Hi All,

I hope everybody has been having a good weekend with lots of weather. Yesterday started out warm but very cloudy but by the afternoon it was really a beautiful day. Somehow I don’t think today will follow that trend. It’s cold and cloudy. Oh well mustn’t grumble, at least it isn’t raining.

Sorry I didn’t get to post yesterday, I went out for a meal with hubby and then we did our weekly shopping. By the time we got home I was ready to just collapse in front of the TV and relax. There was a lot of good stuff on the box all night so I didn’t go online at all.

Battleax - wow all those meals out and you still stayed in your calorie range, that is awesome Me, I only had one meal out and I went way over my points. I don’t even have to try to work it out to know that what I chose to eat was mega fattening. So much for my willpower. I don’t know what’s up with me lately. I start the week so well but I always seem to give in at some point. Oh well, when I am in a foul mood because I can’t fit on any rides at the theme park at the end of next month maybe that will motivate me enough to get back into serious diet mode.

Nancy - good luck with trying to make an attitude adjustment on dieting, I’ll be interested in hearing how you do it and if it really works. Last year when I started this diet I think I did love dieting, or more to the point I loved how it made me feel, proud of myself for sticking to it, thrilled when I saw the lbs come off etc. Now, I have no idea why, but I am just fed up with it all. I still want to lose, but it’s a real chore, and I keep having bad days and or bad weeks. I wish I could get last years great feelings back, it would make it so much easier to carry on and reach my goal.

John - glad to hear your legs aren’t giving you too much grief. Sorry to hear your foot is giving you cause of concern though. I hope your visit to the doctor will shed some light on what’s wrong. I have a problem with the top of my right foot. Funnily enough it’s opposite to your problem though, I can flex it, twist it etc and it’s fine, but as soon as I start to walk on it I get like a real sharp pain going through it and I can’t carry on walking. It’s a real nuisance. I want to go to the docs about it, but I figure they’ll look at it and see no swelling, get me to flex it and see I am not in pain, and they may get me to walk a few steps on it but as it’s an intermittent problem I am guessing nothing will happen. So I’ll just get sent away being told it’s just one of those things!!

Annie - me bad lol, I didn’t relax and put my feet up, I went out again, oh well, at least getting out and about is keeping me active which might counter balance my bad eating

I am so amazed when I read how you are going out and about, shopping for furniture no less You seem to really be recovering fabulously well after your surgery. It’s brilliant. Must definitely be down to the key hole surgery you had because I know that open surgery involving the abdomen brings with it a long painful recovery. Shame I couldn’t have had my ostomy done the key hole way

Valerie - so glad to hear that Max is doing better. Did the vet say what caused Max to have such a bad tummy?

Debbie - a belated happy birthday to you. I hope you managed to enjoy your day despite missing hearing from you son. Or did he surprise you with a call or anything?

Hey at least you had the excuse of it being your birthday to let you go off plan. Me….I ate like a pig yesterday and it was no occasion whatsoever. I am so slack

Catherine - about hubby being covered in hot choc and that you weren’t going to be licking it off. Am loving your humour

Hope your feet and still sore after all that standing you had to do. I bet you work off a lot of calories when you are working at selling all that food etc.

Metachick - I’m glad Nancy’s idea of telling yourself you love losing weight helped you enjoy working out at the gym. Maybe I’ll give it a go next time I’m working out.

Congrats on making your 4th mini goal

Okie dokie well I am going to go now, got some emailing to catch up on. Bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

Ammi -- I just wanted to say that I have been EXACTLY where you are (I think) in terms of feeling like the whole thing is a struggle or a chore. It seemed to start last winter when I was busy and stressed and got derailed and seemed to last through much of the summer. Though it came and went.

I am finally feeling more centered, and focused and on plan (hmmm... just in time for stressful school to start).

But my point -- hang in there. Fight the urge to give in to all the "old ways" and see if "it" comes around again.

I don't know if you'd consider just trying to maintain where you are for a bit... give your body a break from the losing, before you head back into weightloss mode. I realized last winter that I just didn't have it in me to lose more... at least not right then. I realized I HAD been maintaining and to just continue that for a bit -- I think you're in a similar place??

It's been nice to think of maintaining rather than losing (though, I did gain back that 8 pounds, most of which I have finally lost!). Though I am considering trying to lose a bit more finally (just a few pounds)...

Those of you have maintained, or mostly maintained, through periods of lost focus should be as proud (if not more) than those who are in losing phases. You're great examples.

Meta -- Thanks! I think we should ALL be proud, for sure! It's all hard!

I've really been helped by checking out the maintainers' forum here early on. Everyone is welcome, even those not at goal or even close. The idea is to think about how to maintain the loss from the beginning!

DEBBIE, It wasn’t Parvo. They said that except for Rotts and Dobermans, who seem to get parvo at any age, dogs generally get it before the age of two – especially puppies. Max is somewhere between 8 & 10. He was a rescue, so I’m not sure exactly how old he is. He’s snapped out of it really well, although I’m still being careful with his diet and feeding lots of small meals, because I bet his insides are still tender. * Oh – homemade cupcakes! Disaster in this house!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And don’t worry about that one day. If you look at it, a skinny person could eat like that on their birthday, too. Glad you got a grip on yourself and are back at progress!

CATHERINE, again you crack me up! – the hot chocolate that wasn’t on your meal plan! I’ve just worked the kitchen at horse shows. I can only imagine how much more you had to do at the game!

AMMI, no, they never did know for sure what was wrong with Max. I had taken him to the dog park on Saturday, and he had the runs by Monday morning, so they’re thinking he could have picked something up there, or anywhere. Maybe it was even just stress, cuz he’s a sensitive guy. Simon, bold as brass, went everywhere Max did, and he’s 100% fine. * Good to see you posting again these days!

I asked my doc this week, what would be a reasonable ultimate goal. He really wanted me to look more at smaller goals on the way, but I pinned him down to a rough number. He said that 170-175 was very reasonable, but it would really depend on how I felt along the way, and how I felt when I got there. For myself at the moment, I’m focused first on my 50 pound goal, and then breaking the “00”. When I break 199, I’m going to RUN around my whole block to celebrate… it’s a big country block, on a hill.

Today I’m going shopping at the Penney’s outlet. My Penney’s card gives me a 10% discount, everything’s on sale for 20-60% off, PLUS I got an on-line coupon good for today and tomorrow for another 255 off. By the time I leave there – they’re gonna be PAYing me to take the clothes and run! Besides, there’s a zero balance on my card, and it’s burning a hole in my pocket.

The trainer called yesterday, and Gabe will be going to stay with him for 30 days, starting next weekend. You know what that means – I’ll be riding him in a month! OMG! My wide behind on top of the power-pony! The furry freight train! The ride-able rocket! The cantering cannon? I better start running around the block… is it too late to start last month? The ride I’ve been waiting for for 20 years is almost here, and I’M NOT READY!

Hi everyone,

Yesterday they showed reruns of all the Biggest Loser episodes. I hadn't watched it in the past, but found it inspiring, especially the final and follow-up shows.

This morning I had another good workout going up hills and steps. I'm liking fitting in one really good workout during the weekend and doing my usual exercise the rest of the week. Just a couple more pounds and I will have lost 10% of my body weight.


Nancy: The idea of making weight loss a positive endeavor is a great one. I think I love losing weight.

Annie: It is fun to buy furniture. Enjoy your new things. You are doing amazingly well.

Debbie: Happy birthday! Don't worry or beat yourself up over a little indulgence yesterday. Once in a while there's nothing wrong with going a little off plan. Today is a new day and you can get right back on. I'm also a believer in mixing up the calorie levels. I usually lose more weight in weeks that I have a day of eating over plan. It seems to make no sense, but I think it helps the metabolism.

Catherine: I hope you are not too sore today after the game. Maybe you can go with the theme of licking off delicious liquids by pouring carrot juice all over your dh today.

Meta: big congrats on reaching your 4th mini-goal! I am thrilled for you. Great job.

Valerie: Have fun shopping today. I am jealous! Tell us all about the bargains you got.

Ammi: You have already accomplished so much with your weight loss. I know you'll find the focus again. I'm with Heather and Meta that maintaining is in itself an accomplishment. A break from weight loss may be a good idea. It may give you a chance to re-energize without pressure.

Hi futurediva, John, Heather, Lindsey and everyone else.

Hello everyone! I just got back from the grocery store and spent a ton. My grocery shopping now costs more than it did when I was shopping for two, but then again Rob (the ex) and I used to eat out quite frequently and visited my parents on weekends, so I'm sure it's cheaper in the end. My weekend absolutely flew by and I accomplished absolutely nothing (well, except for the shopping). I have some reading to do for my Nature vs. Nurture class tomorrow and tomorrow after school I'm supposed to be working with some classmates on a Maple lab for calculus. I'm actually looking forward to that because it'll be the first time I've had any sort of gathering outside of class (besides a meeting for math and computer science club), even if it is for academic purposes.

I got my Omega 3 DHA and ALA and my B12 supplement in on Friday. The B12 is fairly painless, it's a lozenge you let dissolve under your tongue and I can't really taste anything except for the small amount of sorbitol they use to help sweeten it. The Omega 3, however, is a completely different story. Since it's vegetarian, it doesn't come from fish but from algae... and you can definitely tell. It smells and has an aftertaste like the nori they wrap sushi rolls in. Not to be gross, but every time you burp after taking it it's like you just ate sushi, which might be okay if I actually HAD eaten sushi. The past two times I've taken it it's been near the end of the meal, so tonight I'm going to try to remember to take it right before I start eating. Maybe that will help.

Enough about me... onto everyone else!

BattleAx, that was a really good reply to your "pusher" friend's question. I wish I could be that funny in a rather awkward situation.

Nancy, I'm a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. I think seeing weight loss in that positive light is the only way to stick with it and maintain it long term. It kind of reminds me of people who hate their jobs vs. people who love their jobs. If you truly love what you do, it won't seem like work or a chore. I think we can all benefit by adjusting our attitudes for the better.

Annie, look at you running around having fun so quickly after your surgery! I've always loved furniture shopping, probably because my parents used to take me every weekend for the better part of my childhood. Mostly, they just liked looking at the stuff and only bought occasionally when they found the perfect piece.

Catherine, you crack me up! If the hot chocolate you're speaking of is the powdery mix, it's definitely not worth going off plan for anyway.

Meta, great job on making it to the gym and making your 4th mini-goal! I completely understand the stock piling of food thing. For some reason, my freezer always has to be full of a wide variety of healthy foods. Sometimes I feel like a squirrel saving up acorns for the winter.

Debbie, don't be down on yourself for indulging on your birthday. Sounds to me like it wasn't so bad, and you said "no more". That shows self control and girl, you have tons. You have to have tons because you've already lost a bunch of weight!

Valerie, that's great to hear that you'll be able to ride Gabe in a month! I can't imagine how excited you must be, especially since you said you've been waiting 20 years for this ride. Hope you had fun shopping today! You'll have to tell us about what you bought.

Ammi, John, Wyllenn, hello to all of you!

I'm off to treat myself to a serving of an Amy's frozen pizza I bought for dinner. I'll see you all later!

Hi Fellow Losers,
Just thought I would pop on here real quick.
Did any one watch Big Brother? O my gosh..it is getting so good. I was hoping Zach would do what he did. Let's hope he survives through all this.

Thank you again for the birthday wishes.

Lindsay, I hope you have a great time at your gathering of academic peers. And ew on the aftertaste of the Omega 3. I gotta hand it to ya, you're alot braver than I am to go vegan. Good luck with that!

Battle, I looooooooove the Biggest Loser. It IS soooo motivating. I especially love the before and after segments and what they've accomplished since they left the show. Good for you on all the exercise too!!

NoLife, I'm so glad it wasn't parvo. That's a relief!! Glad he's doing so well too.
I can't wait to go shopping for clothes when I lose some more weight. I bet you got some killer deals and some beautiful clothes. Have fun wearing all those nice things. I imagine you're pretty excited about riding Gabe. Don't worry, you'll be fine.

I stayed OP today. I just feel so B I G right now. I mean bigger than usual. But I'm sticking with it. I feel like I've gained 10 pounds in 3 days. I'm just hoping I'm bloated or something. WI tomorrow so we'll see.
Debbie