Good morning Lifers, soon-to-be Lifers, and everyone else lurking out there

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I am striving to keep my journal accurate this week--I have been writing down everything I eat and so far I've done pretty well. I'm really trying to focus on getting my weight back down to my "comfort zone" which is 139-140...ultimately I'd like to be around 137 but we'll see.

The hot, steamy weather has returned for the week and they're forecasting 90's this week with low's only around 75 at night, ugh! This is not my kind of weather. My walking is suffering from this although I'm trying to get other exercise in. I did manage to work up a good sweat yesterday washing my kitchen floor.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hey there Melissa:

Good to be back... the humidity broke this weekend and I was so grateful. Major kudos for the kitchen floor exercises you did. I really need to work it this week and next with my mother-in-law coming in two weeks.

I'm kinda bummed, I went to weighin at WW and stayed the same. 135.4. I know I should be grateful I didn't gain any from the over indulging this and last weekend but I'm not!!! OK I know I'm whining a bit.

I'm getting a bit tired of being so "good"... and need to find something this week that can motivate me to really stay within points range over this upcoming weekend. We've been entertaining and been entertained - sound familiar gals?? - and I've really been fighting myself to stay within my range. Even wearing that sexy outfit (reward for staying OP) last night at my friends wedding was not enough to keep me from consuming the appetizers (7!!), drinks, and food.

But I'm going to the track tonight and should be able to burn off some of those fattening points I inhaled over the weekend. And at least I brought the 95% fat free popcorn to the movies and ate fish (albeit with too much butter ) for dinner on Saturday.

Hi all- Having a funky blue kind of a day and life around the LT/Maintainers board seems rather slow.

I actually am questioning what the heck I'm doing here, since I seem to be going the negative way. I'm frustrated and cranky, but still going to give it my all as along as I can stand it.

Had a couple of revelations this weekend.

1. you shouldn't eat anything bigger than your head evolutionary biologists could have told you that and i keep on telling this to my cat.

2. you shouldn't read anne tyler when you are in a bad mood, as spot on she is, she doesn't leave on very hopeful.

3. when you are in your mid-30's and someone is being catty and rude to you, its okay to say "you know, I don't think I want to be your friend anymore" and take your toys home and don't go back.

4. that part of getting to goal is maybe not eating more than your alloted range (TA DA- probably the biggest epiphany) Gosh, have I been fooling myself for the past few months, just cause I bite it and write it, doesn't mean that I need to eat more than 25 pts a day. Gosh, why am I not losing?

So, armed with these tidy tidbits and a good cry (perhaps sniffle), I am going to see where I am next week.

lala

Hi everybody.

yeah it's hot humid and horrible with a mood to suit.

I agree with you, Patch it's just not fair. We wanna eat whatever we want and become/remain slim & trim. NOT fair!!!

I'm sure the feeling will pass. I blame it all on hormones. Bah humbug!

Okay, I'm slinking back to the one air-conditioned room (and P.S. why does my husband insist on asking over and over, "Can we turn off the AC now?" Does the man not realize it's 90 degrees in this house??!!??!!) (and shouldn't this level of suffering require a person to eat ice cream to a person's content???)

XOX
Keep the faith gals...

L.

Good morning, ladies!

It is very steamy & hot here as well - excessive heat warnings have been issued for the last few days with highs in the low 90s & with the humidity, the heat index is anywhere from 100-110 degrees. We are supposed to cool down to the upper 70s -low 80s by the end of the week - Melissa - that cooler weather will be coming your way!

Patch - that is great that you maintained, especially if you thought you overdid it on the weekend. I know what you mean, though, you STILL want to post a loss come weigh-in day.

lalala - hang in there - just think where you'd be if you weren't paying ANY attention to what you were eating! My hardest piece to buy into is that I need to watch what I eat FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! Somehow, I still long for the notion that I lose the weight & then I can go back to my old eating habits & be fine - NOT - that's what put all the weight back on (plus some) the first time I lost with WW - plus I never went back & weighed in as a lifetime member. Sometimes I feel annoyed that I will always have to watch it all the time, but I don't want to ever gain the weight back again. I wonder how motivated I'll feel in another 2-3 years....We're all in this together!!

Laurel - calmly tell your DH to step away from the off button on the A/C!!

We are planning to go back to that lake cottage that we were at over the last weekend. The couple graciously offered us the place since they were going to be out of town this weekend visiting their daughter - I can't wait - we are planning to leave on Thursday & stay through the weekend. There is something so calming & relaxing to me about being in & around water - maybe a back-to-the-womb experience?

Stay cool in this hot weather, ladies!
Later,

Lauren, Lala & Patch: I think it's the time of year for struggling. I have been having an equally hard time with coming to grips with the fact that I need to cut back point-wise in order to maintain my weight. It's so frustrating--you would think Lifetime/maintenance would be easier since we know what to do! The summer months have been really hard for me this year, my weight has been going up, the heat is killing me (no a/c at home) and the level of frustration with trying to stay OP is sometimes more overwhelming.

Patch: This is actually the first weekend since the beginning of summer that I actually don't have anything going on! I'm hoping the weather breaks a little so I can get some weeding done; it's been too darn hot to go out after I get home from work. Maybe you set up a reward for yourself if you're able to stay within your points and make good choices over the weekend. For me just focusing on each day is easier than trying to look at the "whole" weekend. Dissect what you're going to be doing and use the tool Mental Rehearsing and also envision that scale reading a lower number.

Lala: Hope your day is going better than yesterday. There are some days when a good cry is just warranted. Focus on each day of staying with in your points and eat when you're hungry. My biggest pitfall has been night time snacking. I try to avoid the kitchen in the evening and I've also gotten to the point where I'm not buying snacks that I know will over indulge in. Keep your chin up

I hope everyone is doing better today! The hazy, hot, humid weather continues today and the forecast is calling for it to be here for the rest of the week...this is NOT my kind of weather! I'm actually looking forward to the crisp, autumn days.

Lala... I love your sense of humor... you're right about that "friend" - definitely not worth keeping when there are so many great ones who will support you. And, yeah... OP food portions really bite the dust sometimes.

Katie, Melissa and LM thanks for commiserating... it really does help. And Melissa - you're right about the mental rehearsing, it does work. Why do I resist it so???

OK maybe I need to go just "look" at black jeans this coming Saturday, and set up the following weekend to buy them. That'll keep me somewhat focused at least for Friday!

Hi all - I'm sending you some of our more temperate summer type weather- the high will be around 75 w/ a breeze. Quite civilized I say. I'm at home this morning dealing w/ the plumber and our
old plumbing. No big deal, just a leak in our main floor tub that wil require a nice sheet rock job for a happy contractor. Yikes.

The dog, is pleased that I am home with him, I think he thinks its Saturday or something.

all of you guys: Thanks for your kind words. I just had my latest click and goodness, I think its making an impact! I am working out harder, thinking more clearly w/my food choices and measuring again. You are the bestest bunch!!!!!!!

kt: another weekend at the cottage? sounds divine. I'm thinking I'm going to like Wisconsin . I'm trying to figure out when to visit my darling bro in Milwaukee? It looks like it'll have to be november, so maybe I'll wait till the thaw.

patch: Are you looking at a shopping spree or just one pair of black jeans?

Melissa: I understand the desire to weed, I am often keeping my desire to pull weeds at friend's houses when I am visiting. I'm sorry the weather is not cooperating.

Laurel: I notice you gave into cracker jacks a few days ago. I hope I was not the reason. They were good, but I think I can go another year without a box.

Lets give a big hoorah for the lack of social engagements this weekend! Yipee. No hors d'ouevres, no limp green beans, no excessive dessert eating.

Well, tonight we're going to see the cowboy junkies at the symphony hall. I think my day is shot to heck work-wise. I'll need to take a few hours off to deal w/ all this, but it should be nice to get some "cultchah".

okay, i'm droning.

lala

Hey there Lala... ahhhh boy do I wish it could be a shopping spree, but alas the black jeans are what the bank account can afford right now.

Saw this on another thread and thought it was a great idea... to pay yourself for any saved weekly points, lost lbs, etc. - for an ultimate reward

One gal said... I paid myself for any [weekly] saved points.
Any earned activity points I did not use or any banked points I did not use I paid myself a dollar. I used the money to buy an eliptical trainner for my house. I love it and it helps me to work out at home. I like the idea of reward money over food because as we loose weight I think that we all need $ to get the smaller cloths and things to keep us on plan.

Another gal saved a dollar for each 1/4lb she lost.

Great for both reaching your goal AND maintaining (especially the banking/activity method).

Patch: What a great idea for a reward! There is a woman at our meeting who is a Lifetime member who continues to "pay" the weekly meeting fee into a special account and then when she wants/sees something she wants she uses it. I think rewards are important.

I'm doing the happy dance today...I went to my meeting at noon and posted a 2.2# loss!!! I have to say that keeping an honest journal really helped and I know I need to continue this in order to maintain my weight. I'd still like to get down a little more but heck I'll take the loss! This board is a great place for support and everyone is so supportive and encouraging.

The hazy, hot, humid weather continues...hopefully there'll be some relief on Friday. I'm drinking so much water I should be sloshing,

Happy Hump Day everyone!

hi all-

way to go Melissa! yeah for you. all the journalling, wallking and water is paying off.

I love the idea of rewards. I was hoping to either get some jewelry (that i wear so often (not)) reset as a reward, when I hit goal. I like the idea of just banking that money and using it for something like clothes or a spa day.

Then again, I have a nice closet of classic clothes at my goal size that could be revisited.

I found my w/in book from last year this time. I weigh exactly the same. How is that for depressing? Anyways, it seems the fall was good for me and I'm going to not be there again, banished from the 130's and down to the 120's (remember i'm a munchkin) I say!

I'm pooped from last night, had a nice dinner out, subsituted chard for cornbread pudding and had a few bites of DP's dessert. The concert rocked, as much as one can rock in a symphony hall. It was nice to get out and see your own city.

I'm now searching the web for cheap airfares, I'm trying to convince DP that paris is calling and
airfares are falling. She's not convinced.

lala

Aiyooo! either too busy at work to write (is that fair?) or too hot at home...anyway, time for a quickie.

lala the crackerjacks were at a baseball game with the nephew. boy that kid can pack away alot of junk food. I wasn't too interested for the most part, but the cracker jacks were too much to resist. Needless to say, what with jacks and going out to eat and drink several times last week, "we" gained a goodish bit. Oh well back on the straight & narrow. OnwardWW soldiers.

by the way, lala, ahem...that zucchini recipe?????

kids, i'll catch up in more detail later.

L.

Good morning, ladies!

How is everyone doing?? Our heat wave is finally going to break tonight- Friday's high is only going to be 75 - welcome relief around here.

Our plans have changed - not going back to the friend's cottage this weekend - their son is going to be there, so it didn't work out . So, instead, DD, DH & I are going to one of the many waterparks in the Wisconsin Dells area today & enjoy the warm day before it cools off Friday. It's about 45-50 minutes from where we live - I've lived here 8 years & never been, so it should be fun. Major tourist trap - we get lots of folks from Illinois who vacation here in Wisconsin, so I hope it's not too crowded. Two years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead in a swimsuit out in public - what a difference - losing weight has freed me up to enjoy the pool/lake/river that I love- used to hate the dreaded towel-covering-the-body-at-all-times-unless-in-the-pool scenerio!!

I was up .4 at my meeting last night - not too surprising - so I'm up a pound over the last two weeks - still in my personal goal range, but not going the right way. Being on vacation doesn't help - at least I am diligently exercising.

Melissa - congrats on the great 2.2 loss!! WOW

lala - Paris - I am jealous - I went there way back in high school - my eldest sister lived/worked there & my parents & I went there to visit her - I loved it - thought the Parisians were very friendly (to us at least) - I did try to speak their language - 3 years of high school French doesn't go too far, though.... Let me know if you ever get to Milwaukee - it'd be great to meet.

Patch - I read that thread about the monetary rewards, too. I think that is a great motivator for people. I save all my checks that I make being a WW receptionist once a week - it can really add up.

Well, I think I hear DD running around upstairs. Have to run. Will check in later, gals.

Take care,

Lala and KT - Hey! Just surfing around and wanted to say hi! Glad to see you're both still hanging in there - I've been spending most of my time on the Sugarbusters board and have found that this WOE works best for me, and it's easy too. Not lowcarb, not no carb, just smart carb!
Hope you, and the other Lifetimers, are having a good summer!
Viv

Hi all-

Ah lunch break, I think I'll put some laundry in. I'm at home today since its boiling hot (for here) and the dog needed supervising. Its great though, I am getting through my work to do list quickly.

Viv Hi ya! I'm glad the smart carb thing is working for you. I'm really trying to watch my carbs and trying to modify the
body for life routine into ww. I like the exercise philosophy, but i'm not sure I can gag down all that scary protein stuff. Its rather
frightening to see the back of the package.

I notice bumby is posting on the lite carb board too.

So, nothing much is going on here. I have a bunch of documentation to read and laundry to do. I am glad to have one cool room to sit in, our house is excessively windowed this time of year.

The dog and cat are so silly, its about 15 degrees cooler in our tiled basement, but they can't catch a clue.

I'm working out this afternoon with a trainer on my legs and getting a bit of cardio in today.

Everyone, keep cool or as we say in seattle, keep clam.

lala