The purpose of this thread is for those who are willing to give and receive support through - the giving and receiving of open minded, unselfish and honest advice. Those who want to join, must be willing to be open-minded, caring, unbiased, unbigoted and helpful. Welcome to those who are happy to oblige.

Amy

Hi Amy!

I found it. I gave in to the pizza and ice cream last night!

I love these little faces! Anyway, I'm still full this morning - yuck!

Plus my allergies are acting up so I'm going to give my doctor a call and see about readjusting my nutrition. I need to have my knees adjusted too as they are giving me serious grief.

I hope you have a good day!

- Vicki

I may be going out on a limb here (hense the smile), but the biggest problem I see with overweight and obese men and women is esteem. You wanted honesty and I think that you MUST hold your head up no matter what your size. You do not have to be happy with it, but don't be ashamed of YOURSELF. Dress, act, walk, and talk, like you are like everyone else because you are. Your body image is just that an image. It is not the only part of you.

I am approx 340lbs (exact # is in question because the idiot doctors don't have scales for us), I never go out of my home without looking my best. Remember, they don't know you they judge you by how you look and act. Give 'em back confidence and good hygiene, not sloppiness and bowed heads. I see so many fat folks wearing sloppy ill fitting clothes walking around in the store or the mall giving the public exactly what they want. The wrong opinion about overweight people. It makes me soooo mad. Don't think that I don't get looks because I do, but I look 'em dead in the eye and smile and be friendly. Believe me it goes a long way when you face down the bully so to speak. Gives you an instant lift!!!

Here is the shocker. I worked for a law firm for 5 years and dealt with the public at this size and I have a fairly new job now and I am a receptionist. Yep, meet people everyday. Do you think I would have been hired if I had interviewed wearing sloppy clothes because I am unwilling to groom myself because I have given up. Don't let the public beat you down!

Let's give ourselves what we deserve and that is respect. We can make them respect us! Rah Rah Rah!!! I love you all. You can all accomplish whatever you want out of life!

Donna

Vicki,

Must be the day for bad knees. My ankles, knees, and hips are killing me. Mine is old age and old fat not necessarily in that order. lol Hang in there and hope you feel better real soon! We love you!

Donna

Donna ~ Welcome... thank you for your inspiring ideas. Sometimes it is hard to keep your confidence up when you know that there is another person lurking inside of you and she is a size 8 but it is really nice to find someone with such a great attitude.

Vic ~ I am glad you found me! I hope everyone else follows soon! I find out tomorrow how bad I flunked my Patho test but I will deal one way or the other. I had my first day in a clinical setting today, I had the coolest little lady... We are in an independent living facility for three weeks and then we will be in a Nursing home for 3 weeks later in the semester. I was not sure what to expect today being that I haven't ever dealt with assisted or independent living - it felt really invasive going into this ladies home, but she was really nice and made me feel at ease so it went well. Sorry about your knees- it is cooling off here slowly so I expect to start having problems in about a month.

Food has not been bad.. I didn't lose this week still at 145. I really need to start posting my food again.. I think I will start tonight.

Hope you guys like it here!

Hugs,
Amy
176/145/130

Donna - Hello! You are so right, we do need to look good.

Amy - I hope you did better on your exam that you expect to! And, maintaining is still better than gaining, so you are still on track! I maintained last week also and I was eating right and exercising like a fool, so even if you stay on plan, it doesn't guarantee a loss.

I'm going to get back to logging my food. Here's yesterday:

breakfast: apple, 1/2 cinnamon bagel with honey, 1 piece of pizza
lunch: 2 pieces of pizza, ff pudding, can of soda
snack: butterfinger candy bar
dinner: mozzarella sticks, chicken and rice

Not a good day for eating. I love pizza in the morning that has been left out at room temperature. I have been asking my dh to put it away when he eats it at night so I'm not tempted, but he didn't the other night, so I had to have some for breakfast. Then I gave in to the candy bar when I was at the grocery store. Today, I'm back on track!

exercise: none - scheduled day of rest
water: 120 oz
vitamins: yes

Stay strong!

- Vicki

Well Vicki- it looks like I amazed myself again... I pulled a 92 out of a test that I literally thought that I fail. Blows me away! I might make it through! I have to keep a 3.0 to get into Graduate school so I had better buckle down.

Your doing great, everyone deserves their Pizza sometimes even when Your pizza is cookies!

Food was good today:
AM
1 Breyers light yogurt
Lunch
artichoke hearts and pasta
PM Snack
Some tater tots
Later PM Snack
1 granola bar

I am really hungry now but it is so late, I think I will just drink a glass of milk.

I wonder if everyone else is going to join us here?

Hope your knees and sinuses are feeling better.

Amy

Hi, I'm new here!

I have found the threads a bit overwhelming...and extremely confusing. I guess I'm just not used to such long threads everywhere...I don't know where to go lol! I just have never been to a site that handles their message board threads like this...I was actually looking around yesterday for a thread on the FAQ bb about what goes on here...makes it all so difficult to just 'jump right in' lol!!

ANYWAY!!

I'm a SAHM to three under three - names and ages are in my signature!

I had decided to start losing the extra me before I found out I was pregnant in January with my third child...I was 197 then and now I'm down to 176 (I'm four weeks postpartum)...I never gained while I was pg, just lost (I never had morning sickness...I just didn't gain lol!).

I'm on a relaxed diet/exercise plan until October 1, which is the Monday after when I will be six weeks post partum. I am so ready to start...I weighed myself about two weeks ago and haven't done it since...I am going to wait until October 1. I'm hoping to see some sort of progress, but I'm not going to be upset if there isn't any...after all, this isn't a strict regime just yet!

I asked a friend of mine who had her baby about seven weeks before me if she would be interested in going walking with me a few nights a week (nights because she works), and she said yes! So, I'm really excited about that.

Lately, I have gone walking 1/2 mile everyday with my three children (I put the youngest two in the dbl stroller) and today I did ten minutes with my AbShaper (but I don't think I did it right AT ALL because my neck is still sore from it *sigh*).

Ok - I think I yammered on enough!!

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(((Donna - we're both in Memphis, TN!! Actually, I'm in Tipton Cty, just north of Memphis, but heck - that is close enough!))

Amy - Congrats on your test score! That's fantastic! I sure hope that Vic and Deb and Gertie find us over here! Yes, my knees and allergies are much better - thanks for asking.

Hilary - Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm a 31 year old that's married to a wonderful man and we have an adorable dog named Nuke. I'm an electrical engineer working as a software engineer from home.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

- Vicki

Hillary welcome! Your at about the weight that I was when I started the "true" weight loss journey- my top weight was 184, but when I joined here and the weight loss program I am a member of I was at 176. I am currently at 145 wanting to be down to 130 by the first of the year which is a realistic goal but I am not pushing myself. No point in losing it, if 1. I don't lose it right and 2. If I don't keep if off... so slower is better if I am doing it healthy. The board is a little overwhelming but by far it is the best bulletin board I have been affliated with!

Vicki - I am doing pretty good, I sent the other girls the new link to this sight maybe they will get the hint ! I really miss them ! I don't know if you will remember this but at the beginning of the summer I had a scare related to my husbands blue jeans... I grabbed them off of the hanger in the wash room thinking they were mine and I got them up to the top of my thighs -

Same thing happened this morning... I was pulling up at pair of Levi's freaking because they were tooooooo tight but I got them all the way on- zipped and buttoned and was freaking because I knew I haven't been really "good" this week and I thought that I had gained... well I was not exactly comfortable to so I decided to change into another pair of jean and then I saw the label on them... They we DH's again only this time I actually got them all the way on. I can't beleive (squeezed in or not) that I actually fit into a pair of mens 30/34 straight leg jeans! (do a little dance) I haven't really been watching myself too closely this week- but I guess I am not falling back into the old routine- I am still making good judgement calls where the food is concerned for the most part.

I have a foundations test on Monday and a Health Assesments test on Friday of next week I am not really happy about that! I have been studying all evening while I was watching the stars tribute to the hero's in New York- it was really good. I have to run it is getting late and I have several more chapters to get through!

Post soon!

Hugs,
Amy
176/145/130

Vicki and Amy - Thanks for the welcome!

That is so funny about the jeans - I would love to get dh's jeans on! Even at my best weight since highschool, I wasn't able to *comfortably* wear them! I couldn't go out in public in them, though...since he is a foot taller than me lol!! I can't imagine how freaked out you probably were at first!

Well, I have decided to start bike-riding...I was at my dad's house earlier today and saw my sister's old bike...took it for a spin and WOOHOO!! I had forgotten how much I like to ride. I am going to borrow her bike until I get my own (might be tomorrow in which case I won't have to swipe hers). I would like a ten speed, and hers is similar to a mountain bike...just not what I want. I am just thrilled...I can't wait to start putting on the miles while on a bike, with the wind in my hair!

Amy - I do remember the last time you put on your dh's jeans. I think that's fantastic that you were able to get them all the way on!

Good luck on your tests!

According to the little message box on the left side of the screen - today is your birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

We took our dog over to a town fair today for an agility demo. Our instructors wanted their students to do a demo so people could see many different levels of ability. Nuke did his worst run ever this morning with me and then when dh took him out this afternoon - he had his best run ever. I think my nervousness rubbed off on him a little bit. Dh doesn't get nervous about being in front of a crowd, so he is now designated our agility handler for shows. We are thinking that Nuke is ready for a show now. It is so fun to watch him because he is just running full speed and it looks like he has a huge grin on his face while he's doing it. I tried to get some action pictures today but my reflexes aren't fast enough so I just got a bunch of pictures of the course.

Yesterday we went with my brother-in-law and his wife to a movie. We took our motorcycles and we wanted to bring our dog over so that he could get some exercise playing with their dogs while we were at the movie. So, we put him in his travel crate and strapped him to the back of dh's bike. We made sure it was really secure and then I drove my motorcycle behind them. Nuke loved it! The look on their faces when we pulled up with the dog strapped to the bike was too funny! So now we are truly a motorcycle family!

- Vicki

Hey Amy I finally did it, I'm bacccck.

Amy--You and dh's jeans that is really hilarious but GREAT that you can put them all the way on. You go girl. How's school going, guess I shouldn't ask because you always think you're not doing too good and you're acing it.

Vicki--how is it going with you. How's Nuke's classes coming and you guys are great strapping him to back of dh's bike, did he like it.

Ok guyz I borrowed Billie Blanks Tae Bo tapes from a co-worker and I'm going to see how I do with them. I need to get back on track, food has been pretty good but the exercising just isn't there. Where is Vic and Gertie, I saw Amy replied to her but I didn't see her post. I'm going to check ediets to see if Gertie and Vic have posted over there.

Are we continuing with the same protocol that we had in ediets??

Hilary-welcome, its always great to have someone new and you will find that all the women here give great support and love.

Well better go, check in later.

Deb

Hey Hillary we are neighbors! I am a 6 month transplant from Northern Indiana (my daughter, son-in-law and grandbaby live in Bartlett) but dh is retired Navy and we were stationed at Millington twice so that is not far from you. Good to meet ya! My husband, our Yorkie, Fortune, and I live real close to Memphis University. My work is out in Whitehaven.

Gracious girl, with those little ones and you running around after them you should be teeny in no time. I have a 15 month old grandson named Thomas Rexford (T-rex) who is a lovable terror! Such energy! He is my avatar. (bet ya couldn't have guessed that huh?) ,welcome I am fairly new also, but the support on any of the threads or forums is fantastic!

Amy- Honey If I could get my big toe in my husband's jeans I would be dancing in the aisles. Hurrah for you! Way to go with school! You're doing phenom. Felicitations on your b-day. You probably are still young enough to like them. Mine is day after tomorrow, yck! My dh reminded me that next year I will get a birthday greeting from AARP! Ain't he sweet! Hope you get lots of good stuff.

Deb- Always found tai-bo interesting, but I think I better choose walking for the time being. My leg might get stuck somewhere between the floor and the kick part. lol

Biker-What kind of dog is Nuke? He is either really big or tiny with a big attitude with that name! Our baby is Fortune (because that is what he costs us) He is a little over a year old and a Yorkie. He goes everywhere with us. My daughter says it is embarrassing that her mom and dad have turned into one of those old couples driving around in a big car and their little dog! He would be offended by that. He thinks he is one of our children actually, an only child. I think he wonders who the heck my real children are.

Everybody have a great day. I better get to work.

Donna

Good afternoon!

Deb - I am starting to do Taebo again...I used to do it about twice a week, but stopped because I was babysitting and just didn't have the time, etc. I did the instructional video yesterday to refresh my memory...I stopped about halfway through because my foot was going numb (it has been doing that a lot lately).

Definitely an awesome workout!!! I am going to try the instructional again and hope my foot doesn't go numb this time lol!

Donna - my dad was stationed here twice...for training, and then this is where he retired in '95. My husband works as a computer tech on the base right now, too. We are in Tipton, but originally both lived in Millington, and then when we got married, we were living in Bartlett. I used to work at Graceland, so probably not far from where you are working now! That was a looong drive from Brighton (where I lived when I first started working there!). I worked in Raleigh for awhile, and now I just stay at home with my little monkeys..err..children.

It is really great meeting someone so close by here!!!