hi singles! my week is going ok so far. got a good walk in today. i lost a whopping .2 of a lb at my tops meeting, but i guess that's better than none right??lol!!

sheri - 30 lbs is a great accomplishment to be proud of and a good inspiration to all of us. the question is how do you break that plateau?? a small change to your eating style or maybe something different that your regular routine?? i am no expert or have any experience in that dept. for that matter, but those are the things that i read about people doing to break those plateaus.
as far as the BL2 show goes.. i noticed this week the women only lost an average of 2lbs and they were so hard on themselves. that is good in my book. but like you said it has to be dramatic, it is a tv realty show. that last meal was pretty hideous. i thought the one woman ??? that got voted off this week was pretty rude with her departing statement and i think the other women thought so too.

meg - sounds like an interesting life. we have deadlines too and we always seem to pull it off at the end also. quite a weather difference..where is this place near? i don't recognize the name. congrats on your inches lost!!! i know what self magazine program your referring too. i thought about trying it but never did. how do you like it??

well, getting late. so i'm off to bed. nite everyone!
kathy

Hello ladies,

My engineer didn't do all that he promised last night, so I've done all I can for the morning until he gets back from his meeting, after which I'll be hitting the keyboard hard again. Kathy, I live in (very) sunny South Africa. My town isn't too far from Johannesburg or Joburg as we call it here. I lived in London for 5 years and have been back here nearly 2. Last year I went back to study for a few months and I've now been in this job for 6 months. As for the Self programme... I did the 'tone your muscles' one and found it hard, but rewarding. I didn't lose too much weight, but that's mainly as I didn't push hard enough and didn't stick to diet rigidly either. I'm going to be going for it again from Monday, so feel free to join me. This week I've just taken it easy as it was TOM and I was just generally bushed.

I would love to hear about all your jobs as well?

Meg

Hey ladies! Hope everyone is having a good week.

I work for the U.S. Federal Government as a Regulatory Affairs manager. Basically, almost all Federal programs have to have regulations written about them to document how they are to be administered. For example, regulations about the school lunch program may talk about what the rules are for someone qualifying for a free school lunch or what a school lunch must consist of. So my staff and I read every regulation that is written in my agency to administer our programs (child & adult feeing programs mostly). That part of my job is more like a technical editor. Then there are many other parts of my job as well, but all are related to regulations.

Good job on the loss, Kath! And yes, .2 is still a loss and still something to be celebrated! Especially for me...I have never been a person who loses 3 or 4 pounds in a week. Even when I am losing, it's a 1/2 pound or maybe a pound a week. So I have learned to be happy with small victories!

good sunday morning singles! i was suppose to work today again, but it was cancelled because of equipment failure. my job is boring and monotonous factory work. we make circuit breakers. i do however get paid very well for what i do and with no degree i certainly can't complain.

my eating has been atrocious this week, i think due to pms. i'm not expecting any loss at tomorrow's meeting. next saturday is our local tops rally day. i am going and hope to get some wonderfull motivation and inspiration out of it. it is a fun day and i will meet lots of new people. i am looking forward to it. in the meantime i have to come up with nametags with a honeycomb theme. any ideas?????

meg - it sounds like you have an interesting life. my biggest move was from connecticut to new york. whoopeee!! someday i would like to take a trip abroad somewhere. there is so much out there to see. when i took my vacation this past summer to NYC, i thought that was so magical. i was born in nyc but i haven't been there since i was a kid, so i think seeing it as an adult made a huge difference.

sheri - small victories are great. i just wish i'd have more of them faster. LOL!
how is your plateau and exercising going??

well, have a peaceful sunday!
kathy

Hello to all,

Well I know I have been MIA lately….I have been MIA from my own life lately as well  Not really sure what I am going through…but haven’t weighted myself, haven’t exercised, haven’t really dieted…..just haven’t done anything….not really feeling depressed, maybe overly stressed to some degree, with work stuff. My personal life is going great….so just not sure….maybe just a fall funk.

I think about exercising…then don’t, now this weekend I stubbed my toe very badly and shoes are not an option right now….so no walking or bicycling. Thought about swimming laps, one of my favorite exercises, but having lasik surgery again next week, and I know I won’t be able to swim for a few weeks after that…so I figure why??? I can be so good at justification!

Dieting…..just burned out on counting calories and monitoring everything I eat….just tired of it…so trying to eat the same things and keep a mental list…..I know that is not a good idea, but it is the best I can do for now!

I don’t know…just can’t shake this….but it will go away, it usually does, I just need to ride it out and try not to do too much damage in the meantime! Thanks for listening!
Lilybutt

hi singles! back again, just thought i'd tell a funny story about how i got plenty of exercise today and boy do i feel it. when i was posting earlier today, i kept hearing this very low toned "boom" and then my house would shake slightly. well, after a few minutes i figured out that it was the energy company that was doing some seismic testing up top of the hill. well, they are not very welcome around here by 75% of the people. there is a big issue about this company coming in and drilling for natural gas in this area. the people that let them on their land don't live in the area so they don't care. they only see $$$$$. anyways, i decided i was going to go up on the hill in my new 4x4 truck to tell them they were shaking my house. well, big bad me got stuck. LOL!!! so my exercise was to walk a couple miles thru the woods with my dogs back to my house to get some help. my neighbor thought it was very funny, but my thigh muscles are not.

lilybutt - i have been in a funk for about a year now. it is not a fun place to be. i too am just trying not to do too much damage. it is a good philosophy. we are happy to listen. please keep coming, even if it is just to vent. maybe we can make a challenge for this thread. btw, good luck with your lasik!

i am proposing a halloween challenge for this thread....exercise 3x per week until halloween. anyone up for it???? i know it's a small challenge but it may be what lilybutt and i need to get going. do whatever you want be it a simple walk (my goal) or your usual type of exercise.

i guess if i can trek thru the woods, i can walk 3x with no fear of animals on my road. lol!!!

have a good week!
kathy

Hello, just started a month and a half ago so far have lost 14 pounds. I was on weight watchers a year ago and had lost 100 pounds but I got depressed and quit and gaind it all back now I am back to get down to business!

Hi everyone! My name is Samantha. I am 31 and have been overweight since Junior High. I am so serious about losing the weight now. The thing is I want to lose it on my own. Can it be done? Any advice would be helpful. I am looking forward to talking to you all and being there for all of you!

Samantha

Welcome Kever and Samantha!! Great to see new faces here.

Yes, absolutely, it CAN be done! I'm living proof. Granted, I did not lose QUICKLY, and I'm still not down to goal, but I did lose 35 pounds as of last July and I've been maintaining 30 pounds of that loss for over a year. I did it on my own (I did attend some Weight Watchers @ Work classes when I first started, but I actually lost more weight before I joined and after I quit than while I was attending meetings!).

I won't kid you...it ain't easy!! But if, as you say, you are "so serious about losing the weight now", then you can do it. My best advice is to focus on baby steps to get you from where you are now to where you want & need to be. For example, if you drinking 4 sodas a day right now, then commit to drinking ONE less soda tomorrow and replacing it with water. If you are eating fast food (or any really fatty food, esp. eating out) 5 times a week, then commit to eating out only 3 or 4 times next week. If you aren't eating any/many veggies now, commit to eating at least one serving of veggies every day. Don't try to do ALL of this at once...just a baby step at a time. Get yourself a cheap spiral notebook and make a plan to step yourself to health. For example: Week of 9/26--one less soda per day replaced by water. Week of 10/3--Eat out/fast food no more than 3 times this week. Week of 10/10--Eat at least 1 serving of veggies every day this week.

You'll also need to add the exercise component. If you aren't exercising at all right now, then try exercising one day a week. Depending on what kind of exercise you enjoy or have access to, I'd suggest working up to 3 to 5 days of exercise per week. At least some of that should be cardio, but don't make the mistake of going all cardio and ignoring toning & weight training. Muscle burns fat, so you WANT to build muscle, even if it temporarily means you might add a little weight vs. losing a little.

Other baby steps I suggest:
1. Switch from white (bread, tortillas, rice, pasta) to whole wheat/grain.
2. Eat at least 1 piece of fruit a day--work up to 2 pieces a day (vary your fruits so you're not eating mostly real sugary fruits like grapes and bananas).
3. Switch to low/nonfat dairy. If you're currently drinking whole milk, step down to 2% first, but eventually shoot for skim or 1%. If you're currently eating full-fat yogurt, step down to lowfat and then fat free. Switch from full-fat cheese to low-fat.
4. Grocery shop once a week or more so you have fresh produce.
5. Plan what you're going to eat for the coming week. When you go to the store, make sure you have everything you need to make those things.
6. Clean up your environment. If you live alone, or with a roomie/partner who is willing to support you or join you in your healthy lifestyle, trash all the junk. Replace it with healthy snacks. If you live with family/roomies/partner who will not support cleaning out the junk, ask them to keep their junk up in the highest cupboard, so it is not in front of your face. Esp. for those of you who are having trouble with emotional eating/binging...cleaning up your environment will help IMMENSELY because, when you get stressed out or upset, there won't be anything too awful to turn to in your home. There are, believe it or not, some pretty yummy snacks that are lowfat.
7. Everything in moderation. Trust me on this. I dieted for DECADES until I finally "got" that this needs to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet. Unless you are some sort of robot, you aren't going to be able to just give up everything you love for the rest of your life. You can still have french fries, pizza, chocolate cake, etc...you just can't have it all the time and you can't eat a large quantity of it...but you have to find a way to safely work it into your life so that you can enjoy it but not abuse it.

Well, that's enough yakking for now...let me know if you have any questions. Hope it helps.

hi singles! welcome kever and samantha! glad you could join us. listen to sheri, she has lots of wisdom!!! everything she said is right on the nose! now if only i could follow it all.....

i am really giving it an effort. today i finally tried out my urban rebounder. i only had it almost a year. it was actually fun. i am starting out slow because i am so out of shape. i did the beginner routine then the stretching routine. i actually feel really good right now. i bet i sleep good tonite!

have a good wednesday!
kathy

Hello all….

Well thanks fro the support the past few days…….I really needed it!

I had the LASIK surgery today, it was actually an “enhancement”….I had it over a year ago and just had both eyes redone to make it even better. I still had glasses for distance vision, but at least they were not the thick coke bottle bottoms I had before! I actually didn’t mind wearing them at all and would have lived like that but the Dr. was confident that it could be better. I started out with 20/400 vision a year ago, and went to 20/40…..hope this is even better. I can tell already I can see better. I do have a headache though. One more valium to take tonight to go to sleep…and then a check on my eyes tomorrow. I took tomorrow off too, to recover. I will need to rest my eyes more.

Okay now one to the diet….I have been better, just eating when hungry, not just to eat, and trying to eat better foods. I feel a little less stressed not counting every calorie…it was making me nuts…..still haven’t exercised, but will start back at the end of the week. I also haven’t weighed myself….that makes me nut to know I am doing everything right and the scale never moves….GRRRRRRRRRRRRR…..I will do that when I am ready! Okay that is where I am now…..I will try to post often!
Lilybutt

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kath!

I would love to have LASIK done but I am REALLY concerned about how many times I hear about people having "halos" afterwards, where you see a ring of light around street lights, light bulbs, etc. I think that would drive me insane on an ongoing basis. I'm also concerned because I heard it doesn't last and you need to have it redone every 5 years or so. If you don't mind me asking, did it cost as much for the "enhancement" as for the original procedure?

Actually the cost of the enhancement was 200 per eye....just to pay for the meds and the "laser time"....the original cost was 3000 bucks.....I have no problems with halos.....well actually the only time I see them is when I go to bed, turn off the lights and close my eyes....otherwise, not for night driving, which they say is the problem....I wore hard contact lens for 20 year prior to getting the original surgery so I had WAY more problems with them then I do with the LASIK. I love it and would have been happy the way it was....but it is definitely better! Since I am over 40….I had “monovision”. This is where one eye is for reading and one eye is for distance……sounds weird but it works….so I won’t need it done again, but still may need glasses for reading….they say there is not doing anything for aging! I have not heard of anyone having to have to get it redone…so not sure….but it was well worth it to me!
Lilybutt

hi singles! i hope everyone is having a good week! mine is going ok so far. i've only got that one exercise session in and a little bit of walking.

lilybutt - i thought about lasik too but i just can't afford it right now. i have a stigmatism so it would cost more than usual and my insurance doesn't cover it yet. maybe in a few years....right now i am happy with my new contacts and glasses. i am with you on the calorie counting thing. i get so tired of counting calories or points. it's a nuisance.

sheri - you're welcome for the vote! how's things gong with you??? good, i hope.

well, i'm going to do some surfing. i probably won't get back till sunday, so have a good weekend!
kathy