Sugarbutt--Just a little note...from what I know of each (having never smoked either), smoking cigarettes is actually worse for you than smoking pot. Not that I'm saying pot is good, nor am I condoning it, but I think you should look into things like that before you go ahead and start a habit that could literally take YEARS off your life. Cigarettes are so not worth using just to cut a few cravings, nor are they worth using just to impress narrow-minded friends who don't think you're cool for not smoking or whatever...what are they, twelve?! I have had plenty of friends who smoked plenty of pot (my roommate smoked every single day, and I even had to hide her bong once when she left it out on the coffee table and my parents came to visit me ), but I have yet to be pressured into smoking anything. Of course, you never mentioned being pressured, but obviously you feel the need to do something similar to what they are doing in order to fit in/not feel left out. SO maybe smoking will help you to cut food cravings, but is it worth it to be thinner at the expense of smelling like a nasty ash tray and having yellow teeth and unhealthy hair and nails (not to mention the obvious multiple cancers and emphysema you're putting yourself at much higher risk for)? Personally, I'd rather have a friend who's a little overweight than one who stinks up every room she walks into. I'm really not trying to be mean, but I really think it's an absolutely insane idea, and I don't see any good logic behind that thought process at all.

Okay, that's the end of Jill's after-school special...I now return you to your regularly scheduled message board

Good points Jill. I just wanna add one more thing. When I quit smoking was when I started to gain, what ended up being 40 pounds! If you quit before you become addicted you won't have to worry about the weight gain which is associated with it. I don't mean to get on your case in any way, but I have smokers in my family and had a close friend's grandma die a painful miserable death due to a smoking related disease. Please stop now, you'll thank yourself later! Once you get down to your goal weight you'll think to yourself "Man, I really wanna be healthy all the way around" and then you'll quit, and then you may gain. Don't risk your health and your future, and possible frustration because of a tumor causing teeth staining smelly puking habit (remember that one!?) We just care about you and don't want to see you put yourself in jepordy!!

Anyway. Happy Monday everyone! Here's to a good week!

Good morning everyone! Apologies again for not being around much lately, this wrist stuff is killing me (I have an appt with a specialist next Monday, we'll see what he says). I ate a lot again this weekend. Made an apple pie since we had all these apples, AND I had ice cream Saturday. At least I resisted some temptation -- we went to Friendly's and instead of getting a big bacon cheeseburger I got soup and salad. I figured if I was going to follow it with half an ice cream sundae, I ought to be good! Dinner Saturday was prepared food from Whole Foods, plus the apple pie I made. Yesterday I tried a squash pasta recipe from Martha Stewart Living - yummy, probably not the lowest-cal option though (even though I modified it). BF made some healthy split pea soup though so I am going to have some of that for lunch today. Also no gym today -- it's closed for Columbus Day! I really ought to get to work now though, I have a lot to do and I've been wasting time all morning.

Have a good week everyone! I hope your weather is better than ours, it's been overcast and rainy since Friday.

Good Morning Ladies,

I'm back to the boards on a regular basis now. I took some time off, due to school, but found that I was getting off track. I had no one to be accountable to, and this website has really helped me in the past, so I"m back with regular postings.

I quit smoking in April, after being a smoker for ten years! Don't start, if you want to have a long and healthy life you can't smoke. You can't get on a treadmill or eliptical without sounding like an asthmatic. One of the many reasons...not to mention, smoking is a sure way to KILL you, you WILL die from smoking, it is killing you slowly. It's not worth it, please don't start smoking! Chang your surroundings! Put something else in your hand. Stay occupied when temptation creeps up.

Hey ladies! Just checking in for the week...

I finally broke my plateau last Thursday morning by 1/2 lb but then I went on a weekend beach trip to Myrtle Beach with the chicks in my family and we ate some pretty bad stuff...however, I did get in TONS of exercise!! Alas, when I stepped on the scale this morning I was back up 1.5 lbs...but, today is a new day and I have confidence it's just water weight!

I have lots of stress in my life right now too which doesn't help things but I'm trying to control it...wish me luck on that one!

Hope everyone has a great week...I'll check back in at some point!

Hi ladies!

Things are going a bit better here. I think I might have broken through my mental barrier that was telling me to be lazy! I have a better plan of what exercises to do on what days so I'm cross training and not ALWAYS doing the bike. I actually did 1/2 hour of weights today and my WATP tape yesterday!! Yes, you read that correctly. After saying I should do weight training for 2 months (or longer) I actually started and did it today. We're also taking the kids bowling tonight so I'll be good and sore tomorrow! I don't care though, because I did it! Yay me! I also tried the instructional tape for my new Tae Bo tapes (got 6 at a garage sale for $5.00) and I just dont' think I"m coordinated enough for it. I did have a chocolate craving last night that wouldn't quit...sweet wouldn't do, just chocolate so I made 2 chocolate chip pancakes and they were yummy. Fast and I got my fix. It was ok though because I had the calories left over since we had soup for dinner.
Hope everyone is having a successful week! The weekend is over so we can all get back on track if we faltered a bit! Paperclippy, your apple pie sounds good! We went to an apple festival and I HAD to have a caramel apple which I don't regret a bit! We all need a little bit of a treat every once in awhile.

Amber

Amber, I am with you on the Tae Bo thing...I have tried a few times and just am not coordinated. I can do almost anything else but Billy's moves just trip me up. Congrats on the weights-you'll really start to see a difference soon!

I have today off for Columbus Day so it's been nice to sleep in a little bit, then hit the gym and then shopping! Not that there is much in Brownwood but I had fun and got a much-needed haircut as well. Hope everyone's weeks are starting off well.

Hey guys with the smoking thing. I know people say it "cuts cravings" but I agree it takes off years of your life. My dad had cancer and although it was NOT from smoking because he never did, cancer is in my family so I would NEVER do it because what's the point of increasing my chances. If he were alive now and found out that I smoked he would be so disappointed in me.

byebigbutt (I'm SO in love with your name, BTW )--maybe weighing only once a month is a good suggestion. If the numbers bother you, then don't look at the numbers as often! Do you take measurements at all? Sometimes when adding exercise(s), our bodies kinda morph around on the inside, but the scale isn't so friendly, so you could actually be losing inches while not losing weight. Or, does your gym have one of those scales that you stand on barefoot and it measures your body fat percentage and lean body mass? I LOVED that at my last gym--I lost over 10% of body fat in about 7 weeks of working out (both cardio and weights) and doing South Beach, although I had only lost a few pounds in that entire time, so I had been upset about the slow weight loss. Man, seeing those percentages change really made it all worthwhile!

As for me, I got a new couch! Okay, so it's not really new. It's a used one I bought off of Craigslist, but it is in really great shape. Check it out here. Things are falling perfectly into place--new apartment, new furniture, new roommate...of course, as exciting as the others are, the new roommate part is the one I am most excited about (my Jeff)

byebigbutt - here's a wonderful quote from Krista @ www.stumptuous.com

When beginning a strength training program it's probably wise to stay away from your scale, or throw the dang thing out altogether. You see, muscle is denser than fat, meaning that if you take the same volume of fat and muscle, the muscle will weigh more. Women who train with weights often find that their weight actually increases, but that they become leaner. I know when I began lifting weights I gained ten pounds but remained the same clothing size. Thus judging fitness level by weight alone can be misleading. It's much better to judge by how you look and how your clothing fits.

You may notice a sudden size or weight increase in the first several weeks of training. This sometimes happens to novice trainers as a result of water retention. It freaks newbies out because they figure that they've bulked up overnight. Nope, it's just water. It's temporary and will go away eventually. Unless they're taking a buttload of drugs, nobody gains five pounds of muscle in two weeks.

I noticed I didn't lose any weight at all for the first 2 or 3 months of weight training. Now it's just coming off slowly (I think) and I only weigh in once a month. I find my shape is changing and my muscles are showing and that's more important than seeing the number on the scale now! I also take photos every month just to see what really is happening!

If you're eating right and drinking all your water and exercising properly, don't worry about what the scales say!

That's a great idea! Do you mind if I steal it? Right now, I'm losing weight pretty quickly, but I know that's going to slow soon, and I am also an obsessive measurer.

Hi ladies,

What a quiet week on this thread! I'm freaking out about my body right now. This week I haven't been eating at a calorie deficit to lose this weight. I haven't been overeating either, but still. My problem (erm, this week) is that I eat really well and get home from work and snack on my roommate's unhealthy snacks, thus negating any calorie deficit achieved. I'm having an unusually long period, started taking BC pills 5 days ago, so I seem to be retaining water like it's my job. I hope it's just water from TOM and not BC, so will go away soon. Right? Right? To top it off, my face is breaking out like when I was 17. I've been keeping up the exercise since the beginning of the month, but am so discouraged right now I feel like there's no point.

Strength training is great! More muscle means your body will burn more calories even when at rest. I'm all for it.

Hey Megan, I am sure that it will go away. We had a thread about BC and weight gain and I think that we concluded that it wasn't true! Give it a couple days and I am sure that you'll be losing again!!!