Off to catch up on last week's thread. I'll be back afterwards.
Judy

Pat – It’s good to hear from you. I’m glad to hear that Darrell’s surgery went well. You must be very proud of Sara – that’s great! Sorry to hear about the work stress with your boss retiring. I’m sure you’ll find something but I understand how the prospect of job hunting is stressful. It sounds like you’ve been doing well even if you’ve been off the program – sounds like practice for maintenance! Yes, I’m sure that pound is from the graduation day eating. Good for you for getting in your walks – you’re more than half way back to program already!

Carla – Happy belated anniversary! I hope John is feeling better and you had a fun family weekend.

We had a great time at the game. I weighed everything about my sandwich and pretty much stuck to program although I did slip and have a box of cracker jacks (I gave Tony the peanuts but it still put me above max. My weigh in was a little disappointing. I lost 0.2 (basically maintenance) which I suppose is OK considering a lot of it was probably water retention from the sandwich at the game, but I was looking at a 2 pound or so loss in my sneak peek on Thursday. Oh well – maybe I can recover it for this week. AC was fun – I wasn’t totally OP (I didn’t count points and I did have dessert after Sat’s dinner) but Tony and I did get out for a ½ walk on Sunday. We had a good time but it was good to get home – I always stay up too late in AC and we were both pretty tired last night. I did go over max by 1 point last night but plan on making it up today. The sneak peek this morning was up but we had hot dogs (and pickles!) last night and I’m sure it’s water retention. Time to guzzle that water.

Judy
163.5/ 157.6/135

Hi everyone -

Judy- Don't be discouraged about the number on the scale Saturday morning. I'm sure it's water retention from the sandwich, as you said. Stay on track and you'll see those 2 pounds and then some this Saturday. Sounds like you had a great weekend! I haven't had Cracker Jacks in quite awhil - I'll have to work them in as a treat sometime soon.

We ended up going out to eat Friday night - nowhere fancy because we had Ana with us, but one of our favorite restaurants. Saturday was a "get things done at home" day and yesterday we went to my Mom's because my Aunt and Uncle were in town. I'm posting a maintain for the week, which is a good result to a not great week. My goal for this week is simple: journal everything everyday as soon as possible after I eat it. I think I can manage that without any problems.

Make sure to read the announcement Suzanne posted at the top of each thread. We're in danger of losing this wonderful place.

Talk to you all later.

Carla
260/260/140

I think I have found the key to staying OP.

I am ditching my scale. I am giving it to someone else. The darn thing, I don't know what to do about it, these yoyos are killing my resolve. If I don't know how much I weigh, I can stay OP and get healthy, no matter what the numbers say.

So I'm getting rid of it TOMORROW morning and I will just be posting how I'm doing OP and exercising.

Hope you all have a good week!

Jennifa
209/205 (well, I WAS down to 197!!!)/170

Judy - Don't let the number on the scale Saturday get to you. I'm sure it was water retention. Sounds like you had a good w/e. I started out doing pretty well, but the last week or so I've been eating everything in sight. I really need to come here for that motivation.

Carla - Happy Anniversary. Congratulations on the maintain. My other boss did mention that maybe I could work for him another day, but I really don't think he has enough work to make it worth it and I don't want him to pay me to sit and do nothing.

Jennifa - Definitely get rid of the scale. You'll know the program is working when your clothes get looser.

I'm up another pound this morning. I have done a lot of "who cares" eating the last week. I had a good day back OP though. I got up early and went for a walk/jog (very little jogging). That seemed to get me back in the right frame of mind. I stayed away from the cookies at work and took another walk tonight.

Talk to you later.
Pat
(178/146/135)

You all are not going to believe this.

Sneak peek today: 215.

How did I gain 10 pounds in 1 day? I didn't even have time to eat dinner! My points? about 30.

That scale is GONE. And good riddance, I say.

Today I am BACK OP and having a GOOD day at it, too. Hope you are all doing super great. I am going for a bike ride tonight.

Judy, I think you can tell what I think you should do to your scale!

Pepper, keep up the exercise. It will help you beyond belief.

Cece, congrats on your maintain! It is SO hard to eat out and not gain. I have pretty much come to the conclusion that if I eat out more than once a week I will gain weight. So sad, but true.

jennifa
209/215 /170

Hi everyone,
I have had a pretty good o.p week banked some points so I could go out for Itailan with hubby and friends.Been walking 5 nights a week for 45 min. I lost 3 pounds this week, but that's because the scale would'nt budge last week!

Jennifa~ There is no way you gained 10 pounds in 1 day, it has to be water weight, or your scale is seriously screwed up
Get yourself a new scale and drink a ton of water.

Jennifa - Hope you enjoyed the bike ride. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my weight fluctuate so much in one day. I definitely think you should forget about getting on the scale and just keep eating OP and exercising.

Caseyboo - Congratulations on the great loss. Way to go getting in the walking. As much as I hate to admit it, I know I have to exercise to get to goal.

I did it!! I took Laura to DQ tonight and didn't get anything. It was a last minute trip and I didn't have enough points for what I wanted. It was a struggle standing in line trying to decide if I would eat, but I was able to resist.

Talk to you later.
Pat

Pepper and Caseyboo, thanks for your support!

I think the scale is accurate; I took measurements and I've lost 3 inches off my waist in the last 2 days. I'm back to fitting into my clothes today. I know it's crazy to gain that much water weight. I've tried everything, nothing works. A naturopathic diet plan helped about 20% but in the long run it's a difficult and expensive way to live. This is all probably related to my TOM difficulties (endo? who knows?) - at least I'll be a skinny lady when I hit "the change"!

But it doesn't matter - the scale is gone. Freedom! I'm OP today and doing well.

Yes, the bike ride was wonderful. My bike is a pink beach cruiser and people just smile when they see it. It's nice to make people happy while I exercise! That could be why I want to ride it every single day. I highly recommend wearing sunglasses or glasses, though. There are lots of little lawn bugs that can get in your eyes. (gross but true - got one in my MOUTH yesterday, wonder how many points that is!!

Pepper, you are the QUEEN of self-control! YOU get to wear the crown for the day!!

Hi everyone -

I missed you all yesterday. I was off to the doctor with Ana for her 3rd year checkup. Spent a lot of time in the car and mercifully, Ana took a nice long nap and I did too!

Jennifa - Sounds like getting rid of the scale is a really good move for you, especially since your weight fluctuates so wildly. You can always find a scale to do checkpoints, but the way you feel, the way your clothes fit, and your measurements will all tell you how you're doing.

Caseyboo - Congrats on a great weight loss and on getting in all that walking.

Pat - Yay for the control at DQ. You're awesome. Sounds like you're firmly back on track.

I had a good OP day on Monday. Yesterday we went to a Polish buffet for dinner. I know I went over pionts - not even sure how to count most of it - but I did much better than I would have in the past. I loaded up on tossed salad, skipped all the creamy, mayo based salads, except for a taste of a couple, ate small portions and passed on things I can get any old time (like corn) for special things I rarely have the opportunity to have. I left with my hunger sated but in no way feeling stuffed. And I've journaled it all, which was my main goal for this week.

Last night I stayed up to watch Oprah. Don't know if any of you watch her, but every Tuesday Dr. Phil McGraw is on dispensing advice, etc. He is billed as a life strategist, which sounds very self-helpy, etc., but actually is very good. At any rate, four months ago he did a series of shows on weight loss (none of which I watched) and yesterday he did a show on keeping your motivation. A lot of what he said really resonated with me. All of it is simple stuff I already knew, but hearing it discussed really made it hit home. For instance:

1) You don't have to want to do it every day [stay on your eating program], you just have to do it. If you're not motivated to do it, do it any way. You don't need to be motivated, you just need to do it. If we control what we eat only when we want to, we'll never lose weight.

2) A year is going to go by, whether you control your eating or not. Whether you're heavier or lighter at the end of the year is up to you.

3) You have to visualize what your desired outcome will be. You have to see yourself with all your weight lost.

4) You have to have a plan and implement it every day, for that day. Don't get caught up in how long it will take.

5) Grow up. It's not always fun to watch your weight, it's often tedious, but if you're going to do something about it, just do it.

So - sacrificing sleep to watch Oprah paid off for me in renewed determination and some simple mottos to bring out when I'm struggling.

Have a good day everyone.

Carla

Jennifa - Glad to hear the clothes are fitting better today. Its great that you are enjoying your bike so much...just remember to keep your mouth closed from now on.

Carla - Sounds like you did a good job at the buffet and way to go journaling it. I did see Dr. Phil on Oprah yesterday. A lot of what he said hit home with me too...especially "grow up". I know I don't always want to do this, but I need to. It may not be fair, but I still have to deal with it.

I had a pretty good day today. I went for a walk this morning and again tonight. Work was really stressful, but I stayed away from the cookies. The sneak peek this morning wasn't good, but its really hot and Tue/Thurs boss' air conditioner is broken. I worked four hours in the heat yesterday and I think it caused me to retain water. I've been guzzling today so hopefully it will be gone soon.

Talk to you later.
Pat

Hi everyone -

Greetings from hot and muggy Chicago.

Judy - Where are you? I hope that work isn't crazy for you.

Pat - I'm still thinking about Dr. Phil. Nothing he said was new or earthshaking. It was all stuff I knew. But somehow, just hearing him say it really made a difference for me. Yay for you for passing on the cookies despite the stress and for getting in those walks! I'm sure that you're retaining water due to the heat. If you're having the weather we're having, I couldn't imagine working without AC. Don't let the sneak peek get to you.

I had a good day yesterday. Ended up eating one point above minimum and had to push to get there. As I've said, I've really been doing a lot of thinking since seeing Dr. Phil on Oprah. I realize that I have so many changes to make. Some of them are "diet" related - must eat more fruits and veggies, get in more milk, etc. and some are behavior related - must stop eating so quickly, must implement 20 minute rule consistently, etc. I guess my most helpful realization is that I can't make all of these changes at once - it's far too overwhelming. So I'm sticking with my goal to journal everything this week and next week I'll add something and I'll keep adding, as I feel comfortable, until I'm where I want to be. I figure if I work on all that I need to, the points will almost take care of themselves.

Have a great day everyone.

Carla

Ok, Pepper, I'll keep my mouth shut!!! It's not the FIRST time I've heard THAT!!!

Cece, thank you for sharing what's helping you. It IS really hard to take that we have to do this for the rest of our lives.

But I'm looking at food differently now, and I've come to the realization that there are going to be days when I am not 100% perfectly OP. The important thing is to do it right as much as I can. I love fruit and I don't mind if it takes more fruit than veggies to get my 5 a day. I usually get about 7 f&v a day. My other coping strategy is to fast 1 day per week. It's doctor supervised but it helps me to know that food isn't my safety net.

It rained last night so I didn't get to ride, and that wasn't good. Today I feel sooo fat but it's almost TOM. I saw a line on my thigh today! It's a muscle line! woo hoo! My calves are looking firmer, too.

Is it just me or is every single day this week a Monday?!?! My dentist's office has recommended that I take some kind of relaxant before I sleep - I'm clenching my teeth too much. All these are signs that I really ought to be lounging by a pool eating bonbons and drinking pina coladas. Excuse me - swimming 30 minutes per half hour and drinking lots of water.

Hey - easy recipe - about 5 minutes to make:
juice 6 large carrots
juice 1 Granny Smith apple
3T rice flour
bring to a boil and serve with a little bit of mascarpone cheese on top. YUM YUM! I'm usually not big on soups because they are high in salt (or taste awful!) and often have beef or chicken bouillon in them. This one doesn't and it's tangy, you get some veggies in, it's easy, and very filling. Plus it's sweet from the apple so you get that satisfaction, too. No preservatives, no additives, just soup. NOTE: It doesn't work if you don't have a juicer. If you don't have one, you'd better get on it and get one!!! SO great to have FRESH pineapple juice. (can you tell I hate cooking?)

Back to the grind...

Hi all - sorry I haven't been around but this week has been crazy. I hope to get back here later this morning and catch up a bit. I've been doing well on the eating side of things - not my usual on the exercise although I did get a workout in on Monday and yesterday.

Gotta run to a meeting - I hope to be back later to catch up. In case I don't get back {{{{{HUGS}}}} to you all.

Judy

Caseyboo - Congrats on a great weight loss and on getting in all that walking.

Jennifa - I think getting rid of the scale since your weight fluctuates that much will be very helpful. Love the picture of you on the pink beach cruiser! I think a key to being consistent about exercise is doing something you enjoy.

Pat - Way to go on your self-control at DQ's - WOW! I hope you gave yourself lots of kudos for that! Way to go on getting the walk in. I hope that air conditioner gets fixed soon - I would be melting at my desk! Another "atta girl" on passing up the cookies even while you were so stressed.

Carla - Way to go on how well you did at the Polish buffet! The way you handled that is the way I'd like to handle things like that - I think it's a key to our long-term healthy lifestyle. I did see the original Dr. Phil show a few months back. I think I may have taped the one you stayed up for - but I may have overwritten it - I'll have to check. Thanks for taking the time to put down those steps. I'm going to print them out. It's hot and muggy in NYC too. I think taking things one step at a time sounds like a good strategy.

Whew - what a week. As I said before, I'm doing OK program wise this week. I'm going into the weekend with 4 activity points banked (I had more but I ate some of them last night). What I need to work on (believe it or not) is how to stay consistent on my exercise with work getting (and staying) so crazy. I told myself a couple of times this week that I would get up extra early to work out and opted to sleep longer every single time. I have to figure something out - on the days I telecommute (Mon & Thurs) I can always get a workout in either before I start work or at lunchtime. It's the other days I have to work on. This weekend will have some challenges for me - my family is coming over to celebrate my father's birthday and Father's Day and then Sunday we're going to my sil's. There will be cake at both events but I got an OK from Tony to keep one piece of cake for himself tomorrow and bring the rest out to my sil's and give it to his father (who always takes desserts home and eats them during the week). The main courses on both days shouldn't be a problem (my sil is making turkey) although it will be easier for me tomorrow since I can control the side dishes better.

I'd better get going - it's good to finally have a chance to check in here. Have a great (point friendly) weekend!
Judy