Good Wednesday morning ladies!
Kellie-6 pounds is GREAT! I also lost a bunch my first week. Even though I knew some of it was water, it was still okay. I didn't gain any of it back. In fact for the first 2 or 3 weeks I lost quite rapidly. After that it leveled off to 1 to 2 pounds a week. By the way, that is what is recommended for optimal weight loss..1 to 2 pounds a week. Sometimes it seems so slow that way, but just remember that is 104 pounds in a year. (Pammie...5 pounds seems like WAY too much )

As for your question...my DH is also tall and skinny! He WISHES he could gain weight. He only weighs 155. I can't wait until I weight less than him . He can eat whatever he wants. However, he is not a big sweets lover so that helps me some. He is also extremely supportive. He constantly tells me how beautiful I am and that I look fantastic. Of course, he did this BEFORE I lost the weight too, so I don't think it means much . When I started this program, I told him that I needed his support. We have a daily check-in at night where he asks if I met my goals for the day. It helps to know that I am accountable to someone.

Shyla-3 pounds is also amazing if you are having TOM. I usually don't lose any at all that week since we retain water a lot. I use to measure and weigh EVERY DAY...if not every hour, lol. However, I made my husband take away my scale and now he is only going to give it back on Wednesdays for weigh in.

Jawsmom-Funny you mention the guilt. I get that too, even when I am within my calories and fat % for the day. I will eat a big old piece of chocolate cake. It won't send me over the edge of my daily goals, but I feel bad about eating it. The funny thing is...I know that I HAVE to be able to eat like that in order to stay on my plan. Basically, the way I do it, I don't really deny myself anything I REALLY want. I just have to adjust whatever else I eat, or eat yummy stuff in small portions. I don't think I would be able to stick with it if I denied myself of every treat. I have obviously been doing fine this way, but I still feel guilty *shrug*.


Okay, ladies...I weighed in this morning and I've lost a pound! Hooray. That is good for me because I use to weigh on Sunday's so last Sunday I was 168 and now I'm 167. I feel really good about that.

I like to set mini goals and I hope some of you will join me. My current mini goal is to be at 160 for Mother's Day. That is 7 pounds in 4 1/2 weeks. Hmmm. Let's see. That would be losing a little over 1.5 pounds per week. I CAN DO IT! Would anyone else like to set a mini-goal? It is much easier to think I can lose 10 pounds 7 times, than to think I can lose 70 pounds! That is my motto. So. Anyone game?

Lori

SW: 193
CW: 167
GW: 130

Congratulations Shawn and Kellie!

My official weigh in day is Monday. So as not to confuse myself (and that is soooo easy to do ) I'll just report my Monday weights here on Wednesdays. I am afraid if I stepped on the scale Monday and Wednesday I'd just get frustrated. Frustion once a week is plenty for me! So, my starting point for today is 164.

Isn't it amazing how many calories are in those dipped cones? I bought some the the shell type chocolate that is used without looking at the label. When I started to make my own dipped cone I noticed that 1 Tablespoon was a serving and it had like 200 calories! Apparantly, shortening is used to make the chocolate harden as it cools and that is what make it so high in fat and calories. I never had any idea! Which explains how I ended up fat in the first place - I mean who would have thought something so little could be so fattening?

Kudos to both of you for fitting in a special treat and still keeping your overall calories in check. I honestly believe that is the key to being able to lose weight and keep it off.

Kudos to you, too, Kellie. Passing up a Krispy Kreme is no easy task! Not long ago I bought some for Will's class. There ended up being 3 left which I brought home. I kept finding myself wandering past them and finally decided I would have just one. I took a bite - then dumped all three of them. I knew there was going to be no way I'd eat one and not move on to the second and third. Sadly, I had to put them in the garbage disposal because I was afraid if I just threw the box away I'd convince myself they weren't garbage if they were still in the box and untouched by the rest of the trash.

My DH does not struggle with his weight. He isn't as active as he used to be so he has gotten a little "softer" in the past ten years but he is by no means overweight. And it is frustrating to watch him eat whatever he wants and not have to worry about the consequences. Oh, well, that is the way the cookie crumbles I guess. He is very supportive and is good about telling me when he notices a difference in my shape. Plus, he pushes me to go to the gym-not just because I am trying to lose weight but because he knows that I enjoy it as "me" time. It helps a lot not having to always work around the kids' schedules and I appreciate him handling bathtime, tooth brushing, and bedtime stories to that I can make some of my favorite classes at night.
I will say that I am finally a good 20 pounds lighter than him and that was a really big accomplishment. It always bothered me that I weighed more than my husband (but obviously not enough that I did something about it!).

I hope everyone has another great day!

Tricia

Sounds like everyone is doing great!! I have not done my workout yet today! I was running late this morning and couldn't stop to walk, I had a meeting!!

I think after I pick up DD from school I will take her to the park and walk while she plays!!

I am stil fighting w/ the eating part!! I am doing better, but I know I could do alot better!! I have not had any fast food all week!! That is a biggie for me!!

My DH hates the way I look!! He is on me all the time about my weight. I have the mind set now that I am doing this for ME ME ME!!!

It is such a slow process!!!

Lori, the mini goals sound GREAT!!! ....so I say I can lose 10 lbs. by mothers day, would that be to much???

Hi again, ladies!
Okay, I just finished exercising. I went 70 minutes and 4 miles on the treadmill! Hooray. That is my best yet. I usually go for about 45 minutes and 3 or 3 1/2 miles. Did you know that the newest health guidelines that recently came out by the US government say that you should exercise 90 minutes a day to lose weight?!? Whatever, lol. I can never get in that much every day. Don't these government people know that I have tons of kids ?

Pammie! Don't listen to your DH. Sheesh. How old are your twins anyway? I am so glad that you are going to join me on the mini-goal! If you lose 2 pounds a week, you could lose 9 pounds by then. You really shouldn't go much above 2 pounds a week (I guess when you go above that, you body tends to gain it back very quickly when you stop dieting). HOWEVER, if you are just starting your weight loss, you could probably do it fine. I lost 10 pounds in the first 3 weeks, with water weight and what not. So, I think 10 pounds would be fine. What are you going to do to get there? I am:

Eat: 1200-1500 calories a day and 20-30% fat
Exercise: 45 minutes, 6 days a week
Drink: 64 ounces of water a day (I have a hard time getting all my water in)
ALSO: I don't DRINK any calories, I hate wasting them on drink...so I drink water or occasionally diet soda


Okay, two questions for you ladies...
1. If you were to want more kids, would you want twins again. My husband and I want 6 kids. I know...we're Anyway, we have four now and plan to start trying to get pregnant the end of July. I would really like to have twins again. I think my husband would DIE if he heard that, lol.

2. How often do you and your DH get out alone on dates?

We can do it ladies!!!!

Lori

P.S. Oh, by the way, Tricia, congrats on weighing less than your hubby! I can't wait for that day. My husband has never known my true weight. At the hospital and stuff I made him leave the room before I gave that info to the nurse *grin* He was such a good sport about it, though.

P.P.S I have the nutrition facts of all the fast food places on my favorites (and many items entered into my custom foods). I generally only get chicken salads at any fast food joint. I also like going to Applebee's when we actually "go out" because they have their WeightWatchers menu. That small dipped cone was 340 calories. However it DID have 17 grams of fat! Eek! That kicked me up to 33% for the day, but I don't mind going over the fat% occasionally. I like that on fitday.com I can look at reports for over the past two weeks or the past month, etc and see that overall I'm doing great.

Lori - good job on the exercising! that's a long time!

1. Would I want more twins? hahaha. We aren't planning to have anymore - I have 2 stepchildren, so 4 total is plenty for us! I actually miscarried twins prior to these, so we keep saying if we try again, we'll have twins again! (no, none of these were IVF, etc). My grandmother had 2 sets of twins! I can't imagine! My DH says we'll double it next time & have quads -- yeh, whatever!

2. I'd say we go out on dates once every 3 weeks or so. We leave them either with my mom, or my best friend who's single & has no kids. Although last date, I was PATHETIC and after eating Red Lobster (crab fettucine and having a few drinks), all I wanted to do is come home & sleep! We didn't even fool around! hahaha I was EXHAUSTED! Anyway - our church has always preached how important "date nights" are (to keep the marriage strong), so we've had it beaten into our head for years, so we're trying to do it!

Shawn, I think measuring any more than once a month would be counterproductive. I think once every three months is ideal - but I like to see BIG numbers and I know I won't if I do it more often. It takes time to lose fat and build muscle after all. The only exception I make to that is if I hit a weight plateau. When the scale doesn't move for two weeks even just a couple of inches seems like a BIG number!

Lori, count me in for the Mother's Day challenge. To answer your questions:

We've decided not to have any more children. Financially speaking, we are comfortable with 3 (they will all be in college at the same time But, also, we feel like the time and attention we have for them is spread pretty thin already. I know that will get easier as they get older and become more independant but for now we like how things are. If we were to change our minds I don't know that I would hope for twins but I certainly wouldn't mind. There is something to be said for knowing what to expect!

As for dates, we very rarely go out on dates. But every Saturday is date night for us at home. We either put the kids to bed early or they spend the night with their grandparents. We cook a special dinner, have wine, use our china and crystal, etc. We usually rent a movie too. We are both homebodies so we actually prefer this to going out. We have an "adult" vacation at least once a year. The kids stay with family and we take a week and go off together. That is when we get dressed and go out for dinner, to a concert, etc. It is my favorite time of year!

Pammie, the food part will get easier. And it is a big step cutting out fast food. That was a tough one for me too. But I don't even miss it anymore. In fact, I don't like to drive past them because the "fried" smell is yucky to me now. That isn't to say I'll never have it again or even crave it - just that I don't think it will ever be as big a part of my diet as it once was.

I am off to get dinner ready. Keep up the good work everyone!

Tricia

OK ladies - I'm at 1500 calories for the day, including the cherry ice cream I'm currently eating! (still need to get those darned skinny cows!!)

For dinner we had a veggie-beef stew that I made, with wheat rolls, so not many calories there! (it was really bland, though - I'll have to do better next time!)

girls, will ya'll please encourage me to drink water? I'm only averaging 30 oz/day!

Good morning! I typed a nice big message last night and then when I went to post it it said "forum closed for maintainence" AGHH!

Yesterday was another decent day. I had my corn and black bean salsa as a quesadilla. Then I made a Chicken Verde Casserole last night. It was wonderful...only 367 calories and 8 grams of fat! Plus it has 38 grams of protein. I even had a little chocolate lite ice cream. I ended up with 1300 calories.

Shawn ~ I hear you about water. I average about the same as you. I have a tendency to drink more when it is hot outside. So, hopefully I will start drinking more this summer. I have a hard time in the winter when it is only 25 degress outside!

We do plan on having more children. We want to wait another year or so. DH is worried about having twins again. I don't really care either way. I guess it is the only thing I know. We would like a boy. DH is the only one to carry on his families name, so no pressure!!!

We don't get out on date nights very much. We don't have family near by and I don't trust very many people. We do take a weekend away each year to go to a NASCAR race. My SIL comes to watch the girls. We really look forward to that weekend, but I also end up calling many times each day!

I have a little ways to go before I weigh less than my dh. He is 6'5" and about 200 lbs. He is a healthy eater and works out quite often. We have a large weight system in the basement. Now I need to get my self down there! He does not know how much I weigh now, but did know my highest when I was pregnant. I ended up with pre-eclampsia, so he was following me quite closely.

Well, off to make breakfast for myself and the girls. Have a great day!

Kellie

Looks like we will all have to help each other in the water department! Personally, I think the amount of water that is recommended is a little overstated. But I do think it is very important to get enough. I usually drink 16-32 oz at both lunch and dinner. And I almost always finish off a sports bottle's worth during my workouts. My problem is that I only like it with certain things. I mean, some foods just scream for a coke (well, diet coke anyway)!

I have no idea why I did this to myself, but I stepped on the scale this morning. It said 166.8 - I nearly died! I know for sure it is either water weight /TOM, or muscle gained. Probably a little from column A and a little from column B. I've been on track with my diet and exercise so I know I didn't gain almost 3 pounds in 3 days. But, CRAP! it is a pisser to see a gain on the scale. Oh, well, I reinforced a valuable lesson not to weigh more than once a week. Learn from my mistake, girls!

Kellie, I'm the same way about calling to check on the kids when I am gone. I can be just about to pull my hair out from them driving me crazy. DH will tell me to take a break and get out of the house for a while. By the time I get to where I am going I already miss the little buggers!

How do you make your Chicken Verde casserole - for only 367 calories it sounds right up my alley!

Shawn, I had to go back to the store and buy 2 more packages of the skinny cow sandwiches yesterday. DH and kids gobbled up my other ones. I told them I'm going to start dividing the freezer into "mine" and "your" sections. It isn't that I mind sharing but it really grates my nerves when I've planned my entire day around having enough calories left at the end of the day to enjoy a treat and when I go to get it and they are all gone. At the very least they should tell me when someone gets the last of anything so that I don't get my heart set on something I can't have. This time I bought a package for them and a package for me. I've dared them to touch my box!

I'd say we all deserve a pat on the back for how well we've done so far! Good job everybody! I'll be checking in a little later but for now I need to get dressed - I've let too much of the morning slip by already. Have a great day!

Tricia

Well Ladies, let me tell you about my yesterday workout!! I got a late start, so no walking w/ my sis in the AM...I waited until I picked up my DD at 1pm and went to a small park close by w/ a walking track, thinking DD would play while I walked..Noooooo she said she need to get in shape too

So here I am walking pushing the double stroller and DD walking w/ me. After the first lap she says "My legs are getting sleepy" BTW she is 4...So I put her inbetween the seats of the stroller and let her sit on the snack tray bar..and off I went again...Whewwww pushing over 75 lbs. was a workout. By the time I got around the next lap I was so tired and dizzy .

I only walked about 20 min..but that was all I could handle.

I didn't drink much water..SHAWN I have the water problem as well!!!

So far this morning no work out yet, it has been raining all morning and I have not done anything productive!!

My twins are 19 mths old! and yes, I would love to have another baby. More twins? IF they could be as well behaved as the two I have!!

I need to measure and take a pic. I have not done that yet!!

Here is what I am TRYING to do

I am not counting calories just really watching and cutting back on wasted calories, like french fries..and other fast food stuff

I am increasing my water, from 0 - 2 or 3 glasses a day. I need more I know.

I am trying to walk at least 20-30 min. a day!! I will increase this in a few weeks!!

Ok, I know I missed some things, but I can't keep up w/ you guys

I ate a bowl of multi grain cheerios for breakfast and they were yummy!!

Good luck to all today!! Today is another day!!!

Tricia ~ I will go and find the recipe and post it when I have a chance. It was quite good. It makes only 4 servings. It did not call for black beans but I added them in.

Ok, here is the recipe.

Chicken Verda Casserole
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic chopped
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
2 T. cheddar cheese shredded
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup tortilla chips crushed

Cut chicken into cubes. Heat medium skillet until hot. Add chicken, onion, pepper and garlic. Cook and stir about 5-10 minutes or until chicken turns white and onion is tanslucent.

Combine 1/2 cup salsa & 1/4 cup sour cream in small bowl until blended. Stir into chickem mixture. Add black beans to mixture as well.

Preheat oven to 325. Coat 2 wuart glass cassrole dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup tortilla chips on the bottme. Spread chicken mixture over crushed chips. Tope with remaining chips and cheese. Top with remaining salsa.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Top with remaining sour cream.

Makes 4 servings.

It has 367 calories, 8 grams of fat, 37 grams of carbs and 38 grams of protein.

I added the cheese and black beans to the original recipe. I also did not use the sour cream on top. The calculations are for the recipe and I have it written though. It is amazing how filling it is. I used regular tortilla chips too, not baked or fat free.

Sounds like you got a work out pushing the kids Pam! That is great that you were able to get out and walk. It is cold here again today and really windy. I went to the store this morning and about froze. I did not think that it was going to be so cold. I can not wait for warmer weather here. That way I can be outside more!

Today is going well. I had Honey nut cheerios for breakfast and a Healthy Choice soup for lunch. They are on sale for $1.00 a piece. Not bad for what you get!

How much are the Skinny Cow bars? I found a couple kinds but they were $6.00 a box! It was in town at the only grocery store, so they are more expensive on most things. I will have to check when I am in the cities next time.

How is the water going today ladies? I have not had much. I need to go and have a glass right now!

today has not been a typical day for me....... we went for 6 month shots... Joy! Plus, Jordan got up at 5am and wouldn't go back to sleep until around 9am, so then I napped until 11:30am. hehe. (I'm glad my girls like to watch cartoons, so I can sleep! *anon*) So today I've had to eat: Honey Nut Cheerios, 1/2 a not quite ripe banana, so I threw it out, a grande vanilla NF latte from starbucks, and I got one of their sandwiches, but am only eating 1/2 of it b/c it's not that good..... no water yet. I'm trying to get re-situated after my day being shot, and will go get some shortly.