Melissa – Are you remembering to breathe when you are lifting weights? Lightheadedness can come from lack of oxygen and so breathing is very important. Also PLEASE do not compare yourself to anyone else when it comes to what you can and can’t do. I started off doing 10 minutes per day and many days that is all I did. You are already way beyond that. It is definitely better to set lower goals and over achieve than set the bar too high (in my opinion). But you should NEVER have to be embarrassed about getting out and doing something. That goes for everyone.


Thanks everyone for your support. Part of my frustration comes from some not so great eating yesterday. I have been feeling the itch to really get things into gear, and when I got home yesterday my BF was having a horrible day and wanted to go for pizza. He was so miserable that I agreed, and I was going to order something else, but the place he chose had NOTHING remotely reasonable. Part of me wanted to say no, let’s go somewhere else but he needed the boost so I went. Then I felt mad at myself for going and eating some pizza. Then I got mad at myself for getting mad at myself because I have promised myself not to get down or negative about what I eat. That can be a very bad downward spiral for me. But, even though I was trying not to be mad, I have been mad all day – an underground rumbling of anger. I got a lot of it out in the gym and hopefully I will work some more of it out in the next few days and thinking about the root of what I am actually angry about. This is exactly where in the past I would have reached for food to quell my anger, and I just won’t do it. I need to deal with it and move on. That is one of my biggest hurdles to getting healthy.

Anyway, it is late and I need to go find myself some (healthy) dinner.

Hi everyone

Just a quick question for all of us who are voting for Zelma--the button we're supposed to click--is it right near her name or under her profile? And has anyone been able to click on the pictures to go to read more about the contestants? I haven't been able to. Is it just me who started being confused about this? What if all of the times I've been voting I've been voting for the wrong person? Help!

Nancy: IMO, a huge hurdle is acknowledging and knowing exactly what it is that is pushing you to those negative thoughts and bad eating habits. And even if you slip here and there, at least you're allowing yourself to think about what you would do differently. The trick is to move beyond it and be okay with the fact that you are not Superwoman. You've done amazing so far!!!

Melissa: Fantastic just getting out there and moving! Baby steps -- you're exactly right. And as far as feeling lightheaded, the only times I feel that way are when I am working too hard OR I am low on iron (but that's just me). Try what the other ladies said and watch your heartrate. I know when I'm working out, I always shoot for the range that is age appropriate for me. It might be less than you think!

As for me, I made it to the gym this morning and was going to do 30 on the treadmill. It was going to be a quick workout and I was just going to skip weights. So when I got to 25, I thought, "Why not go for 45 again?" And when I made it to 35, I said to myself, "Why not just do 60?"

And that's what I did -- I was on the treadmill for 60 minutes!! It felt WONDERFUL!!!! I actually do not hate working out as long as I am not in excruciating pain. I find it fun and invigorating and so worthwhile but NOT when it hurts. I'm happy to say the only pain I had was a blister.

I also had this major enlightenment today about my family. I love them so very much and they are tightly woven into my everyday life. My mom lives just one country mile away. My grandmother lives with her as does my sister, her husband and baby. We go there often -- the kids and I swim there almost everyday. It has been a couple of days since we'd gone to visit because we'd been busy. So we went over there for a couple of hours. And when I got home tonight, after being with them, all I wanted to do was eat. I walked in the house and found myself turning to the cupboard and fridge. And instead of eating the dinner I had planned, I told myself that since I hadn't had my serving of nuts today, I'd have a teaspoon of peanut butter. And then I had a teaspoon of whipped cream. And I stopped myself when I realized I wanted more, more, more and that what I was hungry for was not food. And why was I turning to this food -- although not taking me off of my plan and all approved -- when in reality, I should be just eating my shrimp and salad I had planned? I stopped myself and ate the dinner instead of the "extras" but I can't help but even after those two things (even though they're allowed), I feel weak and foolish (which I KNOW is dumb). But -- it was a major moment for me to know I do this. The next step will be figuring out WHY.

I talked it over with DH and I realized that there is just something about them that makes me want to binge. And looking back, that is my normal pattern so no wonder I've gained so much weight recently. The weird thing is, I don't know why. The visit was pleasant, like always. But we did leave because they all got busy with my sister. So perhaps I feel left out or neglected or inferior and I eat to keep from truly knowing how I feel.

I don't know. All interesting and helping me learn and grow about how in the heck I got to this place!!!!

Thanks for listening.

Okay, I just tallied the July minutes and added to our existing total, and, get this, we are at ....... *drumroll please* 91,536 minutes!!!

Yes, we are almost there! Watch for it, because we only need 8,464 minutes in August to meet our 100K goal!!!!!!!!! Yes, shortly, as a group, we will have done 100,000 minutes of exercise for the year. And there is so much more year left!!!!

Also, I'll be out of town from the 9th to the 15th with limited access and will need you all to whoop and holler if this happens while I'm gone, as I suspect it will!!!

I am so proud of everyone!!!

sugarkube -- what a great lightbulb moment!!

nancy -- hang in there. I've been in a mental AND physical plateau and just pulling myself out now!! You know your body takes a while to recover from surgery!!

I love all the new exercisers on our thread, but please stop apologizing for doing so little!!! *wags finger* I think the POINT is to do it and move and many of us need to start small and build!!!! I did!

Exactly! And remember... the vast majority of American adults are doing pretty much NO exercise but just sitting on their butts getting fatter and fatter... at least WE are TRYING!!!

Angie - lol .. sorry hun .. but I do Grill the bacon instead of frying it .. and I use the bacon that doesnt have any of the fat on it only .. and little bits of it ... I know its still not the best choice in the mac n cheese lol . but I will enjoy every sniff rofl ..

Ive had a bad day today ... not food wise .. although I have hardly eaten anything .. I just couldnt face food today ... but I made myself have a muesli bar (which was on my plan anyway) .. I just had the toast for breakfast without the cereal, didnt have the lunch, but that was when I had the bar ... Im about to go and get dinner ready .. just a very tired day .. mind you .. didnt end up getting any more sleep so that is probably why .... Im tired anyway lol .. I havent reached my target for exercise today either ... so not one of my happier days ... but Im gonna get a good nights sleep tonight .. and I am going to try to do extra time on the exercise tomorrow so that I can have a little slice of my daughters birthday cake ..

Great lightbulb moment sugarkube ... isnt it wonderful when you have one .. even if you dont have the full reasons ... at least you have spotted a trigger WELL DONE!!

Great news on the exercise minutes so far ... I should have made it a little lower for my total .. but I am hoping that I will be building up my time more each day to make it

Better go get dinner .... have drunk a lot of water today ... the only negative I am finding with drinking so much is ... I really dont feel hungry at all .. its like .. either food or liquid ... I cant fit in a lot of one and still have the plan of the other lol ... but I will keep trying anyway

Misti, love your new haircut, it's very glamorous & sassy, it REALLY suits you!!!xxx
Nancy, I often have days like that, but you didn't totally pig out AND you exercised, the fact is that you learnt from your mistake. Next time pick a pizza place which has a salad bar or other options, though a bit of pizza should'nt make THAT much of a difference to your loss, as long as you are back OP.xxxx
Vilandra, was it you who was worried about a plateau? I'd try checking the food ytou're eating, are you being honest about portion sizes and try some different foods, often we get stuck in a rut, food-wise and I find trying new foods can really speed up your loss.xxx
Sugarkube, you stopped at ONE SPOONFUL!!!! How many would you have had before starting this plan????? You have to reward yourself for being AWARE of what you were doing and STOPPING!!! I'm sure a little peanut butter & cream won't affect your diet, after all it's about changes & you're definately doing that!!xxx
I actually left the house today, Steve dropped me off on the marketplace and I walked across to the bank, paid a bill and then walked back to fetch him sausage, chips (fries) & gravy for his lunch, before he left for work. I was embarrassed going in there, as I'm LOSING WEIGHT and BEING GOOD!! Being fat I always feel stupid buying fatty or high calorie foods, I feel like shouting IT'S NOT FOR ME!!!! in case someone looks at me in disgust. I felt a little odd too being on my own and walking, rather hobbling, I felt really self-conscious and paranoid. I hope it's just coz I've not been out on my own since last week, I don't want to start getting panic attacks and my hair has started to fall out again, I prayed that there were no bald patches visible.
Well that's my moan/worry for today, lol. I hope you are all well and keeping up the good work. Oh and I pinched two of his chips, but stopping at two is an achievement for me!!!
xxxsharon

Hello Everyone!

I'm back!!!! And W-O-W!!!!!!!!! The past two days have simply been incredible. In fact, I was only thinking this evening that it all seems like a dream.

I feel as though I can talk about it all now, as it is going to be on TV next week anyway, so I don't think it needs to be kept 'quiet' anymore. We had a TV crew for a national current affairs show follow us for a lot of the two days and the item is due to air 'some time next week' as far as we know. I did my usual, and talked WAY too much I think, but the producer said that that was certainly better than people who just answered in single words. They had NO worries in that department with me.

We didn't know that the TV crew was going to be there, which was probably the best thing, as it would have just been one more thing to worry about. I haven't had much sleep for the past 4 days because I spend so much time worrying about what was coming up. Then last night, when I didn't have anything to worry about, I had a VERY late flight and didn't get home until 1am. Of course, I still couldn't get straight to sleep, and got up at 5am to print off photos to take to school. So, I would figure that over the past 4 nights I would be lucky to have had 20 hours sleep, which is definitely not enough for this 8 hours a night girl. That said... I will try to tell you a little about my time in Sydney, but I have to get to bed early tonight, so I may have to add details tomorrow.

Oh... for those people who didn't know, I was selected as one of the 4 finalists in a national Slimmer of the Year competition for an Australian magazine called Slimming and Health. Part of the prize was a trip to Sydney (on the opposite coast of Australia to where I am) and a makeover and photo shoot.

I flew into Sydney on Sunday night, so I would be fresh for Monday. That was definitely a good idea and I got up early in the morning to go for a walk around the city. It was beautiful and I got to take some lovely photos.

Monday morning we tried on some clothes with the stylist and had our interviews with the TV crew. We then went out to lunch and on to the hair salon. WOW! The salon wasn't exactly the largest and flashest, but it was pretty 'upmarket' and the staff were VERY skilled. We had a stylist, colourist and apprentice to work on just the 4 of us. The salon was supposed to be closed that day, so we had them to ourselves. I LOVE my hairdo. I'm going to put some pics in here at the end to show you the final result. I was SO happy with my new 'do' that my eyes were teary when he had finished styling it.

Oh... I've just realised that I'm going into WAY too much detail and I will still be writing this at midnight if I don't start abbreviating the whole thing. See... I just can't stop talking!

We spent 6 hours in the salon, getting our hair and nails done. The TV crew were there too.

We had the evening to ourselves and the 4 of us went out and I also met my neice and she came to dinner with us. It was a lovely evening.

One of the other finalists and I went for a beautiful early morning walk/jog around the city and got pics of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We also went to the studios of a morning talk show and had our photos taken with the weather girl who was doing a story in the mall. We were running a little late by that stage, so we jogged a little back to the hotel.

We spent the rest of Tuesday at the photo studio, having our makeup done and our hair 'touched up' and putting clothes on and off. It was a VERY unusual experience, but one that I LOVED! It is a little nerve wracking having someone telling you how to pose and what to do, but he was really nice and was good at putting you at ease.

The photo shoot pretty much went from 9:30 until 5:30, which made for a VERY long day. I was happy that we could take whatever photos we wanted and the photographer is even going to email us some of the photos we chose, which is fantastic.

I'm just posting a few of the ones other people took throughout the day, to show you my hair and a couple of outfits. People asked whether we could keep the clothes, but when I mention how much they cost, they understand why we couldn't keep them.

This first one is a favourite and shows my new 'do'.



This next one I thought I looked pretty relaxed, but that was probably because they were checking the pics on the computer and I had a chance to 'breath'.



I liked this outfit as it was really 'flowy' and I just wanted to dance in it. The top and bottom cost about $900 EACH. Not something I would buy.



In this last one I think I look like a 'flapper' from the old days.



Sorry that this post is taking up so much room, but I know some of you were wondering how things went. I will talk a little more tomorrow, but for now it is off to bed to catch up on some beauty sleep.

Take care all,

Zelma

Oops... those pics are a little big. Sorry.

WOW!!! Zelma, let me be the first to say HOW FANTASTIC YOU LOOK!!!! I love your 'new' hair-do and the make-up, they really suit your colouring. The clothes were nice, but $900 EACH???!!!! NOT THAT NICE!!! lol I hope you win, but if, for some odd reason you don't, you will have had this lovely experience to treasure.xxxxx
xxxsharon

Zelma--- You look great I simply love your new hair style. In your photos you look like you are having so much fun. I sure hope you will win.