Welcome anyone who is trying to get their weight below 250 lb. We hope you will find inspiration and assistance here as we travel this difficult road together.

YIPPEEEE SKIPPY! I was almost scared to go to WI because I haven't had the greatest week. But, today I registered 1.6 lb loss making it a total of 25.3 lb. So I got a 5 lb star and a 25 lb star on the same day. Yahoooo! Just 100+ to go. It has been a long, difficult struggle beginning last June with many plateaus along the way, not to mention a terrible gain at Christmas that took me three months to recover from. Yikes! I never want that to happen again.
I'm not even going to think about how many $$$ per pound it has cost me so far.

Hiya, ladies!

Linda - Congratulations on your great success this past week! You must be terribly thrilled.

We had a water heater break down (resulting in puddles in the living room, closet, and my den) yesterday. Today it gets replaced. On Tuesday we leave for LA (yippee!) and the Electronic Entertainment Expo. We're planning to add new gaming stuff to our virtual store's line up this year -- so that gave us an excuse to attend this extremely cool gaming event! Yahoo!!

Still busy, still withdrawn, more later (I hope).

J.

What wonderful news, Linda. I am so proud of you! I think when a goal is difficult to reach it means even more when you finally get there. Thanks for continuing to soldier on instead of taking the easy way out and just giving up. You inspire us all!
Donna

OKAY I couldn't stay away ... so I'm
BACK!

WOO HOO LINDA!!!! You're on track and doing just fine. I've watched you struggle so often but you stuck with it and just look at you 25 lbs thinner and soon to be looking at only double digits to successfully reaching your goal. You deserve some hugs ((((Linda)))) for your perseverence.


Well, I went to a different meeting last Monday and am definately switching to this other group. The WW leader seems concerned with the members and not just saying the words so she can get paid. What a difference this woman is compared to where I'd been going for 11 months! Maybe it's just that my orig. leader has to repeat sooo much for new members that she foregets that some of us are plugging along for the very long haul and that we need support too. The people in the new group seem very motivated and it's ONLY TWO miles from home. I asked not to be told my weight since the previous week was a binge (right until I got on the scale ). I'll probably face the numbers tomorrow. If not, I'll have to wait two weeks since there's no meeting on Memorial Day. Of course, I could find another meeting to attend during the holiday week. I'll have to wait and see.

So far this week has been about 90% good. I screwed up a little but I exercised a lot and am journaling. I've got to get back to drinking A LOT MORE water tho. (Sipping as I type.)


Everone wish BUNNY a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! on Tuesday. We'll all be celebrating for you, Bunny, even if you are away. I hate hot water heaters. No matter where you put them they always make a mess when they decide to die. Have a good time in LA. You need to get out of that slump and jump right back OP. You know you'll feel and look better! (As I always say this to myself I'm sharing a "push" with you.)

Hi to EVERYONE. I'll try to get back on Tues. and let you know about WI. Until then I'm gonna' hold hands with myself to keep out of the snacks.

Happy Sunday!

I am 46 years old, married 22 years, 3 daughters. I weigh 275 right now.... I am desperate to lose this extra baggage... MY hubby is doing great, following the WW plan, (lost 20 lbs in one month so far)... gosh, why is it so easy for men? I know he is following the plan well, and the more he does well, the worse I seem to be doing? Don't get it at all, really. I thought with both of us doing this for health reasons, I could do it! HMMM.... I can't figure me out. I need to lose weight for health reasons, as most of us do at this kind of weight, right? Hubby isn't nearly as over weight, either, as he is down to 230 and is 6' tall... I am a shorty at 5'4". GOSH, I do have my work cut out for me, huh? I do great one week, then fall off my program... only to feel more depressed because of it. Which gives me the desire to eat more, causing more depression, etc. A vicious cycle I would love to break. CAN anyone help me get through this????? kurly

HI Kurly WELCOME !!!


I have battled for the last 5 months with the On Program/Off Program Devil. I can honestly say that if I keep my journal within arms reach at ALL times, I lose weight. It's like my conscience. If I have it at hand, and use it, I don't go Off Program. If I put it away, leave it home, or say to myself "I'll journal later", it's like all food is free. (Maybe when it's going into my tummy, it's free .... after that it's FAT!) My journal goes in my purse to work, then right out on my desk where I can see it, then in my jeans pocket when I'm at home. If it's a really tough day I'll lay it on the passenger seat, next to me, to keep me from making a fast food stop on the way home.

The other thing I've found out about myself is that I eat when I'm alone. At home, at work and with friends I'm good. After all this time, everyone knows I'm on WW and most are very supportive. When I'm alone, that's when I go Off Program so If I can, and I want to eat more pts. than I'm allotted, I call a friend and either meet them or just chat.

This all sounds sooo easy. If it was I'd be dropping weight like mad. But it isn't and everyone here has to work every minute of every day to stay OP and go forward to our goals. I hope my suggestions, combined with others I'm sure will follow, will help you stay OP more days than not.

Good luck to you and your Hubby too.

A big warm welcome to Kurly.
Kurly, we are the same weight although I have a few years on you. It has taken me a long time to lose 25 pounds. I have Type II Diabetes and Hypo-thyroid plus arthritis which slows me down a little. But, I've noticed a big improvement in my energy levels and flexibility with just 25 lb gone. Lots of other benefits too. So, you are starting at the weight I've just gotten down to. If you don't want to gain MORE and get to 300 lb, and possibly some of the same medical problems, I hope you will have a good talk to yourself and get serious. I never had diabetes or hyptothyroid before I got over 275 lb. WW and sticking with it is not easy but it gets easier the longer you do it. The more success you have, the easier it gets too. Don't expect miracles. When we're young (or if we're a man), the weight comes off much quicker and easier. As women, our metabolism slows down as we near menopause and those darned fatty deposits get more stubborn. Men just naturally have higher metabolisms. Makes them easy to hate.
Bunny, sorry about your water heater disaster. Been there and done that. No fun at all!! Hope you enjoy your trip to L.A. Make sure you tell us all about it when you get back. I hope things are improving for you on a personal level. Maybe this trip will be just the lift you need.
J-ann it's always easier to binge when we're alone and I'm alone a LOT. My hubby is a workaholic so he's gone from 7 am until anwhere between 7 and 10 pm. If I wait to eat dinner with him I wind up snacking from 4 pm until he gets home and then eating a big dinner which I don't need so late. I'm making myself have a snack about 4 and then dinner alone around 6. I then save my evening snack for when he's having his late dinner. Not that he's much company at that hour. SOmetimes he nearly falls asleep into his plate. I also have to keep my journal close at hand. Today I've snuck in some no-no food because I was helping out at a memorial service for a friend's late hubby and I didn't plan too well. Had an early breakfast and then helped myself to a half bun with egg salad and a (very YUMMY) caramel square while waiting for the service to start at 1:30. However, I left when the buffet line-up began, came home and had a healthy, although rather late lunch.
I have a tendency to celebrate my little victories with a food reward which, as we all learn at WW, is NOT a good thing. Before we know it our bad habits have returned and the scale is moving in the other direction. No more celebrating.
Donna thanks for your kind words. I'm an awfully slow loser and I've had some terrible slumps in this battle. I will continue to soldier on though, because to do otherwise would be to gain back all I've lost and become very, very ill. I never want to feel the way I felt last summer at just over 300 lb. I could hardly breath, bend, get out of a chair, walk, climb. Everything was a major effort and I had disgusting rashes from prickly heat in all my sweaty folds. I keep reminding myself of these things because it's too easy to forget. As far as we know, we only get one life. I sure don't want mine either cut short or made miserable from obesity. Some people can be heavy and still get pleasure from various activities but I'm not one of them. The heavier I got, the more I just wanted to sit around. Movement was such a struggle. Now I'm trying to get a bit more exercise every week and it's becoming more of a pleasure than a duty.
It really means a lot to me to have you folks on my side. WW meetings are ok but it takes a while to get to know and interact with the other members enough to derive much benefit from their input. So glad you are here for me.

I too was over 300 lbs at one time, 320 was my highest weight registered! WHEW... that is a lot, hey? I hated it then, hate saying it now, and hate that I have gained so much back. I actually got down to 199 a couple of years ago, and now, back to the 275. I guess they say if you keep it off for a year, your body learns to regroup, retrain itself, etc. and I just didn't keep it off for more than a blink of an eye. SO, depression about gaining so much back is a real problem for me. I also had many deaths in my family over 2 years, which is troubling my soul. The last of whom was my sister, 42 years young, and she died of brain anuerysms. I have had enough scares with this, (3rd family member) to be stricken with this malidy, so I went to Mayos in March. I don't have any, and I thought that would relieve my mind, and give me new hope of living well. ALL I have to do is lose weight, keep my blood pressure under control and I can expect to live a normal life without suffering with the anuerysms! WELL, easier said than done. I am glad to hear you feel better losing the 25 lbs. I can't wait to get there, too. I too believe in journalling. I have a food journal, a mood journal and a workout journal. Guess which one doesn't have any info in it? I used to work out all the time, and since I re-gained this weight, I don't. I know how overwhelmed I feel about the challenge ahead, as I did it once already. I have to get my mind set to the one day at a time thing, and not look down the road too far, as it is sooooo overwhelming for me. Especially AGAIN! Thanks for your kind words, your inspiration and your thoughtfulness. I am going to try to do well today. I have to leave for work shortly, as I open for a childcare center, and we have an earlybird arriving when I do. ciao for now... kurly

Kurly my hubby had an aneurysm burst in his brain in 1991 just before he turned 50. He wasn't even overweight but he has a history of weak veins and has had open leg ulcers for 30 years due to phlebitis. He was in his vehicle at the time but luckily he was parked talking to a guy who worked for him. When he collapsed, the fellow called 911 and they rushed him to hospital. He regained consciousness but had no feeling in his legs for quite a while. Still, the idiots in ER thought he had pneumonia for some reason. It was four days of excrutiating headaches for the poor fellow before they finally did a spinal tap and then a whatchamacallit test that scans the brain. That showed he had an aneurysm that had burst on the left side and another that could go at any time on the right side. They cut open his head and fixed the burst one and a week later they cut open the other side and eliminated the aneurysm on the other side. The poor guy. His head looked like a watermelon and he had a long recovery but suffered no lasting damage. I'm so sorry about your sister and your other losses. Some stages of our lives are like that. I lost an aunt, an uncle and my dear Mom all within a few months of each other and then my sister's daughter and her baby boy were killed together in a car crash. It was a bad couple of years. My heart goes out to you because I have an idea what you've been through.
Having to lose so much weight IS overwhelming. Try not to think about the total amount you need to lose. Try to break it up into 5 or 10 pound chunks and only think ahead to the next mini-goal. They will gradually add up. Reward yourself for every day you stay on program but NOT WITH FOOD! It could be just a promise to yourself to treat yourself to a new house plant, a pocket novel, a professional manicure or even just 20 minutes being lazy. Celebrate the little victories, like passing up that slice of cheesecake. Brag to yourself. Continue to pat yourself on the back when you do anything that is a step in the right direction, whether it's climbing a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator, parking at the far end of the super market parking lot instead of circling 20 times to find a spot close to the door. Any time you move that body instead of doing what comes naturally (lounging), give yourself an imaginary medal. You have to be your own biggest fan and booster club.
WHen you falter or fail, try very hard not to let it seem like the end of the world or the end of your weight loss. It's just a little blip in the screen of your life. One chocolate bar or one super sized bowl of ice cream and even a slab of cheesecake (while not the wisest choice) isn't going to make that much difference. It's the choices you make over the long haul that add up and determine whether or not you lose weight.
I'm certainly not a role model for anyone wanting to lose weight quickly. It's been a long, slow battle for me and will probably continue to be slow. I hope you'll continue to keep trying, and journalling and posting here. If you'd like to post your daily menus, that seems to help some people stay OP. I'd be happy to post my menus every day if it would help.
Here's today's Menu. (so far. I just had lunch)
Points Range 28 - 33
Breakfast
2 slices hi fiber toast (2)
1 tsp Light Becel Margarine
1 tsp jam (combined about 1 point)
1 tbsp Light Philly Cream Cheese (1)
3/4 oz light cheddar cheese (2)
Total 6 points

Lunch
2 slices hi fiber bread (2)
1/2 cup egg salad made with non-fat mayo (4)
1 small Mango (1)
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt (1)
Total 8 points

Dinner (planned)
2 oz lean pork tenderloin (3)
Stir fry veggies
1/2 cup rice (2.5)?
Total 5.5 points

Snack:
Non-fat, sugar free chocolate pudding
1/4 cup Light Cool Whip
Total 2 points

That leaves me some points to play with in case I want another piece of fruit or some Wasa Crackers with light cream cheese for a late snack.

Hello, Friends!

After my last post, I lost my will power and ate three BIG pieces of birthday cake! OY! Then we went on vacation to Chicago and I tryed to be sensible, but still splurged. Fortunately, we walked and walked and so miracle of miracles when I had WI yesterday I had lost 1.5 lbs!

Welcome, Vicki! You have lost sooooo much weight since you started, don't stop now! Each meal OP is a victory! Everytime I go off, I record it in my journal and start over at the next meal! Mini-goals can really help as you lose, especially when you have a lot to lose (like we all do! ) This group is great, you'll get all the support you need!

Welcome, Kurleytop! (Are you a red-head? ) You are in the right place to get help and encouragement! WW works! And YOU can work the program! I agree that a journal entry for everything you eat is very important for success, mini goals and self rewards are great too.

J-Ann, A good leader really does make all the difference. I've been in several WW classes that didn't do anything for me (except take my money and keep track of my weight! )

Donna, You can get back into it! Don't know about the weightloss challenge though, that sounds expensive, but if it will motivate you...GO FOR IT!

All for now,

Mel

Ok, hi, I'm back.

Joyce, -2 lbs. is GREAT! Congratulations!

Happy Birthday, Bunny!!!!

Now, I'll say good-bye until Wednesday. Y'all have a great start to a new OP week!

Love,
Mel

264/247.5/237.6 (10% mini goal by summer!)

Hi Everyone,

Well, I bit the bullet and looked at the weight that was recorded at last weeks meeting. NOT GOOD. I was up 13.5 from the 255.5 I'd gotten down to a few weeks ago. But now the GOOD NEWS: I lost 4 of those lbs. as of tonights WI.

One of the things we discussed at tonight's meeting was Green, Yellow and RED LIGHT foods. You know Green = Veggies/Fruits, Yellow = Stuff you have to be careful you don't overdo (for me it's low fat snacks that ADD UP when you keep eating them!), and RED are the foods that either you can't stop eating or that set you off on a binge. We are supposed to note our redlight foods in our journal this week to make us more aware of stuff we know are basically taboo unless we have planned them AND can be strong enough to stop at our preset limit.

My REDLIGHTS are:

french fries
greasy (gotta love 'em) potato chips
peanut butter cups
peanut butter Twix bars
cheese-it's
real butter!
fried chicken
I'm sure there are more, I have to think a little harder.

My Yellows:

some ice creams
milkshakes
peanuts
chocolate bars
Whipped cream
cakes
cookies
cheese sauces
pasta (sometimes)
most other fast foods
and on and on and on

Our leader reminded us that if we eat out and it looks "shiney, slippery or slimey" we probably shouldn't eat it without being very careful. It was part of her reference to potato and macaroni salads but fit's a lot of high fat foods.

Hope this didn't sound preachy but the advice was too good not to share.

I'll catch up individually later.

I've updated (or is it downgraded?) my sig. and am psyched to begin another OP week.

J-ann thanks for the preview of the lecture I'll be getting at WW this Friday. LOL Now I can be prepared and really contribute to the discussion. (I'm sure our leader wishes I'd shut the heck up sometimes)

After all my blabbering on in my last post, I've really lost it today. For some stoopit reason, tonight I got into the FROZEN almonds I keep for special baking and, GEE WHIZ, didn't they just go great with the semi-sweet Baker's chocolate up in the cupboard? I had two whole one ounce squares and two handfuls of almonds. Well, I have written it down and it has put me over my allowed points so tomorrow I will have to be extra vigilant. Why do I do these things to myself, especially after getting my 25 lb star just last Friday? Do I somehow think that now I can relax? NO WAY! I have to be even more careful and I know it.

Well, we're all only human and we can only pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again.
Congratulations to Joyce and Mel on your losses.
Happy Birthday, Bunny!

Hmmm, Red Light Foods.
chocolate
chocolate with nuts
chocolate with peanut butter
chocolate with caramel
chocolate on ice cream
nuts of any kind but especially cashews
butter on popcorn

Yellow Light Foods
Pasta (hard to stop at one cupful)
Cheese (3/4 oz just isn't enough)
Crispy skin of chicken and turkey (how can something so yummy be so bad for me?)
Peanut Butter (I don't even keep a jar in the house anymore)
Whipped Cream (thank heaven for Light Cool Whip)
Apple Pie, Apple Crisp, especially warm (I've been known to nibble a pie to death )
Warm homemade rolls (who can stop with one?)

I'm sure I have more of both red and yellow foods, but that gives you some idea what I'm up against.

Let's all try to have a totally OP Wednesday. ok?
LindaBC

Hi Friends,

So far I'm OP for the day - 5 breads, 4 pro, 1 veg, 2 milks, 2 personal choices. I was thinking about going off tonight because 1) I've eaten all my good food today and 2) DH will not be home so I can "sneak eat" I'll just say NO!

J-Ann, Good work on your weight loss this week! It's one day, one meal at a time! Your leader has a good point but don't forget the my favorite green light slimey veg - boiled okra! Yummmmm! My red light foods are: pizza, chocolate, any dessert, butter, and fast food. My yellow light foods are cheese, pasta and potatoes. I'll think about the effect these have on my eating this week. Thanks for sharing!


LindaBC, Starting over again is the only way to go. You can do it! Isn't it funny how a success gives the in ones brain permission to undermine oneself? Well, not ha-ha funny, more like "turned funny" !

Hi to everybody else. The gauntlet is down, let's all have an OP Wednesday and great OP week!

Love,

Mel
264/247.5/237.5 (10% mini goal)