Finally I am feeling more myself. It has been a rough few weeks.

I made it to the gym Tuesday for Spinning with my FAVORITE teacher. Her class is ALWAYs full and I was fortunate enough to climb from number 7 on the wait list to a bike. My lucky day! It was nice to work hard, sweat and feel like I am moving again. I am going again this morning with a different teacher and then to WW. I have been a GIANT slug. I gained last week and I fully expect to have gained this week. I just can't seem to get in a groove with my eating. I am full of good intentions on Friday and then .....

Tips for getting out of a diet slump would be helpful. I suppose a regular gym schedule can't hurt, but it seems a total lack of motivation and general apathy has taken root. UGH!

I am NOT giving up. I promised myself that I would become a lifetime member of WW this time. I am not quitting, so unless I want to pay them for the rest of my life I better start living the program and losing this weight.

Shorty - How's the running? Hope you are feeling good and gaining back some of that endurance. It's got to feel good to just be able to go now that you have your stroller!

Juno, Steph, Hope your week is going great!

Just a quick blurb from me as I am off in a few minutes. Been very crazy hectic here with work and a lot of other things happening. I am off to exercise in about 10 minutes and really need to burn off some anxiety!

WW - I did go up about a pound this week and I know that is because I cheated and was a bit cocky about the loss. This week two of my kids have birthdays and for them that means eating out & choosing dessert too. I had a small entree last night and a very small non-fat ice cream at CSC.

I hate the weeks when it starts to get crazy such as things that interfere with schedules such as birthdays, illness, work etc.

Hopefully I will find some time to get on and post more by this weekend. I too am going to get on WW lifetime Abs!! We can do it!!

Okay - i'm off!

4

x

hello, women!

Thanks for that great post, Juno. I agree that so much improving your health is just making better choices, and being fully responsible for the consequences of whatever choice you do make.

DH and I have been enjoying date nights out at some of the more recommended eateries in town, where I usually have at least one cocktail, something heavy and yummy, and often dessert.

I have a habit of not entering my food on those days because I know that the calories and fat counts will be high. But I tell myself that I'm allowed one night of yummy food, and further justify it by saying that since I'm taking a food writing class I need to get to know good food!

But since I am CHOOSING to eat this food, and I really do feel okay about that choice, I should just own up to all of it and enter the food into the program. That way I at least know the full impact of my choices and can make adjustments before or after to accomodate the extra calories.

So I did my first real run/fast walk with the double jogger on Tuesdays. Whew! It was hard, but fun, and it didn't kill me. We were in a neighborhood withlots of hills so I pushed and walked up those, even going into a semi-squat to really get the buns working. I was able to run in much longer bursts that I expected, 4-5 blocks at a time. I'm a little sore, but it's normal, good sore, not too-soon-after-having-a-baby-to-exercise-like-this sore. I really feel it across my upper back and shoulders, from the pushing I assume.

I did my usual walk on Sat am with the pregnant gals (did I tell you all about this group?) and will do it again this Sat. Trying to recuit new non-pregnant people so they don't all disappear on me this spring.

I got the bulk of my big work done today, and the baby is up after a 3 hour nap so I think I'm going to have my hands full for the rest of the day. Good excuse to put her in the stroller, pick up the mail, and stroll around the neighborhood for an hour or so. The birds have decided it's spring already and there is an absolute cacophony outside my window! It's a good day for a walk.

Abs, I hope you're over the cold and feeling like you're back in the groove.

Steph, I hope your days are getting a little less crazy. Bummer about the gain, but I know you'll get right back on it.

I am enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet in my house this afternoon. Took off from work a bit early and had to run around and do errands because we have hockey tournaments this weekend and I wanted to get a bit done.

I believe our work has decided to extend our workouts through April as a group which is really good because that session two times a week makes me work a bit harder than I would at home. We have a really nice group and everyone is doing great. I am also running my first 5K with a friend from work and am trying to get myself up to a decent pace so I don't embarass myself. I have always done a walk/run routine but did run 2.3 miles in one straight shot and at over a 5MPH speed so I think by April I should be okay. I know it will be different running outside though and wish we lived in a warmer state where I could get more outside practice!

WW is going good. I think the best thing is just that weekly check in. You think about it during the week, even if you don't journal everything - you really start to calculate how many points are going in your mouth! Even with the two birthdays and eating out twice and a girls night out....I managed to lose two pounds. I am trying to just make good solid choices. I know that yes any choice I make is MY decision so I have to be okay with it.


We had to cut back our morning walks this past week thanks to -30 wind chills but we got out again this morning (but even the dog made us cut it short) and are now hoping that next week will get us back to normal.

Shorty - congrats on date night! I don't think I got those until the past few years and my baby is 9!!! Dumb parenting - no reality is no one lived around here to babysit!

Juno - I would come up this year but want more vacation accrued! I have a friend who just started a Body Pump class here and she loves it.

Abs - Hope you are feeling 100%. I know it is a drag to get sick and then of course those kids get sick and it is always the mom's job to pull everyone through!

I need to go and enjoy the last 30 minutes of quiet time and work on my taxes!

I love the idea of the 5% club
 

Juno,
I just joined this site and found your message. I would love to be part of the ongoing dialogue with people trying to make life changes. I lost 100 pounds a few years ago and now I struggle daily to keep within a 10-15 pound range. It seems as if keeping off the last 10 and staying at the lower end of my range is just as hard as losing 100pounds! Ok not as hard but much more difficult then I would like it to be. I hope to hear from you and other club members. I am in a similar spot with three kids, working full time, and all the stress life brings. I also recently changed health clubs however I don't like my new club as much so any incentive to buck up and get back to exercising would be welcome. I do know that complaining and overeating doesn't make the weight go away.

x

Let me introduce myself
 

Juno,
Thanks for your welcoming message. To everyone else who has been here for 10 years thanks for letting me join in. Wow what a commitment you all have to each other.
I'll give you the short version of my journey. I put weight on slowly as an adult and by the time I had my third child I was 50 pounds overweight. By the time he was 5 I was 100pounds overweight. That time in my life seems like a blurr. I work full time and try and manage a house, spouse, the kids and as you know the story I am sure taking care of myself wasn't on my radar.

I promised myself that when my youngest went to kindergarten I would do something for myself and I did. Some people at work were trying the low carb thing and one day someone gave me a protein bar when I was on my way for coffee and candy in the afternoon. I had never hear of low carb or high protein. This was in October of 2003 and it launched my new low carb diet approach to life. I read everything I could get my hands on and I tried every low carb diet. I lost the weight by May of 05. Probably the best help for me was a book entitled "Living the Low Carb Life" by Jonny Bowden. I learned about body chemistry and how sugar was affecting me. I am one of those people who is very sensitive to sugar and I never knew it.

When I reached my goal I kept at the goal weight for a year and I was hoping all of my problems would be solved and I would quit thinking about food so much. As you know that just isn't the case. I think I just wanted the food problem to go away.

I also started practicing yoga two years ago. I love yoga. I am also an avid walker although I am a baby when it comes to cold weather. I live in the Midwest and when we get a few inches of snow I go treadmill or eliptical. I don't know how you all do it in the frigid temperatures.

This past year I have tried to change my diet to be more flexible and include more alternative proteins like beans. I am finding that I am not successful for very long. As my carbohydrate levels go up I start to unhinge. I am trying to learn moderation but I don't feel like I have the will power to ever have just one and yet now that it has been two years I don't want to constantly be on a diet.

So as I look at making choices for life I am trying to figure out what choices I am willing to make for a lifetime. We are in a tight financial situation right now so I have been trying to cut back on the food bill which is really hard because I have relied on protein bars and whey protein shakes as part of my diet. That is also the reason for the gym change. I had to let go of my yoga class at the YMCA and I really miss the support and the stretching and the cardio workout(it was a pretty rigorous class). I am not trying to be a whiner. All of this is to say I feel like after two years I should be able to handle the changes and yet I am really out of the old routine in terms of what I was eating and how I was exercising. I feel lost right now and the result has been moving to the top of the 10 pound range I feel comfortable with. You know the feeling of tight clothes and eating much more of the unhealthy stuff than the good stuff.

Well so much for the short post. Thanks for listening. I haven't been able to share this with anyone. People assume the problem is gone because the weight is gone. This shake up in my routine is another hurdle on the journey. Any help in how to manage this one would be great. I am thinking of increasing the food budget if I can't find a low cost protein substitute that doesn't make me crave carbs. I have also found a free yoga download which is pretty good just lonely. And for those of you that have a good gym cardio routine I would love to hear about it. I just go to the gym and look at the equipment and usually hit auto program because it is too overwhelming. There is a weight room there as well but no free trainers.

Thanks for your support.
GD4good

x

Happy Hump Day (is it Friday yet???) -

Busy at work and in home life but am taking a mini break just because I deserve to (or at least I've convinced myself of that!).

Welcome GD4Good! Always happy to learn about other people's experiences and have some new input into our group. Congratulations on the weight loss and the obvious determination that you have! I am very impressed because you really gave yourself a time to get in shape and did what it takes. One of the hardest things to stick to. Carbs are seriously my downfall as I don't really eat anything else in excess....

Even though it is freezing here in the mornings my girlfriend and I have still been good about going out 4-5 mornings per week for an hour and trudging around with the dog (we do about 3 miles). Dog needs it and unfortunately we are probably so loud that when spring comes and people open their windows we are going to have the police called....we were quiet the first few weeks but now into our 5th month of 5:30 walking - we are wide awake! The group TB lessons are going good and we haven't had many people at all drop off and we just extended a few weeks. This week they awarded us with resistance bands and did that ever make a difference! I am trying to run 2+ miles a couple times a week and also doing some strength training tapes at home too.

I am trying to tell myself that I have only one more very very jam-packed week with the boys hockey and then only the younger one still plays. I am away this weekend on a tournament (bad food, beer!), then we have two more tournaments when we get back...and then my evenings will be so calm for a few months. I love hockey, love that the boys love it......but it is very time consuming. I am telling myself that it is better to be calm and pace things out over the next two weeks otherwise it just gets so frantic.

WW is going good just because of the scale and the fact that I am really looking at what I eat and deciding if one stupid thing is worth a lot of points. I don't eat a lot of processed foods - seem to get hives and one of the main ingredients in things that gives me hives fast is corn syrup!! I think it honestly is more fill things than regular. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, grains and stuff in their natural state or steamed. I like shrimp, cheese and veggie burgers for protein. Just am not a big meat girl at all.....

Speaking of being mad about corn syrup - I bought the new "crunchy" oatmeal because I am able to tolerate the Apple/Cinnamon variety but the "crunchy" one has corn syrup thanks to the granola. I have found a few bars that do not have corn syrup and eat them occassionally. I buy the natural applesauce and add my own cinnamon.....

Okay better get down to business here -

Steph

Back to the basics
 

Thanks for the great ideas Juno and thanks for the welcome Steph. You both sound like you are really active which is such an encouragement. I have spent the last two days house bound and feeling sorry for myself so today when the weather broke and the kids went back to school I went grocery shopping and stocked up on foods that I know make me feel good (healthy). I found protein bars on sale, I bought nuts and put them in small portion size bags. I found lots of fruits and veggies and I made a meal plan.

As you said I have to remember what worked so well for all the time I was losing weight. I think I was too quick to let go of too many good habits at one time. You are right about having buddies. I will find someone at the new gym or at least try and get in to a routine that I can count on. I think I can afford the protein bars since I reduced the cost of the YMCA. That should be a fair trade off for now. My work schedule varies so I have different time available each day. I am going to plan out my exercise schedule as if it were a class. Maybe that will help me hold to the time.

Thanks for the diet ideas I will check them out. I am willing to try something different. I think you are right about beans. Maybe a couple times a week but not more. I also have a lot of success with cottage cheese, tuna, and eggs. I think I just need to remember the good habits and think positive. Carbs don't affect me too much unless I dive head long into refined sugar products. I have tried to manage small amounts but that just seems to trigger bigger bites!

This weekend I am heading out of town for work. Instead of stressing I am going to look forward to a hotel room that I don't have to share with three kids. Maybe the bathtub will be a jacuzzi. That would be an incredible treat. I will definitely bring workout clothes and try out their exercise equipment. This is very unusual for me and it is hard to leave three kids with all of their activities in the hands of my husband. Steph we probably play basketball here the way you all play hockey. It is crazy right now but we are finished in two weeks. Leaving during the height of tournaments is really tough. On the other hand, I will have extra time for myself which isn't all bad either.


Enjoy your day and thanks so much for your welcoming spirit. I really appreciate it. I'll let you know how things go next week.
GD4Good

Back to the basics
 

Thanks for the great ideas Juno and thanks for the welcome Steph. You both sound like you are really active which is such an encouragement. I have spent the last two days house bound and feeling sorry for myself so today when the weather broke and the kids went back to school I went grocery shopping and stocked up on foods that I know make me feel good (healthy). I found protein bars on sale, I bought nuts and put them in small portion size bags. I found lots of fruits and veggies and I made a meal plan.

As you said I have to remember what worked so well for all the time I was losing weight. I think I was too quick to let go of too many good habits at one time. You are right about having buddies. I will find someone at the new gym or at least try and get in to a routine that I can count on. I think I can afford the protein bars since I reduced the cost of the YMCA. That should be a fair trade off for now. My work schedule varies so I have different time available each day. I am going to plan out my exercise schedule as if it were a class. Maybe that will help me hold to the time.

Thanks for the diet ideas I will check them out. I am willing to try something different. I think you are right about beans. Maybe a couple times a week but not more. I also have a lot of success with cottage cheese, tuna, and eggs. I think I just need to remember the good habits and think positive. Carbs don't affect me too much unless I dive head long into refined sugar products. I have tried to manage small amounts but that just seems to trigger bigger bites!

This weekend I am heading out of town for work. Instead of stressing I am going to look forward to a hotel room that I don't have to share with three kids. Maybe the bathtub will be a jacuzzi. That would be an incredible treat. I will definitely bring workout clothes and try out their exercise equipment. This is very unusual for me and it is hard to leave three kids with all of their activities in the hands of my husband. Steph we probably play basketball here the way you all play hockey. It is crazy right now but we are finished in two weeks. Leaving during the height of tournaments is really tough. On the other hand, I will have extra time for myself which isn't all bad either.


Enjoy your day and thanks so much for your welcoming spirit. I really appreciate it. I'll let you know how things go next week.
GD4Good

x

back on track
 

Hi Everyone,
Well the weekend in Chicago was delightful. Not as windy (being on Lake Michigan)as I expected and the hotel was right on the Magnificent Mile which is definitely the hot spot of Chicago. I live in Ohio so it was not a far drive.

I recently read a story in the newspaper about a famous ball player who went into rehab to get off drugs and alcohol in order to save his family life and career. After 16 months of rehab he found that one way to keep from being tempted to get back into the drug life was to give up the priviledge of driving and access to his own money. At first I thought this was crazy then I thought of the things that I do that make it difficult for me to keep up with my good habits.

I have a wireless network in my home so instead of working at my desk I now set up in the dining room(right next to the kitchen). Way too much access to food - I am moving back upstairs!

I start cooking after school when the kids get home and sometimes spend most of the afternoon and evening in the kitchen(way too much time to stand and snack)

I tell myself I can't walk when it is cold(but I just walked 3 miles twice a day in Chicago in order to get to and from the conference!)

I am not a drug addict but I was really struck by how hard I make it for myself sometimes. I do love sugar and I don't always stop at a small piece of chocolate so why tempt myself? I should leave ice cream and chocolate for special occasions not daily dessert in the house!

Juno, I am glad you took a look at Jonny Bowden's website. I think his advice on ivillage.com as an expert is probably the best source. You may have already found that. I didn't realize he was "stepping away" from low carb. He has never been an advocate of counting carbs or GI or other strategies used by many of the low carb programs. He is really about common sense when it comes to eating healthy whole grains, fruits, veggies, and proteins. As I tell most low carb dieters. No one ever got fat from eating a carrot! What I like about Jonny is he really helped me understand that what I eat really does matter. He also believes that calories matter which a lot of low carb programs forget to mention. Anyway I try to stick with the "super foods" and for me keeping the refined sugar in check is key.

I am dissapointed that I let 5 pounds turn into 15 pounds since October but I am not going to beat myself up about it. This is the first time since I reached my goal(may 05) that I have ever been more than 10 pounds above goal weight. It is pretty scary because I am on the edge of not having anything to wear but I am trying not to panic. I walked this afternoon because after such a great weekend of walking I thought I would keep things going. It felt good to be outside. I am going to try to toughen up like those of you who walk at 5:30am. If you can do it Steph I should be able to handle 3pm and temperatures in the 30s!

Thanks for your encouragement everyone. I had to work today but for those of you that had the day off I hope it was an enjoyable one.
GD4good