Hola!

I spent a lot of time outside yesterday - first helping out my wilty tomato plant -- I repotted it and pruned it a lot and it is doing better today. We'll see... And then I cleared out a bed of weeds, including hacking at a lot of very stubborn woody ones, and mulched. Slowly I am reclaiming the yard.

Eating was good. I was so busy during the day that I barely ate. And at night I was able to enjoy 1 beer, and even some tortilla chips with our homemade pico de gallo (with a jalapeno and cilantro from the yard!). Dinner was one of my favorite at-home meals -- chicken fajitas. good day!

Ruby, I'm calorie-counting, too. Not as carefully as I should be, but...

Whew! Terri! Tell DH to toss that thing on the front seat next time!

Has anyone read *The End of Overeating*? I listened to the author on CSPAN last night and am actually feeling like I should read it, even though I usually eschew such books. But this is pretty research-based.

I've also been reading (for reasons other than personal!) articles from medical journals about weight loss surgery. It's kind of discouraging, because in all the trials that compare people who have WLS to those who don't, it's clear that WLS gets people to lose more, faster, and keep it off longer. BUT.... several articles note that there's nothing really magic about the surgery and suggest that the first thing to try is to make "conventional" weight loss therapy (you know, eat less and exercise more), more "intensive." In other words, all the attention given to weight loss by doctors, family, and the patient in WLS doesn't really compare to the low-key approach most of us take to lifestyle modification.

So I'm wondering: Have any of you done anything you consider "intensive" to make your lifestyle changes really stick? I'm thinking, for example, of forking out the dollars (when I have them) to pay for a personal trainer. But I want more ideas to find ways to make this a BIG DEAL, so if you've got 'em, let's hear 'em.

Angela -- I haven't read the "End of Overeating" but TWO other people have recently recommended it, so I'll be looking for it soon. I love the research-based stuff.

I think I have done things to make me more committed to weight loss/maintenance. I think that's a component of "intensive."

Getting a personal trainer has been excellent for me. For one thing, he pushes me (that is intensive). Another issue is that I rarely skip my appointments with him, and because of that, it helps keep me on track when I'm slipping. I then don't completely slip. I have also learned a lot from him. It's expensive, but worth it for me.

good morning,
Life is nuts here as always. Hubby has gone to his md this morning to get some antibotics for a horrible chest cold that hit him over the weekend. Just what we dont need seeing how the cath is friday.
My scales are up 4lbs still. Guess I need to go and record it. I was in the tbl and havent posted in a few weeks..maybe dropped already.Oh well

Today Im back to wearing my counter and making sure I get enough steps in.
I have also fallen into the habit of not eating breakfast till late...I love summers and not keeping kids full time but i sure need my fulltime routines.

The guys are a no-show on my house again today. I know its wet and painting would have to wait but I have a window they could replace until they are able to paint.GRRR I am going to tell him when we hired him I thought it would be a week or two job not drug out a few months.GRRr
sorry to rant!!!

I will eat right today..not letting hubby cheat this week at all. I hate feeling like a warden but thats just how it seems to be.
hugs to all

Morning ladies,

Re: the tomatoes. Our plants are overloaded with green tomatoes. Green is the key word there. Not sure why they aren't ripening. I need to spend some time on a gardening website at lunch to make sure we're keeping them disease and pest free. I'd hate for DH to cry about losing his tomatoes.

Yesterday was a better day than Saturday except I had an allergy headache all day. I pretty much allowed myself the day to just relax. I did get the laundry done and put away and worked on the bills. While I saved the majority of my files (whew) after the laptop died, I was not able to ressurect my Microsoft Money data because they stopped selling it. So I'm started anew with that in Quicken. I did order a used copy of the old Money to see if it will load on Vista; if not, I lose only $10. I just hate losing all the financial history. The other thing I lose is all my email addresses in Microsoft Outlook which I haven't figured out how to transfer to the new version. All very time consuming.

We had a lovely thunderstorm move through yesterday morning so it was a great day to just be relaxed. We watched Underworld as you're never too old for a good vampire/werewolf movie.

Food was good this weekend. The scale is very slowly inching downward. 267.0 this morning; not great but much better than it has been this past few months. Encouraging is what it is.

Angela, my thoughts exactly about putting the money bag in the truck. I wanted to say that many times when he was having the initial fit that I hadn't seen it. I didn't as I knew he wasn't seriously blaming me for losing it but in the heat of the moment... I pointed out when we both had regained some of our senses that there were multiple opportunities that we could each have done something different to prevent it. But in my mind, I still say PUT THE STUPID THING INSIDE.

Ruby, I'm kind of doing my own plan too. Mainly because I don't want it to be another "diet". I want it to be our lifestyle. I need to count the calories to keep perspective and I tend to go for the South Beachish style of eating. i.e. cut out the added sugars and over processed food. Portion size is key as well for me.

Angela, you are so right about the intensity of how we approach this to our level of success. I think Barb is a fantastic example of being intense and committed and look at her results. Whether you go with a PT, WLS, Jenny Craig, WW, SBD, or anything else, it is so about how we commit to the plan and make it work for us. I've known people with the lapband surgery that only lost 40 pounds and needed to lose much more. I can't imagine paying all that money, or even asking insurance to cover, and not working at it to be more successful. Same thing with paying a PT if you're not going to commit and work hard, then why bother? Which is the same thoughts I've had about the equine lessons - if I'm not going to work the horse or myself then why bother and why waste the money. It is getting that mental click that is the hardest part of all.

I better get this posted. I've rambled enough and better get to work.

to all!

Debi - Good to see you. Poor DH! Just a few days now. I understand about the routines and getting out of whack during the summer. That is why I finally got a morning routine going. Well almost. Its supposed to be get up before 5:30 and exercise; 6:00 get dogs up and outside and head out to do flymasks, flyspray and feed horses, 6:30 hit the shower, 6:50 put the dogs out into the kennel, 7:10 eat breakfast and leave for work by 7:15. Something comforting about a routine! and have a great OP day!

Terri -- Our wilted/thirsty celebrity is also full of green toms. they've been there a while too, not progressing. I was wondering if it was because they weren't getting enough nutrients. I also wonder if they'll be tasty if they do ripen!! I took a couple of wrinkly tomatoes off the vine yesterday. Figured green and wrinkled is probably not a good combo. On the plus side, it looks like one of the green toms is finally blushing. We'll see.

Routines. I love summer because I don't have to work as hard and have very little scheduled. But it also means there isn't much of a routine, and that can be a problem.

I'm back.

I've been sitting here trying to focus on work but keep thinking about Angela's comments about intensity. Also have been thinking of a way to help each other better. How about a "challenge for the week"? Something that we need to work on to build successful, longlasting skills.

Last week, or maybe the week before, we talked about planning and how important that is. We did great about posting our plans for a few days but we need to keep that going. Keep posting your daily (or as often as you can post) plans and how you're doing.

This week challenge can be about intensity. What can we do each day to increase intensity in our efforts. While we need to increase our physical intensity, I think that this week, we need to tackle our mental intensity.

I am going to dig out my horse show shirts that I can't wear right now and I am going to hang them somewhere that I see every day. That is going to be my beginning driver because if I can't wear the shirts and feel good, then there's no point in training the horse and I and spending all that money. And NO the shirts don't come any bigger and I WON'T have anything special made just so I can stay fat.

These are building blocks, ladies, that we need to work on each day. Planning and mental intensity.

Terri - I like it!

My intensity focus today is my workout tonight. Maybe I'm weird - but I don't eat wrong when I exercise - I won't throw the exercise out the window and "waste" it. I know that's a wrong way to think as exercise should be a basic component - but hey for now it's how it is.

Taking formal exercise classes with a trainer has been the best investment I have ever made. I did consider WLS surgery for a time but decided until I was ready to quit eating that tool would not work for me either. I'm glad I made the decision I did and have embraced a healthy living lifestyle that is working - never fast enough though. Patient is not a word used to describe me so I think that is part of my learning curve also.

Terri -- I like it too!!

I actually was thinking about that today when I did my treadmill exercise. There are lots of days that I can't jog and get intense that way, but today I decided to up the intensity by kicking up the incline... challenged myself a bit more!!

Tomorrow I work out with my trainer, so I know that will be an intense workout... but I think a good way for me to work on "intensity" tomorrow will be in my eating. I should be eating more protein, so I think I will work to get 25% of my calories from protein tomorrow AND have at least 7 servings of fruits and veggies. It means a protein shake and a big salad with my leftover chicken -- that would do it! It also means I've now already planned my meals for tomorrow!!

note: we're having company for dinner tonight and probably won't reach that goal today...

What else can people do to make things more "intense" -- to challenge ourselves???

Angela, regarding intensity, I made some serious commitments to myself and made major changes in how I did things when I started out on achieving my wellness goals this time. First, I decided I didn't just want to lose weight. It's a complete life makeover for me with regards to my health, and it involves diet, exercise, mental and emotional health, adequate sleep, good social connections, managing stress and creating the best support environment for me to achieve those goals.

I did make daily life changes with diet and exercise. My house is a junk food free zone. Every one at my house has to eat like me at home. I wear a GoWearFit armband so I don't fool myself with how much activity I've had in a day (I am really good at fooling myself).

I got public with my accountability, and I got a really great support team assembled (and you're all in that too!), plus I changed how I treated myself in public about my body. I'm not making fun of myself any longer. I don't let anyone get away with comments about me either. I tell people how much I weigh (when appropriate). I stay away from people who aren't supportive (except my mother, but if I really could stay away from her, I would!), and I hired people who really have helped me.

I had a wellness coach for a period of time. I went to Green Mountain Spa at Fox Run, VT, twice, and I plan to go back once a year. The staff there was instrumental in helping me get real perspective in what I need to do to lose weight. I have an excellent doctor that I see regularly. And I have an excellent therapist too. And it all costs me money. I wish I could do it without spending a penny, but I just can't.

I too looked at WLS recently, but I don't feel comfortable with it for me. But I also looked at what is done in order to lose the weight after the surgery. That's why I'm going for the Medifast. I can use it for periods of time, then balance it with some periods of maintenance. I know that I need to do this, that it's my big drastic step in order to achieve multiple goals.

I do see success on the horizon. I see it everyday, actually, in so many ways. Maybe that's just my natural state of mind. I was with some friends over the weekend who have had a hard year just like me. Some of them were so angry, demoralized and bitter. They were angry with me for not being more like them. I guess misery really does love company, but I don't find rolling around in my circumstance to be productive or comforting. I gotta keep moving!

So if I look at all of that positive energy and action on my part, why am I struggling so with losing weight now? Because I did lose weight with the initial changes to my life, nearly 50 lbs. And that's what all the experts say can be done with making the initial level of changes. But I've got another 100 to lose. I was hoping the initial changes would help me lose all the weight. I guess that was unrealistic. So the added intensity of the Medifast will help. And I accept that I do need to step up the exercise. When I lose more weight and can move more easily, the exercise intensity will increase too.

I guess this time, there's intensity of commitment involved as well. Because there's no going back!!!

Georgia

Wow, I like this attitude. Happy Monday!

Geo, you've done a lot of the things I've been considering. Unfortunately, I was supposed to have extra money this summer, but I've had a financial set back and I'm broke instead. Ah, I love being 42 and still not really financially secure. In any case, the stuff that costs money will have to wait a bit.

But I love Terri's idea. I know what I need to do to increase my mental intensity: commit to planning my food. I do count calories, but I don't really plan ahead. I have a group of friends who tend to decide to go out for meals, coffee, drinks, on the spur of the moment. The social part of that is important for me, but it means I have a hard time planning.

So what I'm going to do today is go to the grocery store, make a plan for tomorrow, and come back here and post it.

Debi, Don't feel back about stopping hubby from cheating. With a cath coming up, it's an act of love.

Hi everyone, happy Monday !

I weighed myself this morning, and I am down 10 lbs from last week's weigh in. Was a nice start to my day

Vortex .. I think the hardest adjustment for me is the social aspect, although for the last couple years I have avoided most "social" situations. Even though these situations like coffee or lunch with a friend can come up at any time, I still like to have a plan. I just plan on having a coffee with sweetener and low fat milk instead of the yummy latte I would rather have ;o or a nice big salad with grilled chicken breast instead of burger and fries. I think it really helped me prepare myself for that and have that mental plan, because I ended up going for coffee and lunch twice last week. I read this quote somewhere, and I try to think of it as much as I can now ... "if you don't have a plan, plan to fail". If only I had listened to that 150 lbs ago !!

Heather .. I'm really so in awe of you and your accomplishments. You (and everyone here really) give me hope and confidence that I can really do this, this time.

Ruby, YAY on 10 pounds down!

I make these resolutions about what I'll do in restaurants, but I don't seem able to follow through. Alas, most of my friends are thin--some just close to thin, others thin-thin-thin by nature. So we sit down and they order deep fried food and it just feels like I *ought* to be able to do the same, even though I can't. So I have to keep working on the follow through.

Tomorrow, though, I have a plan. Breakfast will be at the coffee shop, so it'll be a bagel and cream cheese. Yes, I know I'm spending an awful lot of calories at b-fast! Black coffee (that's how I always drink it). Lunch will be slimmer, but I'm going to bring it all and let myself graze throughout the day at the office: cottage cheese, yogurt, and crudite. Dinner will be brown rice with turkey sausage sliced and sauteed in olive oil with onions and peppers. Raspberries for dessert. Dinner will serve me for two days.