Ammi -- Wow, those pictures -- you look so thin! Your face -- I can see so much more definition! (Chimichanga -- did you find the pics stickied at the top of the page??)

A size 12 US is different from the UK right? Is that a 10 in the UK?? Maybe our goals are similar!

I need to post more pics too!!

nothing new to report today.. no loss so i am gonna kick up my plan and drink more water and some green tea.. i hate plateaus!

Hey everyone-

Well we are all packed and ready to go! We fly out of here Mon Feb 5.
I am so nervous to get on the plane but I figure it can't get any worse than my last flight experience! Well I proably won't be posting again until after we get to spokane, WA. I hope all of you take care and I hope to see some good losses and NSVs when I get back!

AMMI~Thanks for sharing your pics. You look amazing!


Have a good wekeend everyone!

Just had to post a major NSV for me today,I went SWIMMING!!!! Yes at 300+ pounds I bared my soul in a cossie and went and did 20 lengths of my local swimming pool This was a major major acheivement for me, have been putting off exercise convinced I was too big to do it in some weird way. Anyway I went with my son who loved it and is very supportive, and we had a great time. AND while I was there, I booked in for a gym membership (to join my lovely hubby) and my induction is on Tuesday night!!! I am so pleased that altho I am only 6 pounds down, I seem to be moving lots of mental obstacles at the moment, feeling proud and positive of myself, ssoo excited I will be a registered nurse in the summer (After long hours in hospital and studying) and feel like its all coming together I must be living proof u don't need to put things off til you are slim, cos I have completed the course while being my size!! But now I feel the clouds are lifting and I am on a course to find a slimmer and most important healthier me YIPPEE!!! xx

Hope you all have a super-great-fun weekend

Oh and Ammi you look amazing hun, sooo different more than anything, so much happier and alive now Good for you girl x

way to go emily!

Emily and Charlene -- Great news from BOTH of you!!!

Bottle these feelings for times when you may feel a little more down! That's awesome!!!!!!

I know I've been in to the sodium this week. I know I've been sporadic at best with my exercise this month. I know that for every perfectly OP day I've had, I had 5 or 6 that I've blown it late in the evening (when I should have been on the TM.) I know I wasn't giving it my all or really trying my best most days.
But today was the day of truth. Yes. I weighed in. ..... ..... ..... .....

I guess underneath it all, I had myself believing that I was really being "good enough" to lose a few, like 3 to 5 pounds during January. Not so my friends, not so.

So today I 'got a new religion' as they say. I journaled. I had my first 40 oz of water well before noon. I spent 23 minutes on the TM and am headed back for my evening round as soon as I'm done here.

When I first started and lost the first 30 pounds, I did it (as I've said before) with the conviction that I could do ANYthing for 14 days. This time I'm starting with 28. I can do anything for the next 28 days, but I'm just going to focus on today. I can do ANY thing today. I can stay OP, and greet my pillow tonight with the satisfaction of knowing that I did a good job of it.

I know I can't do this, at least right now, without journaling. So I will journal.
I know I can't burn fat and build muscle without exercise. So I will exercise.
I know that the simplest, easiest, most painless thing I can do for my body is to drink more water. So I will drink water.

I have 115 - no, 114 days left - until I want to be wearing an 18, or better yet, a 16. (Heavens - a 16. When was the last time one of those slid over my ample and curvacious cheeks!?) I have 114 days to lose as much as I reasonably can. Until I have to face the evil women ...and smile. So what did I do? I cheated on myself, I totally slacked the whole month of January. Just flushed 30 days down the tubes. I deserve a spankin'!

On the bright side cuz there IS always one of those, I didn't flush 45 days. I bet I have a jump on actual weight loss because 10 days ago I was 4 pounds lower than today, and I know there's that sodium thing going on. Oh, yeah, and there's Zelma's full moon messing about. Let's face it, I know I can do better in the first WEEK of February than I did in the whole MONTH of January. So come my next WI, on February 28th, I know I'll be a happier, prouder chick than I am today.

Rant over.

Happy Gopher's Day. Or whatever.

Hi ladies
Well its finally the weekend, thank god! i am so ready for two continuous days off Hope everyone is ok!
HEATHER: a size 12 is my goal. i will be so happy if i ever get to that size. i work with lots of woman who wear like a size 4, and to them, anything over a 6 is big, lol. truly, i would be estatic at that size!
PATTI: how is your leg doing? i still want to check out that dvd, hopefully i can brave the walmart crowd this weekend
EMILY: congratulations on the swimming, wt loss, and soon to be nursing license! i am so happy for you, and i totally agree with your statement about waiting to be thin to live your life and be happy. i have to remind myself alot that "being thin" will not make my life perfect. we all need to live our lives in the present, and not put things off til the future.
CHARLENE: wow, thats wonderful about the 10 lb loss! isnt it a great feeling? you are doing great, keep up the good work
VAL: dont beat yourself up, we all have the same thing happen. the important thing is that you recognized you needed some changes and acted before too much damage was done. you can do it! and im sure you will be beautiful at the wedding
MECHELLE: have a safe trip. im sure you will be happy when the moving is over
JILL: enjoy your weekend with your little neice
as for me, im good. my wt loss team is still number 4 this week, but out of 50 teams i will take it i would love to win the $$, but i am more interested in becoming healthier and thinner. we still have almost 2 months left so anything can happen i hope everyone has a great weekend.

I just had the strangest experience. I got an email from the UN. I assumed that it was some kind of spam, but come to find out that my crazy husband sent my resume in to be an election monitor in Nepal or East Timor for the UN. That's why he wanted my resume. They were looking for experienced mediators. He thought it would be a nice paid vacation for us. If it wasn't so cold, I'd chase him down the street with my rolling pin. At least he didn't sign me up for a tour of Iraq.

On a more serious note, I found a great clipping today from Katherine Gibson, author of "Pause: Putting the Brakes on a Runaway Life." Her three tips on how to Clear the Mind of Clutter:

1 - Power down and prune your schedule to ponder or pray. Take time to meditate.

2 - Unclutter from your physical world. Get rid of toxic friends and meaningless tasks.

3 - Practice self-care. Take time to sleep well, eat well, exercise and enjoy intimate relationships. Take time to do nothing at all, "to sit in a garden, to do just that, not checking our messages, just listening to the sounds around us."

Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have a husband to stand in the corner.

Kymberly: Congrats on your team being number 4 out of 50 still. That is awesome. The money is great but loosing the weight and the comrauderie is going to be the real prize I think!

Brenda: Make sure you walk today! Hugs.

Jilly: Have fun with your new baby niece.

Wyllenn: I would love to see more pics of you before and after. I have seen some of them and it is amazing. You don't look like the same person either.

Patti: Hope you get off your plateau soon! Hugs.

Michelle: If you are still plugged in, have a safe and happy flight. Hope to meet you some time after you are settled.

Charlene: Congrats on -10! That is awesome!

Emilymay: Wonderful NSV. I'm so glad for you that you got to go swimming with your son. Good job. Have fun with that. You have a lot of things to be proud about!

VAl: i just love you! I was laughing at your post about your ample cheeks. lol. Come on Val. You can do this. Make February be a month of dedication to your op days, exercise and taking care of yourself! You can do it!

Cahterine: I have the #1 item of your list on my list every day and If I don't start my day with time in prayer it just seems like it isn't a good day. It seems like I can handle things better with prayer. I don't have to worry about #2. I have taken care of it. #3 is something I need to work on the sleep and having fun part. Thanks for the list. I think you should spank your hubby! lol. Sick um girl.

Everyone who is missing come back soon. I have another weigh in tomorrow. I have been perfectly op and journaling every single thing down that goes into my mouth. I have been exercising daily even if I'm tired or don't want to, I make myself think about my first goal of loosing 10% of my body weight. as of right now I have 42 more pounds to go. Hopefully after my weigh in tomorrow it will be much less.

hugs and blessings to you all,
Annie

Annie - good luck for WI tomorrow, hope u see a fantastic result you do deserve it

Today I am stuck at my desk as I have two essays due in. So not many calories burnt today!! lol but will go for a walk later so I at least move a bit!!

Have a great day all

Kymberly my leg is doing better as far as walking but getting up and down is still painful i hope you find that dvd i am anxious to start using it when my leg permits hopefully in a day or two more.!
Good luck on your WI ANNIE!

morning everyone
well today was weighday. i am up 4lbs this week but i'm not in a panic since its a couple of days till tom and i know thats why.

So, with that being said, today is STILL cheat day I was craving big ole bacon cheeseburgers n fries and it is the day that we go out to supper (dh n' i). I decided to stay home and do turkey burgers and homemade fries in the oven instead. Same idea a whole lot less fat and calories.

Expecting to have company all day today so I wont be around much.

Annie~ i hope you have a better WI than I did!!

Brenda