Hey peeps! How are you all today?

Pam, yes, not enough sleep ups the hunger hormone and lowers the satiety (sp?) hormone. One is grehlin and one is leptin ..I think. Read up. But I soooo understand. Doesn't matter if we know this, sick kids come first.

Purple and Rhonda! I'm so happy you want to join me in my quest for 365 days straight on the wagon! LOL. I'm on day 173! 10 days to my halfway mark. And down a total of 83 lbs from my highest and down 41 lbs since start of the last challenge when I started counting the days OP.

Chelle, wow, how do you find time to do it all? You must stay sooo busy, talking to all the teams, and all the other stuff in your life. And did you see you and I are so close on weight. I'm just now at 194, finally back to losing some. Well, take it easy, don't strain those fingers typing so much!

Hi to dionne, sport, anna, cristina, kimberly, scgirl, krispie, zink and every other Bluezer!!

Hmm.. about being OP for so long.. I will tell you it won't be easy every day but just make it thru the hard days anyway.. You will learn sooo much about yourself. I told myself that I would treat my body as having had gastric bypass and once I was done with my cals it was the same as when they have eaten as much as they are able to. If I go over, it's baddddd. (Ppl who've had surgery would throw up and I just tell myself that.)

I see how I stayed heavy all these years because I see what makes me want more food, esp sweets. (I can really see what used to make me binge. I am just noticing when I want to binge now, not doing it).. I can tell you which days were the worst (what had happened that day) and how I wanted so bad to just stop and jump off my wagon so fast to grab a plate of brownies and scream "I've done enough!! At least I lost some weight!! Who cares if it comes back now!!!". Then I tell myself to calm down and remember how far I've come.

The days where you want to go into the kitchen in search of something late at night are some of the hardest ones, unless you've saved cals for that, which lots of times I do. (I eat a candy bar or ice cream when I want, I just account for it.) When I get stressed and want to eat over my cals I just go to bed. It's hard for me to distract myself doing things if I want to eat.. and plus with my little kids, I can't just go have a nice long bath or read or call a friend or watch a movie, like so many books tell you to do instead of eat. My kids need supervision and help with homework etc when they are up. After they go to bed so do I (or I'd probably sit down and eat).

Best advice about going for it. Know yourself. Save your cals for your munchiest times. I barely eat til 2 or 3 pm, then I eat again at 6pm and that's usually it, maybe a 100 cal blue bunny fudge bar at night sometimes. I eat more when my dh is around so I sorta save them for when he is here too. LOL.

I wish you all Good Determination!!! Luck isn't needed!!! It is all totally up to you and only you. I remember getting mad bc dh would eat stuff in front of me and then finally at one point I just said, It's my mouth and my body and I have to learn to not care what anyone else does or eats. This is about me and I CHOOSE to eat healthy and moderately and with FULL consciousness. I won't eat if I feel I'm zoning out. I can't eat that much anymore (compared to b4) so I better be there and enjoy what I do get. It makes me appreciate each bite all the more if I'm not watching tv or chatting or whatever while I eat my meals. Try it and you'll see. (now snacks are another thing, I eat dill pickles and grapefruit wedges or cucumber sticks while I watch tv sometimes but they are 5 cals and I don't care if I forget them. LOL.)

Hugs to each of you, we can do this!!
Selina

Well I did it. Every time I get ready to eat something I make some sort of comment about how many calories that is and do I really want it. DH has been listening and comments every now and then about how maybe he doesn't need a half bag of Doritoes either.

Then the last few days I've been asking him to do my WATP videos with me. He did a few minutes of screwing around the other day but was making more fun of me (in a good way) than anything. Today I put in the Easy 1 mile and he did it! He isn't horrible out of shape (5'11" and about 205lbs) but I don't think he has done intentional exercise since gym class in high school. I was so proud of him. I tried to encourage him to do the Walk and Jog with me but he wouldn't. I did though so that was 45 straight minutes.

Selina I really commend you on your OP goals. I don't know how you do it.

Bradleysmom Congrats on the 4 pounds! That sure will help the team.

Rhonda I'm looking forward to joining you on the C25K challenge. Give me a quick kick in the arse when you see me slacking off okay.

Selena, oh my goodness you are so right about saving calories for the times when you are munchy. I swear that is the only reason I've been able to be somewhat successful. It seems like all the official plans say to spread calories evenly across the day and then don't eat right before bed, but that simply doesn't work for me. Instead I use less than 200 cals for breakfast, about 200 for lunch, then get like 900 for evening/night. I am so munchy between like 7 and 10 at night that I make sure I get a snack every hour. It's ridiculous and I probably should just work on self discipline, but it doesn't seem that my complete violation of the "don't eat late at night" rule has done much harm. Your advice about knowing your eating patterns was right on!

Hey team! Happy Valentine's day!

I've been MIA most of the last 2 days, I'm trying to get a big project off my desk and I've been stuck at the copier/printer trying to coax the 11x17 paper not to jam.

I will confess to eating a couple of Hershey kisses this morning. Bad me. I'm still fighting this cold/sinus infection/allergy crud, so I'm not doing so well on eating (unless benedryl has nutritional value I'm not aware of).

Cristina - I've been wondering about Amber Elise too. I worry that she's had a setback involving her health, she had just gotten off a drug for the tumor, wasn't it? Whatca reading?

Purple & Rhonda - I may join you on the year of eating OP. If I can get myself back together by tomorrow, I'll be calling it my Valentine's Day present to myself, official title "One year of loving myself". Hmm, maybe not, that sounds rather odd, doesn't it?

Jordan - I'm the opposite, if I don't have a big breakfast on days I'm at work, I snack all day. Usually at night I can just have something small and be happy. If I feel like snacking, I go to bed.

zinkemomx2 - I can never seem to finish the Walk & Jog dvd. Even after walking up to 2 hours a day, it still wipes me out to try it. Good work on being motivational to your DH.

Selina - Dill pickles are one of my favorite snacks. Someone once told me that they are a great subsititute for sweets, I'm not so sure about that, but they are yummy.

Pam - I hope your DD feels better. I fight with the coughing every year. Finally last year I went to an allergist, and now I know how to minimize it.

sportsmom - I like the idea of a draft, but with my track record I'd be asked to leave the stadium. This is my second challenge, last one I was on the black team. I was vocal on the poll thread about not wanting to change teams, but that was just my social anxiety, I like you all just as much as my old team. Now if you put me with Melissa (Red Team Capt), well that might be different. Just kidding! She and I are usually in disagreement about the contestants on BL. (She like Mark and disliked Julie, I liked Julie and dislike Mark) It would make for some good debating though.

Time for some more meds and then "Fun with Copiers, Part II".

It is so good. I have not been out to run much, so I may restart with you at week seven. The weather here should be good enough by then, and I think that is where I could start.

Have you gotten the podcasts?

Dixie, I was on the black team last time too. Guess that tells you I was guilty of not chatting then, huh?!? lol

I have to confess....I'm clueless about podcasts. Can you download these to an MP3 player or do I need an iPOD? Do the C25K podcasts have music or just talking? I like to walk (and, used to run) to music...and, it has to have a strong bass beat. I've also thought about downloading Jillian Michael's podcasts, but I really don't want to sit at my computer to listen to them.

Cristina - You exercised for 65 minutes this morning and will be doing more? Man, you are a powerhouse!
Selina - I save calories for the evening when I'm watching my TiVo'd shows. I usually will have 1 cup of SF ice cream, a WW dessert or 5 ounces of red wine. This makes me feel like I'm pampering myself.
Zinke - Congrats for getting Hubby to exercise with you!
Jordan - Looks like your way of eating your daily calories is working quite well for you. I see no need for you to change anything.
Dee - I'm glad you're on our team! I've liked getting to know you.

Jordan, I read and re-read Susan Powter's Stop the Insanity years after it was published. I got alot out of her book. She is a little strange, esp. now but I get a boost every time I read it. It says that you don't have to drown in water (thru out losing most of my 83 lbs I haven't had over 24 oz a day) as long as you are drinking enough liquids. Period. (I drink lots more of it in summer.) Also says that you can eat any time of day or night as long as you don't eat more cals that what you spend and of course way less if you want to lose. Lots of good info in there. Read it if you get a chance. I read tons of success stories. They always help me keep perspective on what I'm trying to do and also will show you that they had setbacks on the journey as well, but they stilllll got there.

Fran, glad you are a bluezer this time, do u ever go say hi to the black team? I do! Some of my buddies are there.

Dee, Dill pickles, good but not sweet. Bread and butter ones.. now I do use those sometimes when I get a sweet tooth. More cals but less than a cupcake! Good luck with the copier. The older I get the worse I am with anything electronic. Can't imagine how my kids will laugh at me when they are teens about how I still use my stone age phone/machines/puter.

Thanks zink. I'm trying to do right! I made it thru some really bad times this last half year. I hope the second half is easier to complete. There really is no 'completion' tho is there? I just start year 2! :

Ok, kids getting home, hugsssssssss Selina

Rhonda - You can download the C25K podcasts free to any mp3 player. I had trouble doing it at first but it was user error. I find the music annoying after a bit, but that's because I prefer country music. The voice over that tells you when to run and when to slow down isn't bad, he's very encouraging. I thought I had downloaded them to my computer here at work, but I don't see them in my files. If you have a problem downloading them let me know and I'll see if I can walk you thru it based on what I did.

Rhonda/Zinke - I've been drumming up the courage to start the C25K program, so maybe I'll start with you on March 1st. It'd be great to have others to compare notes with. I'm a little nervous about my knees, but that's why you ease into it I suppose. I know that last time around when I started jogging I lost and toned SOOOOOOO drastically. I've been "running" on the elliptical, which I love, but it isn't the same at all. I was closer to 200 pounds when I started running last time - and 10 years younger! I need to download the podcasts to my ipod. That sounds great!

I did 1 hour cardio and 40 min lower body work today. I know after 2 weeks of this lower body routine I already need to change it up. Like add weights while doing the lunges...

Jordan & Selina - WOW! I could never make it to dinner time on 400 calories! Well, I actually don't know if I could or couldn't since I've never attempted it! I'm usually at around 800-1000 by dinnertime and then have a good 600+ to use in the evening if I have to. Dee, sometimes I'm like you though - just go to bed!

Pam - sorry you're going through it this wintertime with illnesses. It does feel like the sleep deprivation will kill you some days! But we all know it somehow doesn't! I work Mondays and Fridays in the lab at a busy pediatric clinic and we are going through the flu, strep and RSV tests like crazy - and the Moms all look so tired!

Congrats, Kimberly on the 4 pounds!!!!!! You'll probably be our biggest loser this week!

That said, I really do think that I have to lower my calories already. While I say that I'm OK losing slowly, a little over 1 pound a week, on another level I'm apparently not OK with it. Input, anyone? I cannot really add any more exercise into my schedule - I avg 10 hours a week.

HAPPY V-DAY!!

Happy Valentine's Day Blue Team :

Hey Selina...your doing great girl! Keep it up, and send some motivation my way Hi Rhonda, Chellez, Onthetee hope your all doing well~

Nori and Anna..and anybody else who's interested in starting C25K...there is a group of us who are planning on starting on March 1st. Please join us!http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134323
Nori, LisaMarie(one of the runners here on 3FC who has inspired me to do this) posted once about her knees hurting when she first started running. She said that she iced her knees each evening, but that the pain eventually stopped. Now, I'm no doctor and I can't say this is best for everyone...but, I really really want to run again and I've made the decision to chance it. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...=heavy+runners And, here's her goal post.http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124240 She's an amazing woman, huh? Lisamarie and Rockin Robin were posting daily on the 100lb club when I first joined. These two women are only two of several amazing women here at 3FC who keep me encouraged and accountable. Aren't we blessed to have found 3FC?

Hi, Tina! Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks Rhonda! I have spoken about it with my trainer also. He just told me to double up on the glucosamine now in advance and to ice afterwards as well. I'm hoping that since I'm an "athletic" type, have been working the fundamentals/core/balance+coordination, that I will not get injured. He thinks that my weight shouldn't be a problem as long I work into is slowly. It just FREAKS me out to think that I will injure myself and not be able to workout...

Sounds like fun to do it as part of a group. I started doing C25K about the first week of January this year, after the first week though I stopped using the podcasts and really just pushed myself to run until I HAD to stop. Probably not the smartest way of doing it. I think I'll join in and see if I can't get back into the habit of doing it sensibly.