I'm as frugal as they come. Have you seen what WW charges for their low-point snacks? I recommend you do some research and see what's out there. For instance:
When I'm at work and would love to munch some sort of carb....you know...an apple won't do it, candy bars are bad for you...hmm...just some cookies or something. I reach into my desk and pull out one of those snack baggies of Life cereal. No kidding. 1/2 cup of those is less than a point...it's cheap and they're slightly sweetened. But look into different cereals if you don't like Life.

Also the lo-cal icecream popsicles? Please. I just need a creamy fudgy cold something during a movie and I reach for a fudsicle. It's sweetened with Splenda and sold with the kiddie popsicles. I took the time and used my little WW slider thingy. 1 point for a fudsicle! Now I have one almost every night.
My point is that some good snacks are out there but we don't have to pay an arm and a leg if we take some time and do some math.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...3/153/173/.png

To everyone doing the couch to 5k:
today is the first day of week three for me. i got out and did the required run without and trouble at all. i think i may like running. This is an admission of monumental proportions or me. I've always said i'll run only if there's a man with a knife or a dog chasing me. There're no dogs or knife wielding maniacs at the track, yet i'm doing it still. I like passing people, not that i'm running that fast, and they're usually walking, but there is a certain amount of pleasure that comes from passing soemeone on the track. Plus i get a huge amount of satisfaction from just being able to run without all the wiggling and jiggling there used to be. At any rate, hope everyone is doing well.
Christine

Christine You Go Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haven't been able to workout since last week. I am on week 3 of couch to 5k as well. I can't wait to be a "runner".

I got in 45 min of walking yesterday (hard surface, up and down smallish hills) and kept it under 1200 calories--woo hoo!

Hey guys!
Congrats to all the weight loss and exercise!
Well I am back from my trip to VA and I had a blast. No fromal exercise but lots of walking but unfortunately lots of eating
Good news I am back to normal today adn will not let 5 days of bad eating deter me from my plan!
Thanks for all the great snack ideas!

Ok well i registered a while ago, but of course never stuck to my word will last weekend i put on shorts ( ewww big mistake) so i now have the encouragement i need.. im not even sure what to eat or not to eat how many calories etc

yesterday i went to the gym and rode the bike for 30 then did about 15 of strength training

today no gym ( think im getting a cold )

so far today i have had

1 bagel w/ cream cheese
iced tea
water
one of those tuna lunch to go things
a banana
and water

what should i or shouldn't i be doing

Sometimes if I think I'm getting a cold, one of the best things for me is to exercise (lightly). Sometimes it can kick it, cause it boosts your immune system. My boss is a marathon runner, and when he thinks he's getting sick, he actually does an extra-long, extra-hard run because he says it can burn it out of his system. He's only had to take 3 sick days in the last several years, and they were all for one nasty flu. Just a thought...

Well Nikki, it's different for everybody, but the main thing is to make sure you're getting the right balance of diet and exercise and it looks like you're off to a great start! Personally, I am trying to stick to a 1200 calorie/day diet, and trying to get in at least 30 min of exercise every day, alternating between cardio and weights. Also, drink LOTS of water...remember the 64 oz. minimum! I'm currently getting a miniumum of 100oz., but again, it's different for everybody.

Nikki
Exercise is the key for me! Try to do it no matter what else gets in the way.

I have trouble controlling calories but it is necessary to do so try aiming for between 1200-1300 cals a day.

Hope this helps some...

hey Christy!
Watch your calories - they may be too low especially if you are execising every day. For our weight and a moderate activity level try 1500 - 1800 a day. Disconeryhealth.com has a BMI caculator that will help you determine this!

Thanks Shennan--I'll have to check that out! I went over a little today though--I was around 1350 instead. However, I lifted some weights, did a little Oxycise, and walked 45 minutes at an incline too, so I think that makes up for some! I'm planning to wait 2 weeks before I weigh again--hopefully the scale will move--I need to measure too so I can see how many inches I've lost...I'll keep y'all posted.

Everyone must be doing as bad as me cause no one has posted in a few days. Hang in there girls, we are coming up on another weekend!

Yeah, I did REALLY crappy yesterday! I've been doing great today though--I've watched my calories really carefully, have already had a half hour nature power-walk, and am about to do some free weights, crunches (100 hopefully), and push-ups. However, I've only had about 900 calories and am about 20 oz of water shy of my goal, so I need to eat some more fruit or veggies before bed and drink some more water.

This will be my first weekend since getting my eating/exercise regimen in order--I hope it goes OK!! Good luck to everyone else this weekend--make it a great one!!

Hi - I'm new here, but really stoked to have found this site. My plan is to track everything that goes into my mouth, shoot for 1400 calories a day and 30 mins of cardio. Does anyone know, what's a realistic rate of weight loss for someone who's 145? 1-2 lbs /week?