Hello all,

Chocoholic...yep...I too am one of those too. I still have as yet to learn how to eat it responsibly...SIGH. As for exercising in the morning...uhhhh...never gonna do that. I have tried in the past. I have now faced truth...I am not a morning person and exercising in the morning is just not gonna happen for me. But I do actually like exercising in the evening. I mean sometimes it is hard to get out there and go (like when it's 20 below out for sure), but I find that exercising at night burns off all that stress from the work day. So for me, exercising in the evening is the only way to go. But sometimes I do envy you morning people a little. :P Hope you all are doing great! ~ Ann

I just have to start out by saying I am SO excited to see this thread thriving again. See, Kathy? It was worth it for us to keep hangin' in there a while! hehe Thanks for hangin' in there with me!

YP1: Welcome back! Good to hear that you mum noticed your hard work! Good for you for being so dedicated to your workouts! It is pretty much a routine for me too at this point, but I don't exercise when I'm sick...or if I do, it's something gentle like balance ball where I'm not jumping around.

Janet: I'm a lifelong perfectionist too...it's something I have to fight against all the time (and not just in terms of eating & exercising). I've improved a lot with my perfectionism too, but still have a long way to go. Your discovery that being good most of the time can still lead to weight loss is an important one! I quit diet after diet for years, too, because I thought I had to be "perfect" every day...NEVER eat anything fatty, ALWAYS make the right choices, etc. The philosophy that I subscribe to is the 80/20 rule--eat healthy at least 80% of the time and allow myself some treats. There is no way I could still be living healthy almost 2 years later if I tried to exist on ONLY healthy food and never treated myself. It's a very important lesson that it took me until age 50 to learn! So glad I did, though.

As for the Doves, well, when I started eating healthy, I just knew I couldn't make this a lifelong journey without including chocolate. I met Kathleen Daelemans (Food TV host I posted about the other day) in person right as I was starting my journey in summer 2003...this is a woman who lost a lot of weight and has maintained it over a decade...and she said to me "I could never keep a bag of chocolate in my house." So it's an individual thing. We all have our triggers. You probably have things you can control yourself with that I never could. So we each have to decide what is that one thing that I can control myself around and allow to have in my life as a treat? There are things that I could control myself around a year or two ago and no longer can. This makes me very sad and I don't know why that happens, but I have had to stop buying several "treat" products that I dearly love...like Yukon Gold potato chips, which are 40% less fat and 1000% more flavor than regular chips. I used to be able to eat a handfull and that was it. Now I want to eat the whole bag. What changed? I dunno.

Tazia: Congrats on starting Curves! Great job! I can't wait to get back from vacation and hear about you starting to go in the mornings. I sure hope that works out for you but I know it's not for everyone!

Lilybutt: I hear ya on the maintainable weight. There's the weight we might want to be and the weight we can live with and sometimes they aren't the same! Like I once weighed 94 pounds when I was 19 years old. But I KNOW there's no way I could maintain that now. Plus, I am SO much more muscular now than then because I never worked out then at all!

Kathy: Glad to hear you had a good visit with your friend from CT. I'm not looking forward to the hot part but hope at least that it won't be pouring rain or blowing hurricanes while we're down there!

Ann: It's good that you know what works for you and do it! I see people overdoing it in my aerobics class because they feel they have to do what everyone else is doing, despite the fact the others may have been taking the class for years. I know myself and my body and I do what works for me. If I feel my heart rate getting up too high, I march in place instead of jumping up on the step with the class. I think we all have to find what works for us and do it!

I better get myself back to work. You guys have a great day! This is my last work day before vacation...yippeeeeeeeeeee!

We had such a good run going with postings and then nothing all day yesterday. Was it something I said? (grin)

Anyhow, I'm home today packing and prepping to leave for Florida tomorrow. This will probably be my last visit to the boards before I go, so I thought I'd say goodbye and have a great week. I hope you guys keep the conversation going here and I look forward to catching up when I get back.

Keep doing the good work!

Hello peeps,
AHhhhhh FRIDAY at last. I love Fridays. It's so nice to know I can sleep in tomorrow morning. Although technically I guess it is Saturday morning. Anyway, I had a most excellent day yesterday eating wise. And I exercised. Today, well not quite so astounding. I did okay, but not great and I had apple pie with ice cream which was very yummy. I think it is important to do that though. In recent years I've said to myself, if I can't do this for the rest of my life I'll never keep the weight off. I am absolutely done with roller coaster dieting. Hope you all are doing well and hanging in there. Sometimes weekends can be rough as a single person I find, depending on if I have stuff going on. Trying to be better about making sure of that, but it's not always easy. Take care everyone and keep on plugging along. ~ Ann

Hi all,
It's kind of cool to read over the posts and realize we are all in some sort of exercize or another...that means we are finally putting it all together to suceed this time . In the past I have lost alot of weight by just dieting, but I could never keep it off for very long...gee, wonder why? Anyway, I am almost to the point where the exercise is more important to me than the eating. I used to have horrible problems with depression and I have noticed since I began to take exercise seriously, I have had a much more even moods and not as many blue days. I guess all those studies had something to them.

Planned on spending the day doing yardwork, but I was only able to get in about an hour before it started raining. It's nice out now, but I've totally lost my ambition. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. I went to the nursery and bought a bunch of annuals and can't wait to play in the dirt!

Tazia, I've heard good things about Curves. Alot of the members at my Weight Watchers meetings have mentioned it. How does it work? I know you go in and do a routine switching from machine to machine, or something like that. How many times a week do they recommend, and can you work out longer if you want? And don't worry about going mornings. It works for me, but I have always been a morning person (ironic that I worked night shift for 5 years). Do what feels best and is easiest, or it will be harder to keep up. And Lillibutt has a good point in that it is an excellent way to burn off a days stress.

Lillibutt - of course you can do it! You have had impressive weight loss down from 305 just 4 years ago. It's nice to have a goal in sight - hang in there you are doing awsome!

SheriaVa - I probably missed you before you go on vacation, but if not have fun and you'll have to fill us in when you get back.

Ann - Eat the pie!!! Life is too short to subsist on celery sticks or whatever! Just make sure you really, really want the pie and not eat it because you're trying to smother boredom, emotions, or whatever. If you just balance those "Pie days" with more "most excellent days" you'll do just fine.

Kat - congratulations on the new house, but isn't home ownership a b****? I love my house, but I find it hard to just sit and do nothing because there always seems to be something to do. But I still remember the day I closed 8 years ago. I slept on an air mattress on the floor with not a stick of furniture in the place (it was being delivered the next day) and just laying there thinking "this is my ceiling, this is my wall, this is my floor..." I grew up in a family of nine kids and all I ever wanted was my own space. I hope your new space is equally as special.

Okay, I'm rambling again...hope all is going well with everyone.

Hello Everyone!

Kind of quiet here!

Had a few days away from home for work….glad to be home, but now I am busy getting ready for my trip to Europe…….I have never been that far away OR gone for that long ….so this is quite the process for me. Today I went out and picked up a few more things I thought I needed and then laid them all out tonight to see what I am missing…I think I got it all, but I am going to pick up some of those Brush-ups for when I am on the train and can’t brush my teeth!

Tomorrow I am going to finish up a few things at work and then lay out all me clothes and see what I need there….I think I have plenty of everything! Then Tuesday get my nails done and pack!

We leave early Wed. morning so it is really happening fast! I did get my TOM today!!! Yeah that will be one less hassle to worry about!

I spent the last few nights with the guy I have been dating......he hugged me goodbye this morning (he left for the week today) and told me to have the time of my life and he will be here when I get back! How sweet!

To everyone else…..keep up the good work…you all inspire me!

Lilybutt

hi singles! i am going to try this again! i was right in the middle of a long post and i got cut off so i hope it will not post both. i was saying that i am having some serious problems with my phone service and it is causing lots of problems with my online stuff. i haven't had a phone since last week. aacckk!
when i last posted about my friend visiting all your new posts weren't showing up and today when i finally got my phone service back, here are all these new posts before my last one. i am living in the boonies and all we have is ancient dial up and it's driving me crazy. i don't think it gets everything thru the lines fast enough and when i sign off it cuts the download off.

well, anyways i am soooo happy to see everyone!!!!

welcome back janet!! i'm so glad you came back. to make a long story short, i am actually taking over my parents house and trying to sell my house i've had only 2 years. and yes it is a major pain in the a**! i am trying to combine 2 households worth of stuff (mostly junk). it seems that anything that can break or go wrong is!!! this house was only used during the summer for so long that it has ruined a lot of things. it was not built to be a seasonal home with no heat in it during the winter, but that was what happened and i am having a hard time getting things up and running! i will get organized sooner or later!!

hi lilybutt! i hope you have a sensational time in europe!! what i wouldn't give to go on a vacation like that. maybe someday when i hit the lottery. soak it all in, because i'd love to hear all about it when you get back! stay safe!!

welcome ann! i am not a morning exerciser either. i can barely get up and get to work on time. i have seriously been slacking in the exercise department since all this chaotic moving. i have to get some kind of program going.

tazia - glad to have you! i have a friend that started curves last month and she swears by it now. she has lost mega inches! she goes 6x a week though. she is on a mission to look good for her son's wedding in august.

welcome back yp1!! i'm glad you had a nice holiday! i am lookin forward to my vacation at the end of july!!!woohoo! 10 whole days off from work!!!

a little more catching up on myself.... i am trying to get organized enough to have a little home gym area. i have invested in a couple of items..a total gym, a rebounder and a stability ball. of course, i also have the old dusty items and all the videos i have invested in and used only a few times so i guess i have enough to get my butt movin"!!!!! i have been going to ww but i am having no great successes there either due to a serious lack of motivation! i don't think i am going to spend the $ after my prepaid meetings are gone. i am thinking of rejoining my tops group though. it is much cheaper and i enjoyed the group of girls there. (i had to quit because i got bumped to a nite shift for a few years). so the only thing i am missing is a good swift kick in the pants!! but now that this thread is so hoppin' and inspiring, i have that too!

thanks so much for listening to all that!!! and thanks so much for all your stories. it helps to know that there are people out there like me sharing the same woes and learning how you deal with them is very motivational!!!

if the telephone service holds out... i will be back to visit tomorrow!
have a great day!
kathy

Well my bags are packed and waiting at the door.....so I will "see you all" when I get back......best to all of you!
Lilybutt

hi singles!! now we have 2 vacationers. lucky them! good luck to both!

not too bad a day today. i still have a phone!!! had to go back to work today after a long weekend and that always stinks.

i hope everyone has a good humpday tomorrow!
kathy

Just checking in - our thread dropped all the way to the second page - had to do my part to bring it back up .

Kathy - can relate to the slow internet. I finally gave up on my broadband. I loved it when it worked, but that was only about a third of the time. After working with Comcast extensively to get it fixed, I finally gave up. I was tired of paying for something I wasn't getting. I hate the slowness of dial-up, but at least it's reliable. DSL isn't available in this area yet, but I hear it's coming soon, so I'll give that a try when it gets here.

I can also relate to the slow going/motivation. I haven't lost any appreciable weight in the last 6 weeks. That is to say I have lost weight, but then I turn around and gain it back . I vowed to get back on track June 1st and it's going well so far . I've hit a plateau at 270 pounds. I heard once that if you spent alot of time at a specific weight on your way up the scale, that it's not uncommon to plateau at that point on the way down. I'm not sure if I totally believe that, but I did spend a couple years at this weight when I was in college, so maybe there is something to that theory. Weight Watchers can get pricey, and if you connect with the people at TOPs that can make all the difference in the world. I really love my WW leader and find her very motivating so that's why I stick with it. You gotta do what works.

Time to get back to the laundry...take care, all and I'll check back tomorrow.

I haven't heard that theory before, but it sure makes sense. I've been plateauing for most of a year and I'm right at the weight I was for a long time in the 80s. But dang, enough is enough! I'm ready to get movin' again!

And, by the way, HI, I'm BAAAAACK!!! hehe

Family vacation in Florida was good...weather terrific. Only a few little family "moments." Started out REAL rough when the parental unit arrived, but things settled down and evened out for the rest of the week. There have been a LOT of conversations, though, between my mother and my older brother, and between both my brothers and myself, that I think have led to a MUCH better understanding of each other and of my mother's "strong" personality. Some individual discussions were also held with her (Mom), but I wasn't in any of them--was just told about them by my brothers. I am hoping that these conversations have enlightened her as to the cause of the tension in our family (i.e., her controlling behavior) and will give her food for thought about her controlling ways.

Good to "see" you all again and I hope everyone is well!

[QUOTE=SheriaVa]
The world is often built for two and if you're looking for a place where you can hang out with other people who are single, you've found it here![QUOTE]

Hi there. I'm new and still finding my footing but I'm glad to see a place for the singles. Lately I'm feeling what SheriaVa wrote (above)... so I'm even happier that y'all are here.

I'm finding it more difficult than I'd like - to be here tho. [Please understand I mean no offense.] To be overweight and single. <sigh>. I'm hoping that in time it gets a little easier...

I don't have huge problems being overweight and single, I quite like it. I actually find it easier to lose weight on my own - it means I don't get support, but I also don't get anyone sabotaging me!

Anyway, I'm meeting a guy this afternoon for drinks which is something I've not done for ages, very scary! We kind of know each other from talking online, but it was only after knowing each other a while that we realised he lives 10 doors down from me so we really should meet in person...

Welcome, wanderlust! I'm glad you've joined us. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support and help you in meeting your goals!

YP1, good luck in your meeting! Let us know how it goes. I don't tell online guys exactly where I live because, if we meet and the meeting doesn't go well (esp. if he likes me but I don't like him), it can be uncomfortable at the very least or, at worst, he might become a nuisance. Hope it goes well!

hi singles! welcome wanderlust! we are happy to have you with us! as for being overweight and single... i am just used to it. my last steady was 1.5 years ago. sometimes i like being alone when i see what others go thru and i'm tired of being the "hurt" one in a relationship. there are also good points such as noone to tell you how or what to do, i can do whatever i want whenever i want without having to explain myself, and sometimes i just like the peace and quiet.

sheri - welcome back!!! i had to laugh when you said "parental unit". i haven't heard that in years. i'm glad you enjoyed your vacation. i am getting anxious for mine. i need a break.

janet -thanks for bringing us back to the frontpage! i vowed with my mother to start doing better this week. so far so good. i love my ww leader, she is so motivational and funny to boot. i am just thinking of the ol" $ signs. i haven't decided yet, but i'll probably stick with it.

yp1 - i hope your meeting went well. you'll have to give us the scoop.

as for me - i got a lot done this weekend. my basement is starting to shape up. i have room to set up my exercise stuff and i got the tv all hooked up for my videos. no more excuses!

well, it's getting late. i'm off to bed. have a good monday!
kathy