you're not in denial. shake it off and move on. don't know what plan you're on or if you have super walmart near you, but if you do, try the popsicle brand fudgesicles. they are 1.00 a box of 12, and 60c. for one. they are good and fudgy. they help me kill those chocolate/sweet cravings. also, when i have to have something that doesn't seem 'diet-y' i have been getting a soft serve cone from mcdonald's. they are only 150c.. I don't do it often, but when i just have to have something and not kill my diet, that's what i've been doing. what about sf jello and cool whip? i read on hungry girl where you could put a carmel rice cake and a popcorn rice cake with some ff cool whip between to make an ice cream sandwich. it's like 75c. for 4, and while i won't like and say i wouldn't rather a real ice cream sandwich, it was ok....
i'm not one of those people who can deprive myself and expect to stick to a diet. i make liberal use of the lo/cal, ff/sf options out there. i am finding myself needing them less recently. the fiber one bars are soooo yummy and only 140c a bar with like 5 gr. fiber......what about cereal? i admit it, i keep reeses peanut butter puffs in the house. they are good as a snack with/ without milk and not bad calorie wise.....sometimes it's about making the best substitution we can.....
ok, that got long! sorry. chin up and good luck!!!
tracyg

So sorry, gotwork, that you are struggling hard at the moment. I know it's difficult to eat healthier and (sadly, ) suffer some hunger pangs at first. There's no getting around it.

Most success starts in the mind. I have decided not to allow myself over 1600 or so cals. per day, really going for 1400, but I WANT to eat twice that EVERYDAY! Losing weight/keeping it off is TOUGH. Only you can decide if you're ready to say NO to yourself when you feel that hunger at night. If you've had 1400 to 1500 calories of healthy food, then a good part of that feeling is emotional, but part of it is REAL HUNGER as your body has been used to a lot more food. We have to accept that at first, and try to distract ourselves, IMHO.

I know it's hard but I think you can do this! We're all here cheering for you ... (Tracy, your snack ideas are excellent! I agree, having those sensible treats can keep you on program when, otherwise, you'd kill a diet with half a pie or something.)

for all!

Olivia

gotwork~ Cheer up Falling happens to the best of them Dust yourself off and remind yourself why you are doing this. You sound like your ready to jump right back on plan. Do just that and don't look back. Don't beat yourself up your only human. Weight watchers brand has tons of ice cream treats that are low cal and sooo yummy. My family would eat one over the full fat treats. I'm with you and also have a big sweet tooth. Those carbs can drag you down though so go easy on them ...yet your still allowed to over do sometimes as long as you recover soon after. You can do this We can all do this

tracy- I found those fudge pops your talking about. Yes still yummy and not as pricey as the weight watchers brand. Fiber one bars too...they taste like rice crispy treats to me

I left the house for the first time since getting sick today...Was getting lonely Still have a huge sinus headache and it pretty much hurts to move walk or stand but a girl can only take so much. I must even look sad and lonely ...the lady at the post office invited me to a night with the girls party

Hope everyone is doing well and staying in control

Hi ladies

Babeinwaiting - Thank you for sending me the pm about the thread move.

I was so proud of myself Tuesday night for driving to the gym to take what I thought was going to be a step class. It turned out to be a Latin Impact class. I figured what the heck. I'll do it. Oh my!!! I now know why they call it "Latin Impact." It just about impacted every muscle in my body. That's all good except I was moving and shaking in so many directions that I messed up my hip somehow. It was horrible all day yesterday but thank God it's a bit better today. I haven't been able to exercise since Wed. though.

I know I'm serious about losing weight right now because a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have cared about missing 2 days at the gym. Heck, I didn't even go 2 days a week.

Tracyg40 - I'm happy to hear someone else weighs every day. I keep a log of my weight every day. I find that it motivates me, regardless of what the scale says. If I see that I lost some, I'm motivated to keep up the effort and strive to see the scale move even more to the left the next day. If I see that I gained some, I try extra hard that day to get the scale back to at least where it was the day before. I don't beat myself up either way. The number I really focus on is the weekly weigh-in on Mondays.

Losing4another - I'm sorry you've been sick lately. I'm glad to see you got out of the house today. I hope you're feeling a bit better.

Getting adjusted to fewer calories per day took me 2 1/2 weeks of
****, and by any "outside" measure, I wasn't being drastic or sudden.
My thoughts and wishes are with everybody out there who is
busting through that brick wall of hunger. I'm terrified to go through
it again, so that helps me be extra firm about not breaking my diet.
I don't know if it was sugar withdrawal or ketosis or calories or
what, so fear and uncertainty help keep my from falling off the wagon

GotWork - Maybe by the time you read this, you'll have been back on
your program for one full day. When I start a diet, each minute sucks,
each hour takes forever, and each day is a victory. So congratulations
(in advance?) on your 1 day victory and here's looking toward the future!

Tracy, HotBikini,
I weigh myself often too, but I feel pretty comfortable looking at only
the trend and not being bothered by individual blips. Numbers on
a tapemeasure give me a more emotional reaction, so I try not to
measure inches more than monthly.

HotBikini, huge congratulations on your exercise.

Determined,
Lisa

you all! Last night was rough with temptation I have to admit. I am a true emotional eater, happy, sad, every
which way in between. So, I am really working hard on identifying why I am eating and only eating when I am physically hungry...hunger pangs and all. I am embracing my hunger Last night was rough. I was struggling any way, and then dh and I had a big fight...again.... seems all we do is fight and it's really stressful. I was sooo tempted to just eat, and eat, and eat...So, I ate....NOTHING! I knew If I started I would never stop. It certainly isn't going to make dh and I stop fighting. So, today is hard too. Dealing with the aftermath. Not feeling like
'DOING' anything. However, I did do my exercise video, and even though
it's evil, I stepped on the scale again, and am down to 178.4 Hopefully I can continue on this vein and have a great monday weigh in. Tonite will be really tough as dh and I own a pizza shop and I have to work there tonite to fill in. Don't do it too often but have to tonite....I am being very controlled about it though. I know exactly what I am going to have, have it counted in and am being careful the rest of the day. May try to fit more exercise in today too, just to be on the safe side.
So, my question of the day. Do you have a weight, that maybe you have dieted down to before, but then have gotten off track, fallen off the wagon? Mine is 2 actually, the lowest I have been (recently-since kids) is 172, that is the weight I was at when I got pregnant with all 3 of my children....I won't feel like I've truly accomplished anything yet till I get to that weight...hmmm, here's hoping I don't get pregnant again....lol...not likely with all the fighting here. My second weight is the lowest I have been at in 21 years...for a brief shining moment I hit 149 around my five year anniversary.....so that is like my mid (medium goal)! These may not seem like big stretches, but keep in mind, I'm only 5 feet tall....at 178.4, I am almost as big around as tall.
oh well, enough rambling for now.... to you all. have a great friday and a great weekend!
tracyg

Goodness, thank you for all of your encouraging words. I'm glad that I can come and hear those messages when I need them the most.

Well today, I'm feeling better, but I have a sinus cold. But I'm starting from the top. I've realized that it's my portion size that i need to control because honestly, I do eat well most of the time.

My affirmation for today is: I have the power to control myself and the consciousness to know when I am hungry. I will write what I eat and thank DeterminedLisa for the congratulations on a successful day.

Have a beautiful day ladies.

Good morning, Tracy, Lisa, GotWork, sugarbaby, Hotbikini, AuntyEm, Losing, Sockmonkey (hope I'm not leaving anyone out! ) It's been a good almost-two weeks on our Thread, and I think it's going to get better! I guess we're all preparing ourselves mentally for the weekend ... you know, that old plan-ahead thing. I'm thinking pasta with red clam sauce tonight, steak on the grill tomorrow night, and a good baked fish on Sunday, maybe. I have all my salad greens, low-fat dressing, etc. so I should be good to go. I will have no more than two glasses of wine with dinner, maybe not even that. (I can do this; tell me I can do this! )

Tracy, big hugs to you in the midst of your hubby fights. It's the worst feeling, and I commend you SO MUCH for not breaking your diet and getting on with your exercise despite that! I'll bet whatever your problems are, they will pass ... and you'll be so glad that you didn't let it de-rail your eating plans. I try to tell myself that however hellacious life gets, I can face it better thinner than fatter. A good friend of mine is less than 5' tall, and she says every lb. somehow seems *heavier* for her than it does on her TALL friends. Because of her height, she has to eat a few less calories to lose than I do at 5' 9". I DO have a weight that I think about ... about 28 years ago (OMG, I'm old!!! ), I weighed 175 lbs. and then joined a club where we did a lot of cooking and eating, and my weight went to ****, and I've never gotten back there. And a couple of years before that, I weighed about 144 so I do think of those weights and think, WHAT IF I got back there again!

GotWork ... for you. I hope your days are going better, and, however you're doing, please come back and talk to us so we can all cheer each other on! What's that saying .... something like, *you haven't failed if you fall off the wagon, only if you don't get back on?* If any of us had an easy time with food, we wouldn't be here ... we all understand, and have been just where you are so don't feel alone in your battle!

Lisa, you mentioned an Asia time zone? Where are you, if we may ask. Sounds exotic.

Hotbikini, good for you, girl, with getting all that butt-shaking exercise!!! That is wonderful ... just don't get quite so enthusiastic next time, huh??? Sounds like a lot of fun!

Losing, how is that sinus headache of yours? I sure hope you're on the mend now, and feeling much better!!!

May I ask what calorie count each of you girls are going for? I say 1400 but I always consume maybe couple hundred more than that. I have to say that I lost 45 lbs. a couple of years ago, averaging 1800 per day. As long as my weight drops 1 to 2 lbs. per week ... I don't worry about cutting back too too much but I know I'd lose faster at 1400.

I have now exercised 3 out 4 days this week, and plan a good walk later today. What is everyone's favorite exercise?

Okay, ladies, let's all have a healthy weekend, and make the scale smile at us on Monday!


Olivia

Hi ladies ..it's nice to see all these posts

Tracy- Good for you sticking to your guns. Fighting is the worst ... I usually go the other way and can't eat and make up for time when we make up. Hope things get better for you and your husband

gotwork- I knew you would do it You want this to much to let a little fall keep you down

babenwaiting- thanks Yes I am feeling better today. All the laying around has me feeling blah though. I did lose 4.5 lbs though My goal next week is not to gain anything back. Your short freind is right I'm short too (5'1) and I can feel those pounds gone as well. My wedding rings are moving around freely and putting my selt belt on in the car wasn't a big effort reaching over.

A couple years ago I lost 22 pounds on weight watchers and was down to 216.. I gained that back and then some but thats my mini weight of once I hit that I'm actually getting some where. The next goal of course is getting back into to onederland haven't been there in some time. I can't set my goals to low or they will feel to far out of reach but the lowest goal is 150...I've always been overweight so the goal isn't to be skinny just to be healthy and enjoy live more. I plan on having another child within the next two years as well and I don't want to start out a pregnancy already this heavy.
I have to get to store and stock back up on house supplies
Have a good weekend ladies

Babenwaiting - I'm so impressed with how you're leading this thread. You sound so determined to meet your goal. I know you'll do it. It looks like you're very well prepared for your meals this weekend. That should take the thought process out of meal decisions for a few days.

Tracy - You're awesome for not giving in to eating out of emotion. The fact that you exercised on top of not overeating is even more amazing. I hope you felt a sense of accomplishement and strong selfworth for caring for yourself, especially after an argument with your husband. Whatever the problem is, it will probably soon pass. So will the pounds if you stay focused on taking care of yourself.

In response to the quesions posted....
I've yo-yoed up and down so much. Over the past 8 years, the low end of the yo-yo has reached around 145. I've been there a couple times. The up end of the yo-yo keeps getting higher each time I come back up.

My favorite thing to do for exercise is take aerobics classes. I just started going back to the gym after a huge hiatus and I realize it's harder than every before to get through the classes. They used to feel much easier. The extra weight I'm carrying is obvious to me when I'm taking a class. I have metal plates and screws in my leg from surgery following a car accident and it makes exercise a big challenge for me. Everything hurts but I push through it. My second favorite thing to do which feels better is the eliptical machine.

I got there and was hungry. I decided to cut my half sub into half and only eat half if it was satisfying to me. but we got busy immediately and i got one bite of it. Finally i threw it away. in the meantime, i was hungry! i ended up picking quite a bit, pieces of meat...a piece of turkey here, bit of roast beef there. When I did get a chance to eat, I had what I originally planned on, but only a quarter (our subs are bigger than everyone else's. They are 14 inch compard to subway's and most others are 12 inch. so a half is 7 inch and half that is 3.5) so that is what I had. I took my kids for ice cream and had a taste of their cones, but withstood the temptation to get one of my own.
I feel bloaty even though I have been drinking water like crazy because of the
meats...so salty....ugh....hopefully lots of water over the next few days will help whisk that bloat away. Oh well, we live and learn. This was my first 'away from home' experience. I am a sahm who homeschools. Money is tight, so eating out is not on our radar at the moment. Since I only have to fill in very occasionally, the pizza shop is not a big issue. So really that was my first attempt at not eating at home, in a controlled environment. I ate really lightly all day, only had about 600 cal....so even with my 1/4 sub and the picking I did, I can't imagine it being over 800 cal (I shoot for 1400)...so I probably did ok. Just stressing about it I guess. I would feel less stressed if I had been able to just eat my sub, or if i had just picked instead of having done both....
ok enough rambling....i'm going to bed.
hugs
tracyg

Tracyg - I really admire how you handled the stress and emotions of your fight. When I saw that you even did your exercise, that struck me for
some reason as being a really transformative response to the situation.
As of yesterday, you may have lost the qualifications to call yourself
an emotional eater.

Gotwork - I also have trouble with portion sizes. If the plate size is
different or if I'm hungry, my eyes play tricks and my estimates are
really really skewed. Once I brought a measuring cup to my food
court and measured (a few people stared) because I just needed
to clue myself in.

Olivia - I live in Singapore, which isn't so different from the US, but
when you go beyond the border, you're in Malaysia or Indonesia,
and they're obviously very different from the US.
In Singapore, restaurants are much cheaper, and the portion sizes
are much smaller. Win-win as far as I'm concerned.

Tracyg - About past weights and past lows....Well, I've only lost
significant amounts of weight a few times. I always manage to
keep it off for the first year, and then I always get complacent
and after that it's a bit blurry in my memory. This will be the first
time I'm aiming to lose such a large amount in one go.

I was empowered to be more ambitious after reading a medical
review suggesting that the conventional wisdom, "The faster you
lose it, the faster you'll gain it back," might not be true. A fast
rate of initial weight loss is positively correlated with long term
outcome. The people who lost a lot during the first month have
in multiple studies had better long-term results than people who
lost gradually. In my previous diets, I had aimed to lose 2 lbs
per month over the course of a year. But losing 2 lbs per week
is so much more rewarding, even though it's tons more painful.
It makes each little decision feel much more like "it matters,"
which is good for me.

Determined,
Lisa

Happy Saturday, ladies ...

Hope you're all having a good weekend. For the first time in 12 days, I let my calories get away from me yesterday, not a pig-out, but more maintenance level! But today's a new day, and I slept through breakfast, had boiled eggs for lunch, and will keep my calories at 1000 to 1200 today, I swear, to make up for yesterday. I know that's going to happen ... ... so I'll survive it.

Hotbikini, thank you so much for your kind words. I'm sure some of you will *lead* very well when I'm not on here for whatever reason. I wanted a thread where everyone is pretty serious about getting the pounds off, and very supportive of each other, and I think we're achieving that. I'm so sorry to hear about the car accident damaging your leg ... I so admire you for pushing yourself to exercise despite all that!

Tracy, it sounds as though you handled your pizza shop evening very well, really. I hate to think of myself hungry, in my own pizza shop. I positively LOVE Italian subs, and would have an awful problem leaving the food alone! You said that your subs were bigger than Subway ... I'll bet they are way better, too! I think Subway is a waste of money, and only ever go there to please a grandchild.

So you're a young Mom, Losing, and planning more. What an exciting time of life. I know what you mean about not starting a pregnancy already heavy; then you have SO much to lose after the baby. And 4.5 lbs. off ... WOW! for you ... I'll bet you can keep it off!

Another invitation to anyone checking out this thread: if you're serious about losing at least a little weight each week, working some exercise into your life, and chatting about it with some nice ladies, please join us!!!

Olivia

Just wanted to say Happy Sunday all.

Hope you're having a good one. I got back on track yesterday, kept my calories down. Didn't walk because of showers but am getting ready to do so this morning. This will make four days of exercise for this past week so I've fulfilled my exercise pledge to myself.

Last night's dinner was yummy ... the Maryland Crab Cakes you order frozen from QVC (230 cals. per 4 oz. one), huge salad with lo/cal Caesar dressing, half a baked potato, and one of those Low Carb *puffy* 100 Cal. Fudge Ice Cream Bars from Breyers. All so tasty I didn't feel like I was dieting. Hope you guys all had something yummy this weekend, as well!

Tomorrow is weigh-in. Good luck to us all!

Olivia

Are those crab cakes good? Sounds yummy. I had Cinco de Mayo food last night..Chicken enchilada and a half cup of refired beans. It was great.

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Busy busy.

As for calories, my goal right now is 14-1500, but I think I am actually averaging closer to 1800
I HAVE TO get this under control. *sigh*