tomatoes, but everything else is done for the season and has to be purchased.

RED - Here's a long post for you, girlfriend. Why can't we keep patting ourselves on the back? Okay...maybe you can't continually boast about your accomplishments to others....but there's no time limit for how long you can be proud of yourself internally for all you've accomplished. I learned years ago that I can't count on others for recurring approval or recognition. They've got other things at the forefront of their mind. I'm proud of all I have accomplished over the years. I'm proud of who I am, and I think you should be proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. You've done things that many people can't or won't (quitting booze and cigs at the same time), putting yourself first to get yourself out of a VERY toxic job environment, etc., and I'm sure there are countless others. Good for you for realizing you can go to the gym...just do a modified workout. Talk to the instructors/trainers there...they are paid to know what you can and cannot do with a certain injury. After a LONG time thinking I couldn't work out with my injured back because I couldn't even walk, I realized that while I couldn't do classes, or the treadmill or elliptical, I could do the recumbent stepper. And I could use the gym's equipment to help me with my PT stretches/exercises.

As for condemnation and self-berating, I think these have NO place in life. When I have the self-berating tapes start playing in my head....I stop them right away. The past is the past....anything we have done cannot be undone. All we can do is life in the moment, making the best possible choices and forgiving ourselves when we make a choice that doesn't turn out well, as we did the best we could based on where we were. I spent most of my life being self-critical...and not feeling like I was "enough". I would think things about myself that I would NEVER think about a good friend. I learned to have more compassion for myself. And I have tried to think positively as much as possible because I believe that like attracts like. When I think negatively, I tend to attract more negativity in my life, as well as get myself sick with worry or guilt or whatever. Whereas when I think positively, even if positive things don't magically appear instantaneously in my life, at least I FEEL better. I can't think of any reason not to think/feel as positively as possible.

As for who we were when we were in the past versus who we are now...heck, I've had SO many really bad experiences and made SO many mistakes. So many things I'd like to take back or change. But I can't. All of the experiences of my past...good and bad....have made me who I am. And I really, really like who I am. Sure I'm 70 or so lbs overweight. Big deal. That doesn't define me one bit, it can be changed, and I'm working hard on changing it.

I'm glad your forcing yourself to be positive and doing NLP. I have a couple friends who are NLP practitioners. I don't know all about it, but what I do know sounds really good! And it sounds like a good tool/technique not just for weight loss but for life in general.

Interesting that you recognize the accomplishment of Apple's no beer challenge, but you can't recognize your own terrific no booze, no cigs accomplishment!

Good for you for concentrating awareness of your food intake. I'm doing that too for the most part. As well as looking for more 0 and 1 point filling food options.


Now, I really have to get to work.

Hugs to all,

Taking a pause on all challenges for yesterday. Not a good food day and by the time it came to pick up the pieces I just went for broke. Not good

1300 (about) daily calorie limit - Day 17 0 pause day left
Exercise daily - Day 17 - 0 pause days
Portion control - Day 17 - 0 pause days
Water - 1 litre at least - Day 17 - 0 pause days

That means I have to be good for the next 4 days or I will fail. Not an option. One of my challenges should be to finish all challenges with 3 pause days left.

Well said Michelle. It's absolutely amazing how we can sympathise, empathise, commiserate and cheer on others in this journey but we come down on ourselves like a ton of bricks. Share the love with ourselves I say.

Anyway, final push on the loo today. I forgot to take before photos, but I guess I will get some afters in. Actually it looks a bit clinical at the moment I think so I will have to brighten it up somewhat, somehow. Thinking, thinking. Aaaah well it will come to me. Maybe add some pink..... That should stop any lingering in there by the boys you'd think!

Have a good day

Shad - Glad to hear you're on the final stage of the loo. Yes, I should think that a bit of pink might urge the boys to be neat and to not linger. Sorry you had to take a pause on your challenges...but just a few more days, girlfriend. You can do it!

Red - Hang in there with the challenges. You're doing great...don't give up now. I've never made veggie juice, but I do enjoy V-8 (of course it has a lot of sodium). And I love the veggie soup I made over the weekend. It's hard to stop at just one bowl (which would be zero points),so I count it as 1.5 points and have two bowls. As for writing down food intake...I know it's a pain in the arse. But I've found that if I don't do it, my portions get bigger, I go over my points and I end up with a gain. So, that's why I have a daily challenge to journal AND stay within points. It's not fun...but it's what works for me.

Yesterday, I got a ton of exercise! I walked 3 miles or so on my lunch and had my 10K steps in before I left work. Then did 1/2 hour on the treadmill, 1/2 hour of Zumba dance class, and 1/2 hour of weights. Today, I'm going to a workshop after work, so there'll be no gym for me, and I'll be lucky to get my 10,000 steps in.

Journal and stay within WW points - 3 pauses left - Day 7 completed
Drink 64 ounces of water - 3 pauses left - Day 7 completed
20 minutes (at least) of cardio - 3 pauses left - Day 7 completed
25 crunches - 3 pauses left - Day 7 completed
At least 10000 steps per day - 2 pauses left - Day 4 completed

After all your positive reinforcement I am sorry to say that I failed the beer challenge and need to start again.
I am waiting for the hot weather to pass (this has GOT to be the last bit of it!!) and then I will start running again and get the exercise schedule going. I have been going to the gym a bit more. I am thinking about counting calories (GASP!), that usually helps a lot. I just can't ever seem to stick with all the work involved. I'll try it the next few days and see how it goes.
Red, I am totally curious about NLP. I'm going to look into it. Sounds like you are in a good place these days....I can't believe phones are so expensive over there. $100 gets you a lot in the US. That doesn't include any service plans though...
Hi Shad, good luck on your Halloween Challenge! Sounds like a reasonable goal. And I don't know about pink.....
Diyana, great work with the exercise! And I'm sure you can get in the 10,000!

It was raining most of the day yesterday, and I had a class/workshop after work, so I couldn't get to the gym....so I have to take pauses on my exercise challenges. Oh well, I will walk more at work today and am going to the gym tonight.

Journal and stay within WW points - 3 pauses left - Day 8 completed
Drink 64 ounces of water - 3 pauses left - Day 8 completed
20 minutes (at least) of cardio - 2 pauses left - Day 7 completed
25 crunches - 2 pauses left - Day 7 completed
At least 10000 steps per day - 1 pauses left - Day 4 completed

Apple - Bummer that you have to start again with the beer challenge. Is it the heat that's making you crave beer? Or social situations? Could you have a diet soda instead? I know, I know....diet soda is not nearly the same as a good beer. I just wondering if you might be able to avoid situations or foods where you tend to drink beer or find a substitute. Even an N/A beer like Sharps or Odouls? Counting calories is a great way to have a reality check. As for the heat and exercise...I understand. Can you run early in the morning when it's cooler (if it's cooler)? I'm starting to think about contingency exercise plans for when we have inclement weather and exercising outdoors is not an option and the roads are too bad to get to the gym. I've got some DVDs and weights that I can use at home (even though I prefer the gym).

Red - Good for you for adding supplements to help regulate your body and enhance your health. Is the book you're talking about called "I Can Make You Thin" by Paul McKenna? He had a 5 or 6 part TV show on about a year ago that I DVRed but it accidentally got deleted.

Shad - I hope you're having a good day!

1300 (about) daily calorie limit - Day 17 0 pause day left
Exercise daily - Day 17 - 0 pause days
Portion control - Day 17 - 0 pause days
Water - 1 litre at least - Day 17 - 0 pause days

Okay - well I have failed all challenges. Yesterday was such a bad day that it was just all too hard and I have eaten too many carbs and therefore my weight is up. Bad all round.

So we start again. I'm going to add journalling food into the equation. It seems that even though I know what works and what doesn't, the brain doesn't want to equate bad with don't!!

So again. New challenge.

1300 Calories or there about per day
30 minutes solid exercise per day - 3 pauses
1.5 litres of water per day
Journal food and water.

Got to be better all around today.