Hi all.

My goals this week are:

1. No granola and yogurt for breakfast. Swap out that for oatmeal.
2. No blue cheese dressing. Too much fat in it and I drown my food in it.
3. No sunflower seeds this week. Too much fat and I snack too much on them.

Also, I want to be down two pounds at my next weigh in.

Be good!

Chach

I'm screwing up, guys! I've been eating terribly. Fried foods, carbs, fat, everything but the sugar, and that's primarily because there isn't any in the house, or I'd be eating that, too. Actually, Ijust remembered, I did eat that, too (3 tootsie rolls left over from Halloween).

Ok, the damage is done, but its not permanent. I am going to try to get through the rest of the night without eating anything at all. Tomorrow will be a new day, although a challenging one, because Linda is leaving for a quick trip out of town.

I'm going to skip the weigh-in tomorrow, too. That will just depress me. My goal is to get back to where I was before I got into this mess by next Saturday.

Hope everyone else is doing better than me.

Ok - things have stabazied somewhat. I got to the gym both Saturday and Sunday. I had a particularly good and satisfying workout on Sunday.

I have a nasty tendency of losing weight by dieting and putting off the exercise until I take off a few more pounds so that it will be easier. Then, when I exercise, I justify eating thingst that I had not eaten when I lost the weight. Then, the exercise slacks off, but I keep eating as if it hadn't. I started to slip back into that last week.

P.J. O'Rourke once wrote that all diets can be summed up in four words: Eat less, exercise more. Or, was it eat more, exercise less? Gotta keep that straight somehow.

Be well,

Dan

Good morning, Dan.

Okay, here is the Drill Sergeant and I am telling you to get back on track. I see you haven't posted over the weekend, so I am hoping you didn't drown in a pool of bad food. Get back on track, suck it up and get focused. (I'm trying my "Mean Mommy" attitude. Did it work? )

We all have those letdowns, and I try to not let them get me down. Look at me last week. 0.6 pounds? What a rip! So, I changed a few things, and it seems to be working for me. I will be able to tell that for sure when weigh in comes on Wednesday night, but I already feel better.

Maybe you should try just a few things, and not so many at once. If you are too restrictive, you are going to go overboard and binge. At least that I what I always do.

I know your cruise is coming up, so how about focusing on getting your run/walk in every day, because you can do that on the boat, and then cutting out the sugar or fats? You know when you get on that cruise boat you will want to indulge, so take care of it ahead of time.

My hubby left last night for Hawaii for a week. Not a vacation, but work. Why can't I get a job that takes me to Hawaii? Anyway, where I was going with this is that it's easier for me to focus on the diet when he is gone. I don't have to cook as much, and my son and I get on a real good schedule. I am actually looking forward to weigh in this week, and how sick is that?

Okay, Lucky and Chequita, where are you girls? Also, hello Raven if you are lurking. I still haven't seen anything about Jolly, so I was wondering if she was okay.

Chach

Thanks, Sarge!

I've got the eating back under control -- not as good as it should be, but pretty darn good when compared to the "old me." Although I've eaten some things that I should not, I have managed to steer clear of the real binge inducers. Even a really bad day now is a lot better than what a typical day used to be like.

Yes, the cruise is coming up. YES! Just 11 more days now. No, my weight is not going to be where I wanted it to be, but, you know what, I decided that I deserve to enjoy myself even if I am still heavy. So there. I weigh 10 pounds less than I did when I "recommitted" myself 8 1/2 weeks ago, and 40 pounds less than I did a year ago. Whether I wanted to do better or not, that's still pretty good. And, I don't have to wait until I lose more to enjoy life - - or the cruise!

This is going to be a real celebration. I had mentioned before that this trip is the "make up" for the 15th anniversary one that we had to cancel when Linda was sick. So, we really have much to celebrate with her recovery.

And, I do have a plan to avoid gaining back those 10 pounds while I'm on board. Those elevators? Forget 'em. Just taking those stairs constantly will burn up lots of calories. Also, I tend to wake up real, real early (it is 4:00 am now, for example). I get up and walk But, this time, I'll probably do some running. I plan to continue the weight lifting while on board, too.

As for eating, well, I expect I'll have things that I would not ordinarily have. I'll make sure to avoid empty carbs w/out protein in order to avoid binges, and I'm going to control the portions.

Hope you are all having a great week

Dan

Hello Dan! I guess we crossed posts. Didn't mean to yell at you so badly! If I would have seen your post that you were back on track, I would have been more kind!

I can't believe your cruise is coming up so quickly. Your wife must be incredibly excited, huh? That's so wonderful and congrats on your 15 years! My hubby and I hit the 5 year mark this coming October. Yep, we are young'uns!

My eating has been real good so far today. Snacked a little more than I would have liked to last night, but that's okay. Instead of chocolate or fatty chips, like I would have normally tried, I opted for Baked Lays and graham crackers with lite Cool Whip. It actually was quite tasty. I did go over by 3 points yesterday, but that was okay because I am still within my Flexpoints range.

Weigh in is tomorrow. I'm not going to kid you guys, I'd love to be down five to make up for the bad week last week, but I am still saying, JUST ONE POUND IS ALL I NEED RIGHT NOW. Shows progress towards the end goal.

Well, back to work for me.

Hope everyone is doing well. Chequita, how much more have you lost this week? You are doing so well.

Chach

Chach:

I hadn't even noticed that we had posted at almost the exact same time. Very funny!

I got on the scale yesterday morning and was down several pounds to 224. This was a most welcome development, as I had crept back up to 228. It is clearly the increased exercising paying off. I had tried a private diet counseling service a few years ago and did very, very well with it. In retrospect, it was very similar to South Beach, but more emphasis on low fat than South Beach, and it followed the American Diabetes format of so many proteins, so many carbs, etc., like the old WW program before they went to points.

Anyway, there was a rather emphatic statement in the materials to the effect that the ONLY long-term solution to a weight problem was weight training. My counselor pointed that out to me and asked me to think about it. My experience that week has caused me to think more seriously about it. The idea is that place where calories are burned is the muscles. By increasing muscle mass, you raise your base metabolic rate. That is why men, who generally have significantly more muscle mass, have an easier time losing weight. It is also one of the reasons (if not the primary reason) why it is harder to maintain weight as we age - - muscle mass reduces w/ age.

Dan

good morning all. i am doing great. weigh in monday showed a 2 lb. loss. haven't been able to get to the gym yet this week, but i will be there tomorrow afternoon. chach i am sure that weigh in will be fine. sounds like you have really been on track. danny congrats on the loss. i think we all have the problem with bad food. i know i really have to watch it. i am getting better at it and finally not letting food control my life, but i slip every once in awhile. the crime isn't falling, it's staying down, or thinking what is the use of getting back up at all. hope all of you are doing great. talk to you all later.

*poking my nose in again*

Dan - you are precisely correct. That's one of the reasons you'll see me pushing weight training so much. So many women are dead set against it because they don't want to get "too bulky" Ok - then stay with lower weights, more reps, but please... weight and resistance training have so many benefits besides just building muscle, too. Bone mass was measured to increase in people who even lifted lighter weights, so it helps with osteoporosis, too. The one reason I am not as consistent with it as I should be now is that many times it will stall out scale successes because I tend to put on muscle fast. And since muscle masses more than fat, my scale will often either stop moving completely, or actually climb. And right now, psychologically, I need to see those numbers drop. I'll wrestle this one out. Eventually I'll see a number on the scale that I don't mind staying at for a while, then start lifting heavy again. Eventually, the weight of the added muscle won't argue with the weight of the lost fat, and I'll see scales numbers drop again. But for now.. I lift light and do mostly cardio. Also.. it's nice to lose the fat and see MUSCLES showing up under there!!

Hello Everyone!

Dan (and Raven) thanks for the info on why men can burn it off more quickly. You know, I hadn't thought about that before and it makes sense. So, I have the 50's to look forward to for him not taking it off so quickly, huh? Actually, I'm glad that it's coming off quicker for him. He gets real discouraged easily (yes, more than myself) and it's great for him to see results. Plus,with him being Air Force, they do have a weight program and he was 5 pounds over his max. Also, Dan, congrats on getting back down to the lower weight. It's working, just keep doing what you are doing.

Chequita: Girl, you kick butt! Another 2 pounds without going to the gym? You have to be so proud of yourself. That is quite an accomplishment in such a short amount of time.

Okay, weigh in tonight! Actually, I am looking forward to it. I think it's going to get me my 5 pound bookmark. Don't want to jinx it, but I think I am down a bit. Making those three changes was probably a real good idea. Plus, I realized how much salad dressing I am actually using. It's way too much. It's costing me over 6 points per salad, and I only get 30 a day. I changed that last night. I switched over to rice vinegar. It tastes about the same and it doesn't cost me any points. I also realized the yogurt I am eating is only 1 point, not the two that I thought it was. Might not sound like a lot, but that one point is the value of a WW giant fudge ice cream bar. Wahoo!

I'll check in tomorrow to report the new goal for me this week and also the loss (hopefully) or gain (hopefully not).

Chach

Hey, Chequita - way to go! You are really making some good, steady progress.

Chach - hope you got that bookmark. Giant fudge ice cream bar - 1 pt. HHHmmm

Cruise countdown - 9 days! Did I mention that this is the first trip that Linda and I have taken w/out the kids in over 4 years? Well, a couple of long weekends aside, but that's not the same. We are really excited.

Have a good day, everyone!

danny, i am so envious of the cruise. it sounds heavenly. i wouldn't know what to do without kids running around. i hope our trip this summer to mexico will be childless.
chach, come on and let us know about wi. my fingers are crossed for you, but i know you will do great, you really have been working hard. hope to talk to you all soon. bye for now. keep up the good work.

Hi Guys!

Okay, here are my official results: Lost 4.2 pounds last week! I am 0.2 pounds shy of my dang bookmark!!! I am so excited to have a great weigh in, so the disappointment of not getting the bookmark is minimal. Honestly, if I would have went to the bathroom before I weighed in I might have hit the mark. Oh well. I am so pleased with myself about the loss and doing as well as I did!!

My loss is now at 4.8 for the two weeks. Not too bad, huh? Wahoo.

Okay, so today is the day for me to post my new goals for the week.

1. Maintain last weeks goals.
2. Swap out my regular salad dressing for rice vinegar. No points, and it tastes about the same if I add a couple of marinated artichoke hearts.
3. Use no "Flex points" this week. Stay only in my point range and don't go over any day.

Dan: I'm so excited for your trip. I have to say I am also jealous. I am so happy for you and your wife that you get to experience a trip without the kiddies. Yes, 1 point for the WW giant fudge bars. So good! They come six in a box, so it's a pretty good value.

Chequita: A trip to Mexico? Where was I when everyone decided to go on vacations this year? My vacation is actually in May. Down with my son to see my family while my hubby is in Thailand. (Unless the doc and I decide to move up my breast reduction surgery to this summer. Then I'll have to save my leave time for the recovery.)

Okay, here is to a great week. Whoever gets on here first tomorrow morning, start the new thread.

Chach

chach, CONGRATS on the wi never had any doubt. again CONGRATS!!

Audrey, thanks so much! I feel so good today! I'm trying to keep up with you and your amazing loss!

Chach