This thread is a sub-set of the 300+ thread.

This group is for those dealing with the challenges of having a significant amount of weight to lose and being fit which becomes harder after 40. If you're an old or new friend and not over 40 and feel this is the place to post, jump right in.
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Wow I got to start 2 threads in a row!!! to match my 2 days in a row OP!!!

Thin: You know the internet is off limits at my job, I can only check in in t he morning or at night.

I didn't exercise this morning, but it was planned. Have some errand I have to do before work. It's supposed to get icy here today, and you know we don;t handle winter weather here.

My ebay items went off Saturday and I'm not sure if I'll try any more before Christmas or not.

Well, I'd better get busy and get ready if I plan to get my errands done at to work in time.

Hope everyone has a great day

Good Morning Ladies!

Thin: I am SO sorry about the book! I totally forgot about it! (Except when I'd pick it up to re-read the good parts! ) I promise to get it in the mail tomorrow! on the 4.1! You and I are neck-n-neck on the Christmas goals! I'll cheer you on if you cheer me!

Ruth: Glad you are feeling better!

Terri: Did you guys get snow in KC? We didn't here...but they are still talking like it might soon. I have to admit, I'm kinda glad our new dogs are incredibly cold-natured little pups that have to have sweaters just to go pee! They don't expect walks when it's 19 degrees - as a matter of fact, they'd be really ticked if I tried to make them! (You know, we need a little shivering smilie.)

Leanne: 106! Yikes! I may complain about the cold...but I prefer the 19 we have here to 106! You mention the beach a lot. Do you live near the water? I totally love the ocean, how cool would it be to live by one!

Elmay: Sorry to hear about your boss. Scary too! All my family that is dead died of some sort of heart disease/hypertension. It was a driving factor in my weight loss. on your loss! I had to laugh when you said you weigh less than your driver's license says. My overall goal is my driver's license weight. I haven't changed it since I was 19 years old! Like the guys at the DMV really thought I still weighed 190 lbs when I was 300+.

Marge: You've done so well on your loss! What plan are you following? My winter coat is so old I actually got it when I was about this size, a 20, but it's a 26. I got it on sale $75 - it was a $200 coat - about 15 years ago! I needed a dress coat that would go over suit jackets. But now it's so old it isn't even warm and just feels so BIG. I guess I got used to it actually fitting me.

Barb: Good for you on two days OP! Keep up the good work!

Well, I have nothing new to report and, with replies done to all who have posted since I last did, I'll get to work now! Have a happy, healthy OP day everyone!

Barb, your graphics are really cute. Congrats on 2 days OP Those days add up fast

Elmay, my boss had a heart valve replacement a few months ago. It was all of a sudden. Hope your boss is ok. The advances they've made when it comes to heart surgery and care are so impressive. Hey, that camp looks GREAT. I'm ready! Vermont is such a beautiful place. Sigh.

thin, congrats on the 4.1 I've been waffling with my Christmas Challenge 2 lbs, And I've been bad about working lately. Tis the season to procrastinate!

Ruth, thanks. I do have plenty of ups and downs. Whenever I go on vacation it seems to take me weeks to get back on program. But I keep plugging away at it. I never lose when I get sick, I think the metabolism must slow down, plus I'm always a slugabed (saw that word in a crossword puzzle and I wanted to use it, heh) when I get the flu.

Terri it's getting really cold here in NY. Did you ever see that movie A Christmas Story? Mrs. Parker dresses little Randy in so many layers, he says "I can't move my arms! I can't move my arms!" That's me when I go out. And then Leanne is breaking out the sunscreen.... :

Lilion, I made a plan that I use at home that's based on Jenny Craig, so many calories broken up into so many fats, veggies, starches, etc. I've been building up my level of exercise over time. I try to stay at 1800 to 1900 calories, and I take Fridays off, but I've been toning it down so it doesn't become a free for all. Just if I feel like ice cream, or a piece of cake, or whatever, that's the day I indulge myself.

Chocolate is the on my shoulder. I could eat chocolate every day. At this point the exercise really saves me. I find it easier to get myself up and do exercise than I do to keep the calories down. It's hard not to wish that I would take the weight off faster. That's probably a universal feeling for anybody trying to shake off the pounds!

Well, off to do work. have a good one, ladies.

It's so nice to check in and see all the new messages!

My boss is doing pretty good -- they did an angioplasty with a stent. He's moved from the most serious ward to the next most serious ward. He'll have to be off work for another 2-3 weeks however. It is amazing what they can do with heart surgery these days. When my dad had his triple bypass, they did the surgery with his heart beating! I've heard that method has better results -- so far my dad is doing really well.

I was so thrilled last night -- at the gym, I was able to touch my toes. I think that might be the first time I've done that in like 5 years or so. Woo hoo!

When I moved to Oregon and got a new driver's license, I knew I was > 300 pounds, but I just couldn't stand to put that in writing. So I put 285 because it was in the ballpark.

Like Marge wrote, I too wish I could take the weight off faster, but I'm also concerned about ending up with this big sack of skin . My mom lost around 100 pounds in the past several years and she has a lot of excess skin. She's also almost 70, but still... The aesthetics bother me and also the concern about how am I going to do things like backpacking if I've got a bunch of extra skin. I'm not worrying about it too much at the moment -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed and also keeping in mind that excess skin + all this fat is a lot worse than just excess skin .

When I think about being thinner, I think about what if a normal-sized person wore a "fat coat" that weighed a hundred pounds. I've got 119 pounds of fat at the moment (according to the measurements my trainer has done) -- that's a heck of a burden. Sure is nice to be giving it up!

Have a great day all!

Hi All
Quick post before I start my day ... can you tell I just can't stay away from you girls?

Lilion, I am lucky enough to live within 5 - 10 minutes drive of 7 beaches. I live in a place which is a popular holiday destination here in Australia. So we do tend to spend a lot of time down there. My kids' highschool is a short walk to the beach, overlooking the harbour and during summer a lot of the teachers take the kids down there for lessons as it's cooler. One of the sports on offer is surfing! And of course they do a lot of swimming, offer sport sessions of snorkelling, and in the senior years some of the kids even get to learn scuba diving as part of a Marine Biology subject. The area around here is a marine park, so it's an ideal place to go scuba diving / snorkelling / swimming. Some days if I am feeling down I go for a drive to the point overlooking the harbour and just look at the ocean and beach and feel a whole lot better.

Marge, we were absolutely sweltering the last couple of days but thank goodness it's cooled down today! I don't think it ever gets cold enough here to wear a lot of layers! My brother has been to NY in the winter though, and he said its c-c-c-c-cold. One of my friends here has similar problems as you do with chocolate. She read some stuff by a guy called Rick Kausman, that helped her a lot with it. I will see if I can find it for you, if you like?

Barb your graphics are always so pretty Especially this time of year ... makes me feel more in the Christmas spirit! Good going staying OP this time of year

Well I am posting a couple of pics of my daughter in the formal dress I made for her, in the picture thread. She was a bit self-conscious so they are not the most wonderful pics of her but at least you can see the dress!

I better get going ... I have a ton of work to do today ... have a great day/night everyone!

Hi ladies,

Cool smilies!!! Isn't Suzanne just wonderful?

Geez, what a day. Bad enough that when I got home, I got down in the cabinet where the booze is and pulled out the Godiva chocolate liquer (because it was that or vodka) and said, I'll be having that over ice.

It started off with the snow and a big wreck on the main route I take to work. I tried one alternate route and spent 20 minutes to go one mile and it was very slick. I had to backtrack and try the other alternate route which was slick but at least the traffic was moving. It was almost 9:30 before I got to work. It has snowed all day. So I had plans to leave at 3:30 knowing that it was going to be a long drive home.

At 3:00 the boss called to say that a consultant was coming out for a meeting on our pension and that she had forgotten to include me and did I want to sit in? What was I supposed to say? Nope, I'm a director and I'm responsible for the financial reporting of the pension but since its been snowing all day, I'll go home instead????? That's what I wanted to say but I needed to be involved in the meeting. By the time it was over, I could see that the roads were at a standstill so there was no point trying to get on the road then.

It was dark when I left work and it took 30 minutes to get the car thawed out enough to try to drive. Then I couldn't get going in the parking lot because it was so unbelievably slick. Great because by then, there wasn't many people around to help. Trying to get to the main highway was treacherous and my car was like a hog on ice. That freaked me out since I used to drive a front-wheel drive Saturn for several years and never had troulbe. I will be trading back for a 4WD Tribute next year once we have gotten our new place and settled that. It was 8 pm when I pulled into the garage. Talk about having to pee in a bad way! I will be packing a bag of one work outfit and stuff needed to get ready for work so that I can stay in the hotel that is across the street. Should have done that tonight except for not having anything for tomorrow. And no, I will not go to work wearing the same clothes and no makeup!

And I didn't get to use the snowblower on the first snow of the year! DH called the neighbor and told her that it was in our garage and how to get in to get it so her DH could use it on both our driveways. I bought it last year with the intent of sharing with the neighbors. But yahoo, I didn't have to shovel as its just darn cold outside.

I'm glad to be home safe and sound. I'm trying to unwind and DH is yacking my ears off and he doesn't understand that I need to just withdraw into my shell and be quiet for awhile. The dog is just going to have to be pissed about not getting a walk tonight.

And to top it off, Lost is a rerun. Bummer!

I may go read Harry Potter. I'm not sure what I'll wake up to find snow-wise. It is supposed to continue all night. And be 48 degrees by Saturday.

Tomorrow is rest day on the exercise front. If I wake up early, I'll get up and snuggle on the couch and read HP! Maybe even go in late. Sorry this is about me, me, me. My mind is slightly fried so I'm off to bed.

Hope everyone is home safe and sound. I vote we pack up some snow and mail it to Leanne!! Sounds like she could use some!

Speaking of Leanne - Thanks for sharing your daughter's pictures. What a beautiful dress on such a beautiful young lady! She is gorgeous! I'm really impressed that people still sew and are talented enough to make such cool outfits. Very beautiful!

Goodnight!

Hello ladies, not much time this morning but I wanted to come and say good morning to all of you.

Busy, busy time of the year! I have so many things I want to accomplsih before Christmas and another house full of company. It is mostly children and gradchildren but I still want things to be just so so, know what I mean. After they leave it always looks like a tornado went through, but by george it is clean when they get here! I wonder if they even notice?

I am trying to be soooo good about eating the right things but now it is time to do some baking....That old better stay out of my way. I still want to lose that 10 lbs by Christmas It doesn't look promising!

Well ladies, that is all I have for you this morning. Geez my life is boring! Take care and keep warm....Ruth

Looks like it might be a snow day. We got somewhere between 8-11 inches of snow in the metro area. I think we got about 9. The snow plows haven't been in the cul-de-sac so I can't get out to go to work. It really ticks us workers off that they won't close the home office for anything short of the building being destroyed but they will close the regional offices all the time. They don't have to take PTO when its bad but we do. I will bundle up here and go clear the driveway this morning. At least the snow has quit but its only going to be in the single digits temp wise so BRRRR! Look out Lilion if its coming your way!

I have nothing new to report. No exercise this morning so I've been reading some, watching the snow and news so being a lazy oaf.

Have a good day!

Good Morning Ladies!

It's snowing! In fact, it snowed last night and today the schools are closed. DS was more than happy. I was not. I did get the neighbor lady to watch him so I could go to work. It took some talking. She didn't want to get out of bed and I woke her up. The woman has 4 kids...I thought she'd be up at 6:30 a.m. Heck, I've got 1 and he gets up at 6:30.

We've only got about 2 inches and they're calling for about 4 before it stops. Nothing like what you've got Terri. And it's supposed to be all melted into a lovely slushy, muddy mess by Saturday! What fun. I don't really mind a little snow though. A LOT of snow, I mind. My best friend is from Mobile, Alabama and she is terrified of driving in snow. So I'll be picking her husband (no license) up after work and running him home. After all, I grew up here and have 4WD so I do okay in the snow. ICE is another matter entirely. I don't drive on ice...too many bad experiences there.

Terri: You have my sympathies. I've had days like yours. I've even gone to work in the same clothes...ended up stuck in court one time until 11 p.m. in a snowstorm (no lunch or dinner break) and managed to creep my way home in 8 inches of snow only to find that I couldn't get to the house down the BIG unplowed hill. (Well, I'd have gotten down, but not back up!) Ended up at my favorite bar, which happened to be in a hotel, and drank away the cold, slept in the buff, brushed my teeth with mouthwash and a washcloth and wore the same clothes to work the next day. Luckily I kept makeup and deoderant in my desk. Still...Yuck! I love government work...no more court and no one gripes if I call in! Try to enjoy your snow day. Drink some (sugar-free) cocoa and curl up with a good book!

Leanne: Want some snow? Terri and I will take up a collection! You can send us some nice warm sand in return! Your daughter is just lovely! But, I'm sure you know that! And the dress is lovely too. I sew, but I haven't ever tried satin...it scares me. You did a terrific job on it. I especially like the white panel down the back with the blue ribbon...really sets it off.

Ruth: Don't work too hard! It's easy to do this time of year, but stop and smell the fruitcake! I have so much to do myself I'm not sure where to begin!

Elmay: Loose skin is a fact of life. I'm sure there's been threads on the subject. You'll find some good information if you look. I must admit, I'm not liking myself naked much...but I look much better clothed, so I concentrate on that and hope things tighten up!

Marge: I tend to loosen up on the weekends too food-wise, at least one day. I think it's helped me not "cheat" so much, if I don't feel deprived. I have to watch it though, because I tend to overeat LOTS if I don't.

Thin: I thought about lying...but...I forgot to bring the book in to mail back! With the snow and rushing around, I left it home. When I get home tonight I'll put it in my bag TONIGHT so I don't forget tomorrow!

Well, that's it for me ladies. Have to run. Be good and stay warm...(or in Leanne's case - stay cool!)

My overall goal is my driver's license weight. I haven't changed it since I was 19 years old! Like the guys at the DMV really thought I still weighed 190 lbs when I was 300+.

I chuckled when I read this. I'm guilty of the same thing. It must be one of those things that most people lie about, heh heh.

Ruth, it always seems like if you clean no one notices, but if don't clean, every notices I'm doing baking too and my hand dipped way too many times into the brownie tin (then I made raspberry bars for the boss and munched on a couple of those before they were packed away). I'm already dressed and ready for the gym this afternoon to help counteract that.

Terri, we have Mud Slide in the fridge, the less classy version of Godiva : I can't believe that snow driving story. I grew up in the East Bay of San Francisco, never had to drive in the snow. Even though I lived in NY for a good 20 years, since we're in the city I don't drive in the snow here either. It sounds scary.

Leanne the dress and your daughter are gorgeous. I'm attaching a pic of the park near us in the snow so you can feel cool on those hot days (Lilion, thought I'd chip in with sending snow, heh). I would like to read the Kausman stuff, thanks. The chocolate cravings can be insidious. You know, I think to myself, I can eat this one piece, then the next day I say the same thing, by the end of the week it really can affect the scale number. Do or have you ever snorkled? That's another thing on my to do when thinner list.

Elmay I'm glad your boss is ok. My dad had triple by-pass a couple of times, it's a good 10 years later and he's a dynamo. Re: toe touching, don't you feel like your making a new relationship with your body in some ways? A lot of the motivation I have comes from wanting to be more physical, like being able to hike, horseback ride, roller blade. Living in the city I have to be able to walk and go up and down stairs to be able to do anything. I just can't wait to get lower and lower and to have my body be more and more able to do things I know I'll have loose skin, what the bunk, heh heh.

I'd better get some work done, sheesh. Take care, ladies.

No snow here in Portland, OR, but it sure is cold! The thermometer doesn't seem all *that* low -- it's not even below freezing, but it sure feels cold. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, don't have as much insulation, or if I'm just being a wuss or what, but brrrr.... I'm glad I'm not in the midwest right now!

Today I was at an all day offsite for work from 8am to 7pm with food everywhere. I tried to make healthy choices and I did good for the most part except when I got home and raided Andre's Cheetos (but only 1oz worth which is 160 cal ). This time I'm losing weight, I really deep down believe I can achieve a "normal weight". I have never believed that before -- not even as a kid. I just wanted to be less fat. It's a trip -- it causes all sorts of new thoughts I've never had before. Like, what do "normal" people eat at one of those kinds of events. What will life be like when I'm down to a "normal weight"? Etc...

Terri: Congrats on the new car -- hope it carries you safely through the winter! I used to have a labrador retriever that would fetch snowballs. Or at least attempt to.

Marge: You captured it exactly -- I do have a new relationship with my body. Unlike some of the folks in this forum, I've never been a "normal weight", so I really haven't got a concept of what that will be like. Also, where in the East Bay did you grow up? I grew up in Walnut Creek & Martinez. Also, snorkeling is wonderful and you can do it now at your current weight! It's easy -- all you do is float and slowly paddle around. I learned how to scuba dive in 1999 -- it is totally awesome -- it is like a whole other world.

Lilion: Thanks for the pointer -- I'll browse the site here more. There is so much information here -- it's really a great resource.

Ruth: Hang in there and if you do slip, just stand up, shake it off, and keep going!

Leanne: Your area sounds wonderful. I had the opportunity to visit Australia (Melbourne and Brisbane) in 1995 -- it was so cool. I would like to go back and take my family, but I think I want Andre to be a bit older before we get on an airplane .

Hi girls!

Just stopping in for a quickie. Honey is off on vacation again Thursday and Friday. Funny but I never know how to refer to the day when I post this late. Should I say "today and tomorrow" because I haven't gone to bed yet? Or should I say "yesterday and today" because it's 1:00 AM on Friday??? Decisions, decisions!

We were supposed to get the tree and decorations up. That was a bust!!! Well, the tree is up, so I suppose that much was accomplished. But there are no ornaments on it.

We bought a prelit tree from Honey's cousin because the guy couldn't handle carrying it up and down the stairs anymore. It has 1500 lights!!! We don't think we've put more than 1000 on our old tree. The only thing I don't like is that we use alot of twirlers and lighted Hallmark ornaments and you can't plug those into the lights that are on the prelit tree. I guess we'll have to run a string of lights around just to plug all that cutsie stuff into.

Well, wayward #1 Son hasn't come home from work yet so he is either working really late or decided to sleep at his house tonight. We are getting everyone's snow from yesterday tonight. They say 4"-8", but we'll see.

Ruth: I'm glad you're feeling better. I hate those nasty buggs, and especially before the holidays when you're going to be around a bunch of people. Hope it's over with now and that you'll be just fine with all of your company coming.

Terri: What an ordeal you had yesterday (see, here's that point I was mentioning. It was really two days ago, but yesterday because I haven't gone to bed yet. ) Anyway, glad you are safe. CONGRATS on the new ride!!! How cool is that!!!! * Stephanie IS a bit obnoxious this time on Survivor. What's up with that??? I still like her alot. I would love to see her win, more because of her troubles on the last Survivor I think. I am surprised that she voted the way she did. (I won't spill the beans in case there's someone out there that watches and hasn't seen it yet.) If she makes it to the final two it will make it very interesting. Do you watch Apprentice?

Leanne: What a beautiful job you did on your daughter's dress! And what a beautiful daughter you have!!! Just lovely!!! * I can't imagine 106 degrees. Well, actually I can. It got that hot one day while we were living in North Carolina in the '80's. Too hot for this girl, that's for sure.

BarbG: Did you get the ice you were expecting? I can't complain about the snow. We're so used to getting some nasty weather that we know how to deal with it. I feel sorry for you gals down south since you don't get the weather often, it really makes a mess for ya'll. * Hope you're back to your exercise tomorrow. You told us to keep you honest!

Lilion: No worries on the book. Whenever you get to it. I like that I can send the paperbacks for $1.24 Media Mail and not have to go to the post office for them. I sell alot of them on Half.com and I can just stick them in the mailbox with the right postage. It's only after it gets to a pound that you have to take them inside. *Hope your son enjoyed the snow day.

Marge: I had to laugh. You said "Tis the season to procrastinate". For me, that's EVERY season! I've been having trouble getting back on track for several years. I did really well, gained back a bunch, put a STOP to the gain before I gained it ALL back and just haven't been able to get back on a real losing streak for several years. Oh well, one of these days.

Elaine: You're right, "excess skin + all the fat" IS alot worse than just the excess skin. I've never had any type of surgery and the thought of a tummy tuck or whatever scares the life out of me, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Tomorrow (that would really be today, Friday), I have a "showgirl" job to do and a couple of others. Honey got a call from his boss' boss asking him to phone in on a conference call at 2:30 so I think that's when I'll try and get my stuff done.

Right now my feet are freezing so I think I will say good-night. I heard from #1 Son on Instant Messaging and he's still at work and thinking about crashing at his house tonight instead of coming home here since it's so late.

Take care girls. Talk to you soon. Love ya bunches.

Has anybody seen the rest of this week, I know it has gone missing somewhere or other! How can time be passing so fast! I am not ready for Christmas!

Marge, now you have gone and done it, I hadn't even thought of brownies until you mentioned them. Now I have to add those to my Christmas baking. I think I have a recipe for a lighter version somewhere. (But you know those things are addictive don't you? It is like eating peanuts, one just won't do)

Terri, I am soooo glad I am here in the part of the South where we seldom get snow. When we do get it, everybody panics! They can't drive in the white stuff. I drove in it a lot in Europe, but that has been awhile so I probably wouldn't do so well either.

elmay, I was one of those overweight kids too. I don't think I have ever felt "normal" or known what it is. When people say "if you would just eat normal you wouldn't be fat" I always think what the #$@ is normal. I think I am eating normal, but I must be wrong!

Lilion, You know if I stop and smell the fruitcake I will probably eat the darn thing. We actually have some very good fruitcake around here!

Thin, How is it going? Your baby hasn't completely moved out yet huh? They want to be independent, but it is hard to leave the comfort of home, especially when it means you will have to do your own chores.

2cute, where are you?

Michelle, hope you are feeling better.

I guess Valarie is still trucking.

That is it for this morning ladies. I hope you are all having an easy time with staying op. Don't look at me! I never have an easy time of it. Ruth