Today I have eaten....
2 coffees with skim milk,1 ww bread,4 oz chicken,1 tsp LF mayo, 1/2 c 1%cottage cheese,1 apple, 4x12 oz water. It is 11am.I was up at 6:30.

So far so good if I dont blow it mid aft or before bed.
I am still really full so I will have lunch around 1pm.Mostly fresh veg, not sure what else.
We woke up to snow on the ground.The kids were outside by 7:30. They were soggy,happy and rosy when they left for school.
I got some bookwork done and winter clothes sorted and put away. I will do some yoga.

Labchick~its great you are maintaining and not creeping up. Hope you reach your Bday goal!!!!! Hope your day is blessed.

Hi, fellow chicks!

It's been a crazy couple of days. Friday was the day from *#$#! Oldest DS got up with a stomach ache and low-grade fever, then got a call from the school saying that DS #2, (who has never had so much as a bad conduct mark in six years of school) was in a fight and was suspended. Then went to a cook-out at a friend's house that evening and DS #3 threw up all over the place. Sigh! It was very tiring. Then we went to my mom's house for the weekend and I ate all of her good cooking. So, to say that I've been bad is an understatement. Today I've eaten 4 Poptarts for some reason, as well as all of my meals and other snacks. I don't know how, but my weight is staying about level.

I hope everyone here is doing much better than me.

Holly-I looked at Dr. Phil's book at the library and didn't pick it up. What do you think of it so far? You must have a great time hanging out with all those kids. I know what you mean about pictures. We went to Panama City Beach in September and my DS took my picture on the beach. Ouch!

Kyle's mommy-Welcome! This is a wonderful, supportive group of chicks!

Susie-You should be so proud! Congrats on your induction....That was a nice pic..and that is a pretty blouse.

Jodi-I'm glad that you are feeling better. It's easy to fall into those slumps.


Oh well, gotta go do something constructive.

Jill

Hello everyone! I'm still alive...was on vacation from work for a few days and kinda stayed away from the computer at home as well. We weren't able to go out of town, but we did have a nice relaxing weekend...although without hot water. The water heater finally died on Friday. But that's good news because it's been forcing me to go to the gym for my showers LOL! I have finally seen some movement on the scale on Sunday so that's good. It was back up on Monday, but since Sunday is my official day, I'm keeping that weight and hoping it was just a fluke for Monday. I promise not to weigh in again until Sunday.

I SO didn't want to be back at work today...but catching up has made the time go by quickly and only 2 hours left!

Hope all of you are well!

Girlie

Well, so far I've been good! No extras in the diet, no cheating and on track with calorie count and carb count. Unfortunately I have seen no change in the scale, but my jeans are fitting just a little bit looser. I'll take it! A small win is still very much a win in my book! I'm 2 days away from being 40 and wanted to lose those 2 lbs to get to my goal. Oh well, better closer than farther.

Sarah-Rachelle - Welcome to my nightmare! I think with the shorter days and the cooler weather, I'm starting to kick into hibernation mode. That's where I want to eat alot and just sleep. NOT good for dieting. Thankfully I have classes to work on, a toddler to potty train and a house to keep clean. Otherwise, I'd never get out of bed on days like today.

Girlie - I hope you are able to get your water heater fixed soon. I hate it when things break down in my home. I always worry where the money will come from. It always works out in the end, but I worry anyway.

Jill - hang in there! I hate it when I go so far off track too, but you can and will recover.

If I've missed anyone I'm sorry. I'm trying to do too many things at the same time as usual.

Nan

hello all of you beautiful chicks!!!
i am sorry i have not been around much, partly because i have been busy, partly because i hurt my back and have a hard time sitting here, and partly because i have been having a really hard time making it through the day staying op. today has been good so far. so i am keeping my fingers crossed. i gave myself a good pep talk today and hopefully it will help! it went something like this.... i want to loose weight for alot of reasons, it is very hard to do but i have to keep at it. the longer i put it off the longer it is going to take, i can whine and moan and complain but there is no one that can do this for me. i have to make myself stronger and keep moving on. when i eat things i am not supposed to i am only cheating myself. i am going to keep repeating this to myself for the rest of the week.

holly we seem to have alot of the same thoughts in common lately. how is the dr phil book? keep at it girl!! you can do this. we can all do this!!!!

greenlass sorry you had such a bad weekend! i hope the boys are feeling better soon. don't stress too much, glad you are maintaining. hope it all gets better soon.

labchick great attitude!! it will come off soon keep the patience!! happy early birthday!!! mine is at the end of this month.

my choice great pic!! have a good time at the conference. we'll miss you.

kylesmommy- welcome!!! hope the little one gets better quick poor little dear! step away from the chicken girl!! we can do this !! we are all going to do this together!!!

girlie hope you get some hot water soon!! hang in there and you are right it is a great reason to go to the gym, if you want a hot shower that is!!

have a great evening everyone and i promise i will try to be better about posting!! you all make me feel so much better when i do, you are so inspiring and it is a great comfort to know i am not the only one!!!
xoxox

Well Hello!!
I have really been missing you chicks. Glad to see you back!!!
I ate well for lunch and dinner. I had 2 small(halloween) choc bars this aft followed by 2 yogurts and a cheese string. It almost turned into a full out binge.I kept deep breathing. I had an OP supper too. I did have cottage cheese and rice crackers for a snack. I didn't go back for more but I paced in the kitchen for a while.

I read the Dr Phil book, did some of the exercises.I follow his food outline.My personal struggles win out.
My sister followed the book and menu religiously and has lost 30 lbs and maintained for months.
I still need to face what ever it is in me that gives up so easily.
I have been watching the" Real Desperate Housewives "series on Dr Phil. I sob through the whole thing. Especially with the alcoholic and when he talked about the bulemic womans childhood. Obviously it triggered something in me.I dont know what. We all have crap in our past.I really think I have faced a lot and have resolution. How many times times do I need to process it??

Anyhow.... I am happy to see you dear friends here. See ya tomorrow!!

Hi, chicks....Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's midnight and I'm up doing laundry and reaaally want some ice cream. However-here I am instead. Looks like all of you are staying quite busy.

Jodi-I hope your back feels better soon.-Your pep talk to yourself should be taped to all of our refridgerators and cupboards. You are so right. When I cheat I am only prolonging my own unhappiness. I know what to do to lose weight, so why am I fighting it? I know how much better I feel when I weigh less and my clothes fit.

Holly-Great job on binge control! Sounds like you got it in hand before real damage was done.

Kyle's Mommy-I'm so sorry Kyle's not well. When they feel bad, we feel bad. You are probably short on your own rest right now, and that does make us not want to work out. Just think of all the pounds you've lost already and how much closer to your goal you are. And think of Kyle's birthday coming up-he'll probably be walking and you'll feel so great being able to keep up with those little feet.

Labchick-You are doing great! You've found some wonderful motivation because you are sticking to your plan very well. Yea! on your pants feeling looser!

Girlie-Sorry to hear about the water heater-but sounds like having to shower at the gym is a good thing. Keep on thinking about that number on the scale on Sunday.

Well, girls, I guess I have passed the danger zone and want to go back to bed. Thank you for listening to my ramblings!

Jill

Bet you're wondering where I've been, right? I really have no excuse. Just been a bit down on myself and unmotivated to even stop in to say hi; plus I've been busy with work and church life.

OK, that was then, this is now.

I started taking my blood pressure this week on one of those automatic machines they have at my workplace; the readings are NOT good. Never had a problem w/high blood pressure, but my readings this week are consistently high. I know I have to take charge of this weight problem. A co-worker and I are going to start walking together every day, I go to Curves about 4x/week and I'm committed to eating more fruits & veggies daily. Guess you could say I got "scared" into being more healthy. Whatever it takes, right?

So as part of my new lease on life, I promise to be more faithful here. I am a firm believer in prayer, so for those of you who pray, please ask the Lord to give me strength as I change my lifestyle. It must happen now and it must be permanent.

Looking forward to talking with all of you again!

Greenlass~ hope the boys are on the mend. Nice diversion last night!!! Best wishes for an OP day today.

Good Morning Hevron!! Congrats on the new lease. Good thoughts coming your way!

Jodi~ you hang in there too.I have been having thoughts about how my weight is linked to my childhood experiences.But then I think, I am 39, I have processed and dealt with alot of crap in constructive ways. The big theme seems to be a feeling of worthlessness and that was how I was raised to to feel. So maybe deep down somewhere I dont believe I deserve this great life and to be thin too.

Kylesmommmy~ hope the little man is feeling better today. Rememeber to eat well yourself.

Labchick~ nice NSV with the jeans!! I love your positive attitude.

Well i'm off to a great start this morning. I lost 3 lbs. WOO HOO!! I know most of it is what's left of my water weight from aunt flo, but I'll take it! I can not believe it. For the first time in a very long time I have less than 100 lbs to go to reach my final goal.

Heather - High blood pressure is very serious. I am so glad you are using it as a motivator for your weight loss. I'm not trying to be a pain, but please see a doctor. The complications can be ugly, but if you treat it quickly and appropriately you may be able to rid yourself of it as you lose the weight.

Jill - hang in there. It's hard when the munchy bug hits. I get that alot too and it drives me nuts.

Holly - I've been watching Dr. Phil too. It's such a sad story that each of them have. My 3 year old always asks me why I have tears running down my face when I watch it.

Sarah-Rachelle - Hang in there! You'll get through all of this. Just think in a few months as you see the scale move, you'll be trying on smaller clothes. That's part of how I motivate myself, I go into clothing stores and pick out one really nice outfit that's one size smaller. I promise myself that I will get that outfit as soon as I can fit into it. By the time I get there, I see something else that I like better so I find it one size smaller yet. It works for me sometimes when nothing else will.

Oh shoot, my toddler is WAY too quiet. I'll be back after I get his situated.

Nan

hello everyone!!
well as promised, to both myself and you all. here i am checking in to read all of your encouraging words!!

labchick - you ROCK!!! 3 lbs is great you did such a good job of being patient!! fantastic!

holly- i have the same feeling you mentioned. not really feeling like i deserve to be thin and happy with a good family. you know what?? we all deserve it!! we are worth that and so much more!! i also feel like i really need to be over all the crap that happened years ago, i so want to move on and enjoy this new chapter and new me. i will be 37 in a few weeks and this is the first time in my 37 years that i really cared about myself enough to do something for ME. not my parents or husband or kids but just for me, my own health. i think sometimes as moms and wives we loose ourselves a little. we give alot more than we take in most cases and i know i feel guilt sometimes even about taking the steps i need to to go through with this lifestyle change. i keep searching for the answer to questions i already know the answers to. you did a great job not going into a full blown binge. keep up the great progress!!

hevron- welcome back!!! like labchick said get to your DR and have the BP checked out!! take care of yourself! great plan you have for getting exercise with a friend.

kylesmommy- how is the little one feeling today? better i hope. good for you not giving in to the chicken!!

greenlass same for you. hope you were able to get back to sleep last night.
anyone i missed have a great day!! i'll try to check back in later.

Jodi~ I have actually had more than one person tell me that I would be unbearably"too good to be true" if I was thin too.Maybe this weight is my way of fitting in better or hoping to be likeable.
I have a vibrant personality,I am fairly attractive. I have never failed at anything I set my mind to. I am good friend. I am a good wife. I am a good,devoted and conscientious Mom.
So, how do I channel all that into allowing myself to be thinner and healthier?

holly- i wish i knew the answer, i think it is in there somewhere though, in what you said...... you have never failed at anything you set your mind to. simply put you will succeed!!!!, you just need to get your mind around the thought.(so do i for that matter). our weight is not who we are, it is just extra baggage we carry around. and you are right, although i don't know you very well, i can tell that you do have a great personality, and you seem like a great mom and wife and i am sure you are very attractive so why not add healthy to the list of great traits?? you do deserve it, we all deserve it. i wouldn't worry about being "too good to be true" anyone who can't accept you at a smaller size maybe wasn't the best friend in the first place. i hope i don't sound preachy here. i am sorry if i do. i truly understand though i am my own worst enemy so much of the time and i don't really know why.