Kim, 8.2 pounds is great. I know what you mean. I always thought my weight was mostly a cosmetic problem until my feet started acting up. Then all the sudden reading that my problem occured mostly in middle aged women who were overweight or obese, and when I was maintaining a lower weight the problem went away and when I regained it, bingo back again. Just one of those things that my body is saying OK, stop it now... Not that I would feel that I was eating "heartily" with one egg drizzled with olive oil, although that does sound tasty right now.

Nicole, She is so beautiful! How exciting! You are about a month longer than me at being... well... let's call it accountable. The WW online is good for me for that. I'm almost to my 3 month commitment, and I think I'll do another month or two. I do like the flexibility.

Kim, don't know for certain, but for sure a minimum of $500. If she raises more than that, they give her the balance to put towards her costumes and travel expenses and what not. She has to raise the first half by Sunday, and I am not sure how much she has so far. I am trying to let her be responsible for raising the funds, for the most part. But it is not easy. If she raises at least $250 by Sunday, then she will take part in a training session and photo shoot. How fun for a 15 yo girl, hey? Anway, then it is on to the actual pageant, where she has to interview with a panel of judges, then there is a casual wear comp. and a formal wear comp, and then......the pick the mystery question from a hat and answer it live, in front of the audience. NO SWIM SUIT CONTEST! I never thought the whole pageant thing was something I would be supportive of, but is is a really interesting opportunity for her to express herself and built her self confidence and public speaking skills. I also was very happy about that fact that she has to find sponsors.....for a couple of reasons, but mostly because it kind of makes her take ownership of the financial burden....or at least makes her aware and have to work for the opportunity a bit....even if it is simply asking people to sponsor her. I think it makes it more real, you know. Nothing in life comes easy or free.....so, if nothing else comes from this, it will help her learn that. Ok, anyway......way more info than you asked for....but you know how I get
XOXO

Oooo, girls, I am really loving the psycho talk latelly. I love what you said, Tracy, about laying the fear between the fat. What a lightbulb that is for me. i have hidden my awesomeness under fat many times in my life Especially in the last 5 or 6 years. When I met DH, I was thin and kicking butt and taking names.....a straight A student in Nursing school, etc. Now, I am not sure why I have let myself get so unhealthy, but it began with a pregnancy, two miscaigrages and another pregnancy all within a little over two years. And then....I think I kind of just lost me in the mix for a spell.

I think I was also insecure about myself in my marriage at first....I had been divorced once, and I was pretty scared. I think gettting a little chunky kind of insured that no other dudes would notice me...and if noone else noticed me, then I wouldn't have to deal with a jealous man....which is not my current DH at all....but I just didn't know that at the time.

So much of it has to do with me....and so little to do with what is around me. Sure, tragedy or family additions can catch us off gaurd now and then, but a healthy woman puts herself in check way sooner than 80 pounds later. Live and learn

I feel good now, though. And it is not because I am thin now...I am far from it....but because I am taking better care of myself and putting me in the list of priorities, and being ok with that. It feels good. And, like Barbara....I got serious this time cuz my foot is a freakin' nightmare. It has limited me beyond belief. My 35 lb loss has not seemed to help it yet, but I will not give up. It just has to make a difference pretty darn soon.

Oh, and get this....I joined the YMCA yesterday. Not sure how that is going to work out for me with my stupid idiotic foot, but my kids will love it until I am all healed up. I may try swimming, although the changing and sogginess is sure a pain in the butt.

Ok, I am going to end this book here....I am super nannying my 5yo son, who seems to havethave forgotten that bedtime means bedtime. Give me strenght.
xoxo

Kim -- You are doing great on your new plan, congratulations! I think success is a great motivator. I turned down a lovely looking chocolate cake last night and hardly gave it a second thought. It's just not worth spoiling my great work this week.

Nicole -- How exciting for Bethany and for you guys too! I would love to experience that whole process, and I think you are right on the money, there are lots of learnings for her in the process regardless of the outcome. You have been doing so so well over the last few months, you are really on a mission. I feel the same way now, I can weigh whatever I want to weigh, it will just take time and perseverance.

Everyone, please feel free to add me on facebook -- my full name is Angie Linton, you'll know it because it has the same pic as here.

Hey All

Joan - I am moving to Calgary on Sept 30 and we'll be living in SW part.Hope everything is going well with your audit.

Angie - Passing on cakes need serious will power. I would have taken a bite

Barbara - i am glad WW is going well for you.

Kim - 8.5 lbs is friggin awesome!

Nicole - You have every reason to be proud. Hope she wins!!!

Everything going well on my side ...I am just nervous about the move. I am especially stressed out about finding a gym that is good but wouldn't hurt my budget either. So much work to do and so little time left...

Take care all.

MJ I have a few friends who have joined the YMCA, I think it's a very good deal if you have kids and buy the family pass because it includes free lessons for things like swimming, martial arts and other classes. Also, I think Goodlife has some pretty reasonable rates.

I'm staying home with my DS today -- sore throat and he's a little warm too.

Morning ladies

I am up a tiny bit this a.m., so I am going to be very strict for the next three days, and then back to my normal plan. I have been kind of doing that over the last couple of weeks.....nothing drastic...just lowing the carbs a lot and sticking to low fat, low calorie choices. I have kind of come up with a three day menu so it is think free, and it is working out pretty good.

Kim....how are you holding up?

Thanks everyone, for the comments about my girl. Here is a pic from her training class on Sunday.


Anyway, I think she has a real chance at winning...I was checking out the completition, and all the girls there were polite, but Bethany is so genuine, and naturally pretty...and yes, I know she is my girl....but she really is.

Oh, I almost forgot....DD and I got into a car accident on the way to the training class, and it is a long story, but to highlight....we are both ok....my foot and neck are jacked up, but I went to the doc yesterday, and they are not broken. Yay! ha. My car is destroyed. We were hit from behind...never even saw it coming..we were traveling at about 60 m.p.h. and this girl just clocked us, knocked us into the wall, and sent us spinning. Whatever. I am mad.

Ok, have to run....but hang in there everyone, and work hard today. We HAVE to really work hard to get make ourselves a priority. And P.S. We can do this
XOXO

Hey Nicole -- I'm glad you guys were okay following your accident. Your daughter is simply beautiful, and if she has a personality to match I think she's a sure bet.

I'm home with DS again today, he's still got a temp and a sore throat, so I get to try to work from home while waiting on him...and oh yeah, I have to keep myself out of here!

Where's Joni and JM these days? Who is going to hunt them down?

hello all. did ya miss me??
just thought i'd check in and say hi. DH left on sunday morning. 8 months to go. we took lots of pictures and had a great, relaxing time on his leave. i still kept up with my great eating and workouts..it was nice to have a workout buddy during the 2wks too.

hope everyone has been doing well!

Angie-I'm here, lurking . . . .you all know what that means!

I'm basically done with all my appts-just a little bit of followup with my sleep disorder doctor. I have severe sleep apnea (over 40 times/hour) and will somehow have to figure out how to deal with the CPAP. I may ask for a prescription for some type of anti-anxiety so I can hopefully not have any panic attacks with the thing.

What I haven't managed to do is lose the 16lbs that I need to lose. I'm struggling hard with my head hunger, fatigue (see above-no wonder I'm tired and cranky!), knee pain and now back pain from over-compensating for the knee. I joined the gym again-the only thing my knee will tolerate is the elliptical but I still aggravate it even doing just 10 minutes on the thing. It's a bit of a vicious circle-the things that would help me lose weight and stay on track (sleep and exercise) are somewhat eluding me do to the fact I need to lose weight! GRRR . .

I've decided to kick it into gear and do that Every Other Day Diet again that I tried last winter and it worked-it's just not a great long term option. I just need to plan better and stop making excuses!

If I can get down about 10lbs-I think I can probably start the next step-insurance verification and meeting with the surgeon.

MJ- Wow you are moving to the complete opposite side of the city from me. Good luck with your move.

Angie- Good for you passing on cake. I had to make a cake for one of my staffs birthdays on Monday and she wanted chocolate. I failed and had a slice!!! I always bake a cake for my staff members when its their birthday. Its like something that I started that I can't get out of now......haha

Kim- Look at you losing all that weight...you are awesome!

Nicole- Wow your daughter is really beautiful. I hope she wins!

Jillian- Your picture shows your face to be so thin. You really have come a long way with your weight loss and your new lifestyle. Your such an inspiration! I am so happy to hear that you had an awesome time with your DH. You deserved it.

JM- I think I need to team up with you. I really am inspired to lose weight and I am exercising.For the most part I watch what I eat but I am stuck at 168.6 and I cant seem to get that scale to move. Its so important to me but something is not working.

Well I am off to boot camp again tonight...rain or snow!! Yes we had some snow this morning.....frigging Calgary weather.

Have a great day everyone!

Joan

Joan- the every other day diet is a good way to jump start weight loss-but you could basically do it by alternating very low carb days with a day that you have good carbs or whatever you're craving at your midday meal. The EODD is a little more complicated-but essentially you're mixing up your calories day to day because your body gets "lazy" when you're eating the same calories every day.

Another trick of the diet is to eat 1 apple/100lbs 30 minutes before lunch. It will fill you up and keep you from overeating (eat the apples even on low carb days). Plus they're good for you and the chewing tricks your brain . . . That was a hard thing for me to do long term-I like apples-but 3/day was just too much.

JM & Joan -- You could try my plan for a jump start...I am NEVER hungry:

These foods are unlimited:

• Meat -- even red meat and pork as long as it's lean
• Poultry -- with or without skin
• Lunchmeats such as ham and turkey providing they are low sodium and low fat
• Fish, even the fatty ones
• Egg whites
• Low sodium chicken stock
• Leafy green vegetables
• Shirataki noodles
• Cottage cheese
• Olive oil or Canola oil
• Coffee/Tea
  

These foods are limited:

• All other veggies, except those that grow under the ground, maximum of 4 cups total per day
• 1 egg yolk per day
• 1 canned fish per day providing it is packed in water
• garlic and ginger for cooking
• milk or cream for coffee, 1 tsp per cup
• no fat ricotta cheese
• condiments such as ketchup, up to 1 tsp per meal

Not permitted in phase 1 (will be introduced later)

• fruits
• tomatoes, onions, vegetables that grow under the ground
• dairy products
• breads and cereals

I followed this to a T, I started at 260 lbs and two weeks later I had lost 12 lbs, I've heard of others who lost 14. Some ladies on this plan told me they started out eating 2-3 chicken breasts at a meal, and they still lost weight!

hmm-maybe I'll try that-I'm always hungry on the low carb days. So-a vinagrette is allowed for a salad dressing?

I'm actually having a good food day so far! Now just need to keep it up for the evening. Evening snacking is my downfall-I like the idea of being able to nibble on lunchmeat and cottage cheese.

Yes, I forgot to mention that you can also have low sodium soya sauce, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, lemons for cooking...so those combined with the olive oil became my salad dressing.

Some other items I forgot -- half salt to taste, unlimited sugar free jello, up to 4 sugar free popsicles per day (these are just before bed snacks). If I have a carb fit once I day I can have high fibre crisp bread (2 pieces) with zero fat cream cheese. That normally gets me through.

My 1 cheat that hasn't slowed me down (I think) is that I will use a few tablespoons of sodium free tomato sauce to mix in with ground beef or turkey, to make a kind of meat sauce that I eat with just a teaspoon of Parmesan. I also do an eggplant parmesan, grill or broil the eggplant with oil, then top with ricotta/egg mixture and a tsp or so of tomato sauce and some parm then bake again for about 30 minutes. So so so good.