kirsten - I have no doubt that you will go back down

Melissa - Great job on the new low!!!! Amazing!!! I am glad you got a great night of sleep too!

Diana - you are too kind. I am so glad to hear no gain from Cracker Barrel!!! Hopefully you can kick the water weight to the curb

redballoon - Great activity! Sounds like a fun and full day!

jo - Hope you are able to do the running thing and the foot holds out Have fun at the market!! Sounds like you totally have your groove of food back on!

Krystal - stock up some fruits for me while you are there, lol... I am running low and too busy to stop today

Vixsin - Down a pound AND got the money for your food shopping! Today is going to be an awesome day for you!!! YAY!!!! Enjoy!!!

It will be 11 years...no 12 years I think...this February since I quit. And to date, it has been the hardest yet most rewarding thing I've EVER done. Sometimes it was a minute by minute battle (at the beginning). Distraction was my key. The craving goes away after a few minutes. I had two primary distractions: some stupid leprechaun computer game and a Quit Smoking support forum (http://www.network54.com/Forum/76750/). And trust me...you will think about it less and less. You have to make it through the difficult times (and you will). Everyday is just a little bit easier than the last. I know now that I can't be a casual smoker. Like an alcoholic, one puff on a cigarette and I'd be back to my pack-a-day habit in no time. I hope I never smoke again!

You can do it...Never quit quitting!

Girls, I think my arms are wet noodles. Strength training on top of all that raking yesterday and I FEEL IT. Wowzers! But, I'm motivated!!!!!

good Job Melissa!! Feel that burn!

The exercise plan has changed for today. Instead of going to the gym, I need to go home and finish cleaning. That way, I can have some quality time with Maxwell and not have the cleaning hanging over my head! I'll be running up and down stairs and scrubbing, so I'll still be burning calories!!!

Thanks for all the insomnia advice. I might try out the TMI advices.

Today I absolutely did not want to go to kickboxing practice. I had zero motivation. I forced myself to go. I felt a million times better after I went. I cannot rely on motivation for going to practice I just have to go no matter. Like the Nike slogan 'Just Do It'.

Go easy on yourself when you're quitting smoke. It is so so worth it in the long run.

Hi Everyone!

Total Approx 1440 Calories +

Breakfast (365 Calories + coffee)
spritz oil in pan
egg 70 cal
egg whites from carton 60 calories
Vegetable of choice
1/8 cup feta cheese 40 calories
high fiber English muffin 100 calories
1 teaspoon jam 20 calories
juice 75 calories
coffee w/sugar and cream

Lunch (375 Calories)
Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Rounds 100 calories
3 Slices Hormel Natural Choice Deli Turkey 60 calories
1/2 TBS Hellman's light mayonnaise/Lettuce 25 calories
Oikos Strawberry Greek Yogurt 4 ounce container 90 calories
1 Apple 100 calories

Dinner (700 Calories)
Grilled Chicken Breast 500 calories
2 orders collard greens 200 calories

Exercise:
~Ilaria Montagnani's Powestrike Kickboxing 6 w/weighted gloves
~1000 Jump Ropes

Hi everyone,

So glad to have somewhere to turn for accountability tonight! This morning was a hard blow-- skipped a couple days of weighing and did some very unhelpful boredom-eating over the past few days, and the scale told me exactly that this morning. I was higher than ever, even though yesterday I had been really on-track. It didn't seem fair after I had gone to bed feeling proud of myself for starting the new week well.

I'm also really struggling with motivation to get in good strong cardio workouts, and the more I skip the harder they are.

So, today i had a day off while on a business trip in DC, and did very well for myself:

Greek yogurt
Plain coffee
1 apple

1small salad with avocado and 1plain slice rye bread

1salad with sashimi tuna, edamame, seaweed and avocado plus soy sauce

Night snack of 1package plain oatmeal with stevia and water

I feel proud but also was just plain hungry today, too, and it seems to take a lot of focus to eat like this, but apparently, i cant let myself go in the least, or else the weight piles back on for a ride on my thighs. That's just not fun. Anyone else feel this way, like there's no wiggle room here?

Hello all- just joining in. I have vowed to be healther since October 1. It is working for me. Tracking my food choices and getting adequate exercise. I have dropped 14 lbs since Oct 1. I am eating healthy choices and also getting a bite of the things I love.

Berryblonde- I so did the same- turning 43 and decided I really need to make this work. I have so much dreaded disease in my family and I refuse to be subjected. GO FOR IT!

Yes, I was in denial for years. And then it smacked me in the face. I was 40 years old (just a few days before my 41st birthday) when I found out the horrible state of my health and I knew my father died of a heart attack at the age of 42... Now if that isn't a wake up call, I don't know what is.

That's making me feel a little better. I'm glad to hear that it does get easier. I'm almost to the end of day 5. Right now the hard part is after dinner and in the evenings. Especially right after the kids go to sleep. It seems like you and I have/had similar distractions! I'm playing Bingo Island on FB and scouring whyquit.net. I don't think I can be a casual smoker either. I keep telling myself these lies, that just one won't matter, that it doesn't make me a failure, that I'm being too hard on myself. That I deserve one after it took me 2 hours to rock my daughter to sleep. Or I deserve one after I slaved over the stove to prepare a healthy meal for everyone. But I know that they're lies. And for the first time in my life, I'm ignoring those lies. I've always been good at talking myself into things that aren't right for me. It's very hard not to listen like I usually do.

Cleaning for exercise is awesome! You accomplish two things at the same time!

Good job on making yourself go to kickboxing! I'm the same way about going to the gym. I have to talk myself into going, but I always feel great after I do. Why do I have to coax myself into doing it if I end up enjoying it so much? I dunno...

Oh yes, especially lately. I've been stalled since the middle of October, just bouncing around between the same 2-3lb. I have losses when I am way under my calorie goal, but I go right back up again if I go over even 100 cal. And I'm trying to lose 1.5-2lb a week, so it's not like 100 puts me over maintenance or anything. I've been very frustrated lately.

And congrats on your 14lb loss! That's great!

Hmm, did some exercise today to take my mind off cigarettes. Like I said before, I want to do C25K but I think I need my lungs to heal a bit before I can do it in earnest. Running for two minutes shouldn't leave me incapacitated for more than an hour.

I just want to do this right. I want to lose weight and I want to be healthy and I want to be an ex-smoker and I don't want to f*ck it up or give up. I want to believe that these things are possible. I want to be gentle with myself right now but not too gentle, kwim? I'm proud of myself for making it almost 5 days without a cigarette. I'm proud of myself for losing 58lb. It's just having a hard time sinking in because I was at 289 for such a short time. I'm now at the weight I have been for most of my adult life, so it's almost like the loss is a dream and I haven't changed at all. I can see the numbers and I can see that my clothes are fitting but it's still not entirely real yet. This is so weird. I think once I lose 30 more and get into that "uncharted territory" that it will finally feel real. At least I hope so.

I have been getting more walks in lately. My son doesn't ride the bus this year so I walk him home from school. It's almost a mile there and a mile back. I keep telling myself that we'll walk in the morning, too, but I just can't seem to do it.

I made a post & it was deleted

Today's Recap
Cals: 1619
Sprints: 325 (45 min on )
Water: 80 oz

Good Morning, Everyone!

I'm not quite sure where my issue is. It must be pending TTOM. I don't normally hold onto water weight for this long. I even had another gain this morning. Oh well. My calories are good. All I can do is feed and exercise my body. The rest is up to my body. It must need to hold onto water for some reason. I may as well not take it personally.

Calories for yesterday: 1440 +
Weigh In: 147.4
Up: 1.2 pounds


mem7883 Hi and Welcome!

attagirl125 Hi and Welcome

Popping in real fast before taking off to work:

to the new faces

shish - you are doing great!

Krystal - demand the post back!

Diana - no doubt you will level out

I will post "better" later Have a super day/start to day/end to the day for all By the way - anyone heard recently from Larry? I get nervous when it's been awhile

And the scale is continuing it's trend downwards! Yay!!! Down another .6 to 177.6. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't let me stall out before I get to 175 as when I stall out, I stall out for weeks!!!!