Hi all you wonderful ladies! You don't know how wonderful you are, trust me you are! I feel so bad for not being around that I actually felt too embarassed to stick my nose in here. I went back and read everything since the last time I posted and realized there was nothing to be ashamed about nor would you guys shun me for being MIA.

I've taken some time off of everything and threw it all down. My mother stayed with me for about a week and half and was making everything I mentioned I liked from my childhood. So NOT good! It was delicious but not good decisions as far as trying to lose weight. Hence throwing everything down. I've been so off track that it's getting me even more discouraged and disappointed in myself, and how do I feed not so nice feelings...with junk and more junk. It's gotten to the point where I really want to cleanse myself of all junk and get back to straight healthiness. You know it's bad when you crave salad! LOL! But seriously, I used to have a light feeling at the end of the day and a slight growl at times which I convinced myself was my own body burning off of its reserves and not what I gave it. I had enough calories there was no need for more. I don't want to sit here feeling heavy and hopeless. So the only way that this is going to change is with me taking those first steps again. I am so sick of sitting here in the 2-teens and never being able to get past them! I don't want to bore you with all this self-revelations yet again. So I'm popping my head in to say I want it bad enough to give it another full steam ahead try. I can analyze this enough to see my falters and fix em' why not put it into action?!!

Sorry again for not being here. If I can just straighten myself out...again and recommitt I know I can make it! Is it just me but once you get "half-way" doesn't get extremely hard to keep losing. Tammy, I need some advice!! You have some so far but yet still manage to keep steadily losing. I'm going to re-think the Sugar Solution that maybe the key to my success. You said you follow those guidelines roughly right?

Have a great day all!

Tina, the break may actually make weight loss now a bit easier. I took an extended break (a 3 year one, and gained back 10 of my 30 lbs lost). But it actually helped the monotony, I think. It may not have been such a bad thing to do, although I seriously don't condone a 3 year break. Wish I'd only taken a couple months. :( I'm just sayin' it may help your weight loss. I'm down another lb today. yippee!! It's come off pretty easily since I begun 1 1/2 months ago. I'm down 14-15 lbs so far. :) Hopefully it'll fall off of you now that you've had a bit of a break. I certainly hope so! I just went and looked at your before picture....you were beautiful then, you're gorgeous now! Keep going.....it'll sooooo be worth it in the end! :)

Well ladies, hope everyone's doin' well. How's everyone's weather? Anybody still freezing? We're sunny and expecting a high of 75 today (yes, degrees!!!). It's absolutely beautiful. I have my windows and doors wide open airing the "winter germs" out of my house! Although my 22 month old daughter currently is displaying flu-like symptoms. :(

My day is at its breaking point right now. This time of day (midday) is usually when I either do well or bomb for the day. I've had about 10 or 11 of my 28 points. I'm hoping I can hold off til supper....if so, I've got it made in the shade.

Have a great day everyone! :) :) :)

Just managed to lose a long post about my rotten day . . . and I'm too tired and upset to start again.

Hope you all have a moving and shaking kind of evening . . . I'll try to get caught up again tomorrow. See you gang. :carrot:

Wow girls! I wish I had some great words of wisdom here. Robbin, According to fitday, my average calories over the last 4 months are around 1750. I’ve averaged about 63 grams of fat per day, 190 of carbohydrates, and 93 grams of protein. I lost an average of 1.2 lbs per week. I’ve been pouring over my stats in the last couple of months, and I have realized that my weight loss really slowed down when I started adding more carbs. From August til now, I have slowly started increasing my carbs, eating more breads and oatmeal. Before then, I was eating an average of 87 grams of fat, 100 grams of carbs and 110 grams of protein. My weight loss averaged 1.87 lbs per week during that period. My point to this long rambling post is that I am seriously considering lowering the number of carbs that I am getting in, and raise the amount of protein and fat. (I don't eat transfat and I do watch the amount of saturated fats.) That may not work for everyone, but I can see that it worked better for me. I just want to see 199, then I will probably raise my carbs again. I don’t want to do without oatmeal or whole wheat bread forever.

Robbin, 1450 calories really seems a little low to me. I wouldn’t consider going any lower than that right now if I were you. I’m hypothyroid, so I know my metabolism isn’t great, and I can still lose (although slowly) at a higher level. How many calories were you eating to lose all that you’ve lost so far?

Tina, of course we wouldn't shun you for being MIA. Life happens sometimes. I'm just glad to see you post again. You’re right that the second part of weight loss goes so much slower than the first part. It’s hard for me to stay motivated when the scales drag along, but I’m trying. I’m not really familiar with Sugar Solution, but from doing a quick online search, it sounds like a low glycemic diet. I originally started on Somersizing, which is low glycemic. I’ve tweaked it somewhat, by adding more whole grain carbs. I avoid white flour, white rice, added sugars, HFCS, corn, and white potatoes. (Lots of reading labels.) I eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Vegetables are what keep me full. I usually have at least 3 vegetables with lunch and dinner. Maybe start tomorrow by getting rid of any goodies that your mom may have left around the house and either remove all junk food from the house or put it on a shelf for DD and DH and make it off limits for you. I know you can do it! You are so motivating to me. :hug:

Linda, So sorry you’ve had a bad day. Hope tomorrow is better for you. :hug:

Well . . . here I am . . . Feeling lonely because all three cats spent the night in the 'hospital'. It is just too quiet without them and I had a terrible night's sleep. Purrecious wasn't expected to come home until today anyway. Mouse got a clean bill of health on his blood-test results, but was refusing to give up a urine sample. Amazing how long they can hold-it sometimes.

Unfortunately, Jazz did not get a good result on his blood-tests. He definitely has diabetes. Since his kidneys are still in pretty good shape, I told the vet to start him on insulin. She was a little surprised by that (since he is almost 13 years old) but I think she understood when I told her I was diabetic and figured that since I gave myself insulin shots I could probably give them to the cat, too. I mean, I realize (probably better than most) that this is an incurable disease and that he is definitely not young . . . but, hey, I'm definitely not young either and I have the same incurable disease. How would I like it if someone thought I should be 'put down' because I was getting to be a 'bother'. He may not rally well, but I've got to give it a try. Time will tell.

Vet just called while I was typing the above . . . Mouse is still holding it . . . They are about to test Jazz's BGL to see how he responded to his first insulin injection . . . hopefully everybody will be able to come home late this afternoon.

Anyway, I am very glad it is Friday. Hopefully I can stay on track today. Needless to say I had a little melt-down last night. After I had a little crying binge over Jazz, followed by another little crying binge over Grey's Anatomy, I proceeded to eat too many comfort carbs (although they were 'good carbs'; there were just too many of them). Of course my BGL is up this morning from a combination of the carbs and the stress.

Hi CHERYL . . . :hug: Good to see you girl. Hang in there and keep doing the good stuff as much as you can and that weight will be gone again.

Hi TAMMY . . . :hug: Your oatmeal pancake recipe was one of my carb pig-out's last night . . . Yummy, yummy . . . thanks so much. I will be making that one again.

Hi ROBBIN . . . :hug: So glad to hear about your new fur-baby. I also think that 1450 sounds a little bit low . . . but then I lose soooo slowly, I hesitate to give any advice. :o

Hi TINA . . . :hug: So glad to see you back. What has been said already is very true . . . sometimes a little break gives a fresh start and sometimes we have to think up some new strategies to keep ourselves from getting off track. Both complacency and boredom take their toll after a while. You can do it . . . we can all do it. Especially with a little help from our 'cyber family'.

Hi DIANA . . . :hug: Right on, girl. You hang in there. You are doing great.

We are having sunny and cold today, too. BTW, my horoscope says I must NOT stay home and do housework today. Sounds good to me. Guess I'll go out and start buying some puppy supplies -- yep, you read that right . . . I said PUPPY supplies . . . but more on that topic at another time. ;)

Hope you all have a great moving and shaking kind of day, gang. See you soon. :carrot:

Good morning ladies! Did you guys watch Oprah yesterday? I had it on while making dinner and didn't catch every detail, but one thing did ring true to me. I'm not sure who said it, but that sentence did reach my ears. It was.."we won't find the motivation till we start it.." something along those lines. And that was the very thing I've been complaining about for the longest time, I don't feel that burning motivation anymore. True it's hard to maintain a fire-breathing motivating core..but once we lose it...blow on the embers! I've lost the motivation but I've gotta put one foot before the other to start it again! Yesterday I realized that I am right back (in my mind) where I started. I tried to have a day like used to, meals and snacks planned...but dang it was tough trying to keep my mind off of food or not to snack. It truly is as much of a mental battle as it is physical. It took me a long time to prepare myself mentally to start this (as you might remember in the intro. of this thread), but I don't want it to take that long again. I wanna wake up and change the day I'm in...cut the the cycle off at the knees and take hold of the reigns again. Gosh, food addiction is such a hard one to control.

Diana, I truly hope that after this re-committment that I'll be able to move on past this point in my "diet"/life and get to where I was headed a year ago. Thanks for the compliment and the pep talk. It helps to have support in an area of my life that I try to keep to myself in front of my family and friends. We all know they mean well, but sometimes we can't really express ourselves as freely as we do here.

Linda, sorry to hear about your kitty. But I'm sure with the watchful eye of a great mommy that he'll be fine. Be nice to get them all home where they belong. How you managed to round them all up to go to the vet is beyond me! LOL!

Tammy, I have such a sugar addiction that I find myself buying those diet treats that are actually cheats. There's probably more harm in a 100 cal pack of oreos than I know. I just figured I gotta stop trying to find things that I can get away with and eat clean, wholesome and healthy. I tried the Sugar Solution for a week and felt really good, not one craving, but full and satisfied. I'm going to take inventory and go grocery shopping for more healthy options. I'll never in my wildest dreams figure how I could be motivating to you when I look up to you so much as a power house! Thanks!

Well, girls I gotta say once again..Y'all are the greatest. Thanks for being here and listening and trying to shake my head in the right direction. Have a great day!

TTFN!

hi y'all, just to say iv not been in cos have flu. not felt up to doing any exercise but also not felt like eating much either...tho i did have a couple of days where i ate quite a lot of icecream....but only to try to get my temperature down ya understand...i didnt enjoy the icecream at all...it was purely medicinal....yeah who am i kidding lol

Hi Chickies . . .

Just thought I'd give you the Puppy story . . . although I'm afraid it did not have the ending I was hoping for . . .

I am a lover of Standard Poodles (although it can be difficult to live with a dog that is smarter than you are). However, my friends and relatives convinced me that I should get a smaller dog (it has been many years since my last dog) and I decided they were probably right. So, I finally located a reputable local breeder of miniature poodles and she had two left in a current litter, both males, one chocolate and one apricot. However, by the time I called both were gone. Missed them by less than a week. So I got myself on her list for the next litter and hopefully a chocolate or coffee female. Two days later, she calls to tell me she will be getting the apricot back because the purchaser's circumstances have changed and the pup will be left alone all day and that is against this breeders 'rules'. So, she will pick him up Saturday (today) and bring him to me if I want him. Sounds good so far, right. Anyway, yesterday, I scurry around and buy some puppy supplies and a crate so he will have a little den to go to when Mouse tries to beat him up and then last night she calls again to say that the current owner is refusing to give him up, so Diane (the breeder) has contacted her lawyer to get the terms of the purchase agreement enforced but it could be a while. So . . . and this is finally the end of the story . . . I said, sorry, but I don't want to wait what could be weeks and weeks (or longer) to get an older, and probably by then, traumatized, puppy that has become unruly and unsocialized by being left alone all the time. She understood perfectly and so I'm back on the waiting list again.

Probably for the best . . . Now I can get the cats and their problems sorted out as well as my own surgeries behind me, before I take on a puppy; but it was a let-down.

Speaking of the cats --

The two boys came home late yesterday afternoon. Jazz is doing really well so far. He loves his new 'special diet' food -- as well he should at $2.00 a can -- however, poor skinny little boy (about 2 pounds underweight at the moment) wants more and he cannot have more. His BGL was 23 (over 400 on the US scale) when they first tested and 5 (90) when they released him. No wonder he was feeling so terrible and no wonder he seems so much better now. Anyway, since that miraculous turn around came with only 2 units of insulin a day, you can see why his food intake and his insulin must be very carefully monitored and balanced.

Mouse has a bladder infection and needs some antibiotics for the next ten days. This could be fun, since I value my fingers. Couldn't even find him this morning to try to give him the first dose. Since then, I've tried twice and he manages to spit it out every time. If I can't get the pills into him, I'll have to take him to the vet every morning to get them to do it. Might be easier in the long run.

Purrecious was still running a bit of a temp yesterday, so she didn't come home until this morning, but other than that seems to be doing just fine. Still a little swelling and it may never go away unless she sits still once in a while. She loves the dog crate, so it isn't going to waste.

Anyway, sorry I've been running off at the fingers with the animal stories -- I'll try to refrain myself in the future -- but hey, that's why the puter-god invented the scroll key. :D You don't have to read the babbling if you don't want to.

TINA . . . :hug: Keep plugging away at it, girl . . . you can do it. Yes, you can! Yes, you can!!!!!

LIZA . . . :hug: Hope you are feeling A-1 again, really soon. Wow, wish I had a doctor that would prescribe ice-cream as part of my diabetes-control plan. ;) But, guess it won't happen anytime soon. :D

Hope everybody else is doing fine and dandy and plannin a really great and exciting weekend. Keep on doing the good stuff, just as much as you possibly can, girls. See you again soon. :carrot:

Hi all...Feel terrible that I haven't been around much, just very, very busy with appointments and meetings with the FD. I have been gone every day this past week and the next week is pretty much the same. Too much eating out as well, which I hate. I always have good intention when I walk into a place and then blow it! New day, new week to get my act together.

We got hit with a big storm yesterday. Started with freezing rain and wind and I had left early for a meeting. Took me an hour to go 30 miles. I ended up turning around and going back home. Value my life more than attending a meeting. Anyway, by 1 PM it started snowing hard. The weatherman said we were only going to get 2", but we have about 8 and it's started snowing again this morning. Guess Feb is going to go out with a bang!

Linda...I'm such a softie for animals. I have a standard poodle that i got from the Humane Society in 1999 after my little Peaches passed. Ozzy was 2 1/2 years old and had been abused for those years by a man and boys. When I first brought him home, we played musical doors just trying to get him out of the Suburban. He had never rode in a car before, except his ride to the Humane Society, so I would go to grab him and he would hop in the back. Anyway, I have had him for almost 8 years and he is my little Love. He goes everywhere with me, and if I have to leave him home with my Hubby, Ozzy whines till I get home. He still will not go anywhere with my Hubby unless I walk him out to get in the car or go to the barn. I even have a -30 below sleeping bag in the suburban for Ozzy to snuggle into when we travel during the winter months. He's spoiled rotten, but loved very much and I just wish we would of gotten him when he was first born so he wouldn't of had to experience the abuse. At least he is in a loving home now.

Cheryl

Hi Ladies, I hope you are all having a peaceful weekend.

Linda, Sorry to hear that Jazz didn’t get good results on his blood-test. But, you are experienced at dealing with diabetes and I know you will be able to give him great care. Can you mix Mouse’s antibiotics in with his food, or does it have to be taken alone? Glad you liked the pancakes recipe we found here. I made them again this morning and they were still yummy.

Tina, How has your weekend gone? I hope you have been "putting that one foot before the other” to get back on track. After a year and a half of losing weight, that’s what I have to do too. I don’t feel “motivated” every day, but I do feel that I am “committed” to making the change, whether I feel motivated or not. To be specific about how you motivate me, I admire that you are a mother with a young child who is getting into shape and will not be obese while her child is young. I was so big when my kids were young that I missed out on so much. I want to be able to do things like go swimming , swing on the playground, etc, things I couldn't do because of my weight.

Liza, Hope you’re feeling better soon. “Medicinal” ice cream huh? Lol ;)

Hi Cheryl, Glad that you’re stopping by to post. It sounds like you have had a very busy week. Staying on plan is so much harder when you have to eat out a lot.

The fat fairy finally visited last night and took 2 lbs with her. Mentally, I really needed to see that drop on the scale. It had begun to feel like I was being so good, with no results. Why is it so easy to take advice about being patient and yet so difficult to do it? Just 3 more pounds and I will no longer be "obese". Of course, that will probably be next month at my current rate.....

Well, ladies......I think I'm going to actually show a loss beyond my +0.4 gain from last week! YIPEE! If I have a really good day tomorrow and the next day (weigh in day), then I'll have had a good week. I'm just going to have to keep myself really, REALLY busy! No time to think of food. lol :) I did go shopping today....bought a size 18W....down from a 22W (22's weren't tight when I began, but fit normally). That's a great feeling! When I fit into a 16W (it's sooooo very close!) I think I'll jump for joy!

Wow, Tammy.....not being obese! I remember my senior year in high school going to the doctor with an ear infection. The doctor was recording his "notes" on his tape recorder. He said I was borderline obese. My heart sank and my eyes welled up with tears....but it wasn't enough for me to do something about it. Then again I was 17 yrs old and knew nothing about healthy eating. What could I do? My weight has increased steadily since then. How exactly does it feel? One day I'll know....one day we'll all know. But just tell us how great it feels........you rock! I can't believe how far you've come. You deserve it if anyone does! You've worked hard, obviously....be proud of yourself for an enormous achievement!!!

Liza, I've found a very, very awesome thing! (Speaking of ice cream!!) I don't know what plan you do, but weight watchers puts out an ice cream bar that's covered with crushed up oreos. A mere 2 points! And OMG!! My husband and I each enjoy one at night after putting the kids to bed when we crash in front of the TV. He said last night, "I could eat one that's 2 feet long." One satisfies me immensly and I feel like I've cheated!! You can get them with vanilla ice cream inside or chocolate. They're kinda expensive....6 or 8 (can't remember) for $3.98. I judge when it's time to go grocery shopping by when we run out of weight watcher ice cream bars! LOLOL I'm sure they work wonders on elevated temperatures, too, without the guilt! hehehe!! :) :) :)

Cheryl, we had severe weather yesterday (tornado hit about 25 miles from here....tore up a whole bunch of stuff).....however, today it's sunny and we had a high in the mid or upper sixties. Tomorrow more of the same with temps in the mid seventies! I have an extra bedroom....you're more than welcome to come soak up some warm temps and sunrays! :) Hope you're weather gets better soon!

Well everyone, hubby took the kids on a four wheeler ride....I'm gonna go soak up some quiet time now! Looking forward to seeing "less of you all" tomorrow....

Diana

Hi gang . . . :hug:

Afraid this will have to be quick. Have to take Mouse to the Vet to get him 'pilled' since I've been less than successful with everything I've tried. :(

Just wanted to stop by and own up to having a bad, bad eating day yesterday. No chocolate, or other high sugar goodies; just way too much Pizza and an absolute pig-out on cheesecake. Ended up with a good two days worth of calories. Will be trying to keep to the low side for the next couple of days, but doubt I'll be able to get into balance this week. Thank goodness we only have birthdays, once a year. :D

See you all soon. Hope everybody has a great moving and shaking kind of day. :carrot:

Good morning all! My daughter is home from school today with the flu, she isn't laying sick with it, but she does have a persistant cough and I don't want her going and infecting the other kids. Where I'm sure is where she caught it again! She just got over her last cold a week ago and here we go all over again. Make you wonder what kind of sess pools are in kindergarten...LOL! Gross you out!

I'm feeling so much more steadier on my trail as of now. I still have a few more rocks to hurdle to be at where I want to be. I'm assuming doing my weekly shopping for my planned meals will help with that.

Liza, speaking of icecream I had some fat free gelato that totally satisfied my icecream craves. It was vanilla bean and soo soo SO good. Hope you're feeling better and ready to have at it again soon!

Linda, wow! You're sure having some animal issues lately. It's a good thing you love em' so much. I think you were right to hold off on the new puppy for now. Get things straightened away with your kitties first.

Hey Cheryl, good to see you. Keep hanging in there girl, summer is on it's way! I'm a little bummed to wake up to see flakes falling again! I guess I could look at it in one way...gives me some extra time to look better in summer clothes.

Tammy, you truly are someone to look up to. You made me look at it a different way. Having a bad day or week isn't so much to blame on lack of motivation as it is loss of committment. When I started I was so committed you couldn't shake me from a stick, but now I get shaken so easily. I'd say time to re-visit the reasons for doing this...which was my daughter. I don't want her to grow up with the same issues I had. Congratulations on your loss...now that's motivating to me!

Diana, congrats on the new jean size! I know what a great feeling that is. Non-scale victories make this ride so exciting and keep the motivation meter up!

Have an awesome day girls!
TTFN!

Well, it's weigh in day today...this evening actually. I know I'll show a loss today, although if I'd shown a loss last week, I'd be further along than I am this week. :( Oh well, keep gong, right?? Hope I can stay on track today...usually do pretty good on weigh in days.

Sure was quiet around here yesterday...only two posts all day long. That's odd for a Monday, huh? Or is it just me?

Not a whole lot goin on around here....we've all got the spring crud. They say the flu is going around here pretty badly right now. We're counting our blessings to have only had the crud. :) Sounds silly, huh? LOL

Almost time to take my little one to school...will try to revisit later....come out, come out wherever you are and tell us how you're doing! :)

Bye for now,
Diana

Hi ladies,

I'm at home this week with two kids sick with the flu. My daughter also has strep throat. They're both taking tamiflu so hopefully they will start feeling better soon. So far, :crossed: DH and I haven't caught it. I just had more protein pancakes for breakfast. Those things are soooo good.

Linda, Was it your birthday that you overindulged in? If so, a belated Happy Birthday! :jeno: and cheesecake are two of my most favorite foods too. Are you having to take Mouse to the vet each morning to get his meds in?

Tina, School is where my kids caught the flu and strep throast also. The doctor said they would still be contagious until they have gone 24 hours without a fever, but apparently not everyone does that. Once you go get groceries and plan your meals, I bet you'll feel steadier.

Diana, Good luck on your weigh-in today. I hope you see a great loss. Congrats on moving down two sizes in your jeans. That's great!