Hey y'all!

Jill: It's amazing where you can find HFCS these days. BUT, I don't worry if I have something that has it in it. It can't ALWAYS be avoided. And it helps me when you post your menu for the week!

I didn't get out to do a big shop trip yet. My BF and I picked up a few things while we were out Friday night,b ut not enough for a week. I DID find these cute mini-bages in the shape of squares from Thomas' English Muffins. They have them whole wheat or "the works", and they are 150 cals for BOTH pieces! We had them at breakfast both days this weekend with scrambled eggs, and I had one this morning with peanut butter. YUM!

Yesterday I worked out with a DVD called "Movement and Meditation". It combines a lot of the elements of yoga, tai chi and chi-gong. At the end, it has a very long meditation segment. I felt extremely relaxed at the end of it! I've been focusing more on the mind-body connection, and I've learned some great things! I have no idea how this translates to the scale so far, but at the same time, I don't care! As long as I feel good, that's all that matters!!

I bought the recent People issue with all the "Half Their Size" folks in it--very inspiring!

Geez, this is long--what a chatterbox I am today!

Edited to add: Hope you feel better soon, Rocker!

Hey everyone,

Well the holidays are FINALLY over. We had our last big meal yesterday for Ukranian Christmas and I did not to bad. I made sure to add in a little extra exercise too. I enjoy Christmas, but I'm glad its all over and not so busy.

Mcmoo: Congrats on your weight loss!!!

rocker: Hope you feel better soon!!

So far I have started out the year on the right foot. I have a new goal for 2008. I want to get up an hour early 3 days a week and spend that time on my treadmill. I also go to curves 4-5 nights a week so I hope that I can reach my goal this year. We are planning to take the kids on a holiday next Christmas to Florida so I would love to be a little smaller. Today was day 1 and I got up and did a jog and walk combo on the treadmill for a 1/2 hour. I feel great now, I feel like I have more energy today.

Hope you all have a great day!!

Morning, Gals :wave:

Its been a long day, so just popping in to say hello - otherwise know as a fly-by !!

Hope you all had a great day. Rocker, hope you are feeling better soon.

Thanks for all the well wishes... I can barely sit two minutes without coughing... any suggestions?

I just wanted to pop on here to let everyone know I'm still doing well with my WL journey! I have made it to the gym twice this week as well as made it outside for two 3-mile power walks since the air was so crisp and fresh after the rains we have gotten recently. Rain in the desert is a beautiful thing!

I received a pair of turquoise 5-lb dumb bells for Christmas and have been using them in my workouts every other day...I'm ashamed to say that they are heavy for me! I have also been doing lunges and squats but I really need to make up a real weights program for myself. I plan to do that this week using the internet and some books that I have. Even though I worked out with a PT last summer, I still don't have a very good grasp on strength training and stretching exercises....at 5:30 in the morning I just did what she told me to do! My whole body felt like it had been run over by a Mack truck the first week of my training. And it made me sooo hungry. No wonder I gained 10 lbs! LOL. If I had stuck with it for a little longer (there's that pesky perseverance!) I'm sure I would have actually lost weight...I guess I wasn't really ready. BTW, hiring the PT was one of my sisters' ideas...she peer-pressured me into it. Ha! This time around, I'm getting healthy and losing weight just for me. I think the source of motivation does matter!

It sounds like everyone is doing really well so far! I hope everybody has a great week! I will most likely not be posting every day or even every other day but when I do come on I read EVERYbody's posts! They're very motivating! :) I have an exercise goal of 1000 minutes this month and I have to make sure to get to the gym for an hour for the next couple of days to get myself on track to reach it by 1/31! For just starting out, I think I'm doing well tho! My 2nd weigh in is this Wednesday! I certainly feel lighter. We'll see.

Ciao ladies!

A suggestion
 

Jilly, as an aside, have you thought about possibly making this into a weekly thread like they do in the maintainers and 20-somethings forum? I think it would make it easier to follow and keep current. All of these pages can get kind of :dizzy:

Hey everyone....hop you all are doing well!

Rocker: The only thing that helps me is to stay on cough meds and cough drops. Makes my stomach queasy, but I hate coughing hard even more! I have no plans to get a cold this year! My immune system is better and better all the time!

Bella: Good for you darlin! 1000 minutes is a challenging goal!!

Slim: Great plan! I am NOT a morning person, so getting up on the treadmill would NOT be my cup of tea. I would rather do some stretching or some tai chi moves....

BTW, scale is down 2 lbs this week....

I guess we could make this a weekly thread--hadn't really thought about it, since it seems to have slowed down a bit already. Would that be more helpful to everyone else?

Well, big news around my office today is that the receptionist at the front desk is pregnant! It is unexpected, as she and her boyfriend are not married and currently live with his parents, but I'm being as supportive and enthusiastic as I can since I really feel that things tend to work out for the best if you keep an open mind and stay as positive as possible. She is 23, and her boyfriend is 29, so it's not like they're too young to handle it. Anyway, to the point...

So now, of the 3 people I talk to most in my office, 2 are pregnant (read: trying to eat healthy for the babies) and the other is also trying to lose weight, so I really have no excuse to be eating junk at work since I can no longer say, "Well, [fill in name] wanted to go to Wendy's..." since we're all trying to eat healthier. I feel like that's a very selfish reason for me to be happy that they are pregnant, but it works! I love that they're pregnant anyway because I LOVE talking about baby stuff and buying cute little baby things and being there for others during major emotional breakdowns and just helping as much I can in general. I'm also helping the receptionist search for an apartment since she didn't know where to even start, and I've been through that search many times myself.

I wish there was a job where I could just help clients with things like finding new housing, finding jobs, things like that. I just love helping people on this personal level, and I love searching for things online, in papers, etc. But, I'm sure a job like that wouldn't pay the mortgage as well as my current job.

Hi :wave:

Well we made it to Tuesday .. whoohoo. My first day back to work yesterday was busy.. doesn't take long to feel like you haven't had a holiday :(

Jen - congrats on the 2 lbs !
Bella - sounds like you are doing well and getting lots of exercise in..good for you!
Rocker - sorry to hear that you aren't feeling better. Hope the coughing stops soon !
Jill - it's great when there are others at the office that you can lean on for support and encouragement, I am sure that they all appreciate you :)

Take care and talk soon.

Hey guys...
I'm really gonna have to crack down this week/weekend.
I go home today to rehearse with my band and then this weekend is BATTLE OF THE BANDS!
Which of course means: eating on the road.
We'll be gone 3 days and 2 nights and I have 4 hungry guys in my band...
It's gonna be really tough, but I know I can do it. I guess I should look up some healthy options. I don't think I can convince them to go to mcalister's for every meal :)
Wish me luck!

Rocker: I SO envy you! I wish I had a band to front! What kind of music?

As far as the road....take as many healthy snacks with you as possible, and just make the best choices you can while you're out. YOU CAN DO IT!!

Louie: Welcome back! I know what you mean about not feeling like you've had any time off....that's the way it works sometimes....

Jill: You're right--most helping profession jobs like you describe don't pay too great, which is too bad. I guess you just gotta accept the personal rewards! LOL.

I've got to get a night time plan together. I always seem to eat more once I get home. And it's not hunger at all, it's habit. Maybe I should use whiteining strips at night.....

Hey Rocker! Welcome! Just stick with your plan as much as possible. I know you can do it!

Louie, I know exactly what you mean. I am NOT ready to get back into the swing of things.

I would vote for a weekly thread, cause it might be a little easier to participate. I know I haven't been able to read all the posts I have missed.

Jilly,
That's really great you can help the receptionist out. I know what you mean about pregnancy meltdowns---I get to witness about a dozen a week. ;)

Esperanza, Sounds like you are ON it with the exercise. I know you will have some good results.

Jen, I munch at night too. Part of it is that I am so busy during the day and eating has definitely been the way I cope with work stress in the evenings to unwind. I have got to get a handle on it. I am considering making lunch my biggest meal of the day, cause I am way too generous at dinner and if I limited it to a sandwich, veggies, and fruit, that might give me more control.

I seem to have dropped the damage from my vacation this week. I'm back down to what I was right before Christmas, so that is good. I need to get back into regular exercising. I've been doing it irregularly, and that helps me maintain but it is not enough to lose. I'm coming down with a cold which doesn't help. I am the world's biggest baby when I am sick.

Have a lovely day, losers! :D

For me I don't think I could have dinner be light all the time. I am afraid that would get me to overeat on other stuff instead....I just saw a segment on Discovery Health about that woman who won on the reverse diet, where she ate dinner at breakfast and vice versa...

Hi :wave:

Rocker - sounds like you have an exciting time ahead of you ! Enjoy your trip, good luck with the battle !!

Jen - yes night time can definately ruin what was a good OP day. I am trying not to eat after 7:00.. so far I have failed, but haven't eaten after 7:30, so I am close ;)

Midwife - congrats on the loss !! Sorry to hear that you are getting a cold, not fun being sick.

The scale hasn't moved for me this week, but it is just a matter of time. I am going to the gym everyday and making changes to what I am eating..so it will come. Patience grasshopper :)

Hey Louie: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.....just like what we have to do with getting healthy--take it one bite at a time. Your patience will be rewarded soon!

I seem to go back and forth feeling good about myself and NOT....I do know feeling good feels better, so I will concentrate on that! :)

Hi everyone,

Just checking in to let you know I'm still here. Been very busy with work, house, kids, kids sports, and trying to keep time for myself. Will catch up with everyones posts later.

Have a great day!!

Hi everyone, can I join you? I was on another thread, but it was quite slow and it felt like I was the only one there. I need more support than that! :)

I haven't read the entire thread, but went back a couple of pages and you all seem like a great bunch of motivators.

Hope to get to know you all better.

Bev

Welcome, newstart33!

I'm doing pretty horribly food-wise. It's the eating out that keeps getting me. I have been better about taking home leftovers and such so I don't completely stuff myself, but I still am not making healthy choices, and we still end up getting dessert sometimes (last night was ColdStone ice cream).

I told Jeff I'm starting South Beach next week, either Sunday or Monday (depending on when I get a chance to go grocery shopping next). I asked him if he was going to do it with me (he doesn't need to lose much weight, but eating healthier is good for anybody), and he said he'll eat whatever I make. He's such a good boy :p

I did South Beach once in the past and had a bit of success with it, so hopefully I can do it again. The first 2 weeks are the toughest, but I eat a pretty high protein diet anyway, so hopefully it won't be too bad to just cut out the carbs for a short period. At least I get to add fruit back in in Phase 2 (after the first 2 weeks). I'll have to borrow the book from the library this weekend to refresh myself on the specifics of Phase 1.

Welcome Bev!

Slim, get back here when you can!!

Jill: Good luck with South Beach! I know several folks that have been successful on it. And since you are already used to high protein, it shouldnt be too bad! How does a day on South Beach end up calorie wise?

Eating out is a pitfall of mine too.....it's a trap, that's for sure! Although I feel successful in one instance. We went to Applebees and I got the 3 course thing where you get a starter, entree and dessert. I chose the ceaser salad as a starter (pretty small, about half the size of the dinner salad), entree of 9 oz sirloin, onion rings and mac and cheese (I ended up not eating either side item because they were gross and only 1/2 the steak) and then a chocolate mousse "shooter", a small dessert. I think I did pretty well! It's not ALWAYS that successful though...:(

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't kept up. I started physical therapy this week and I was cleared to start swimming for exercise!:carrot: I've been nursing this ankle injury for the better part of 3 months now and I'm so ready to get my life back! As of last week, I am out of my walking cast and now just wearing an elastic brace. Woohoo. I'm still a bit nervous, but at least I can drive again!

Anyway, I joined a deep water aerobics class and today was my first class. OMG....I LOVED it!!! I am a total spaz, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. What a work out....I didn't realize how out of shape I am. I mean I KNOW I'm out of shape...but geez....I was huffing and puffing! :( I also signed up to get some personal swimming lessons. I'm a good swimmer, but I want to learn to swim like the people who swim the lanes. You know, the technique and all. Seems like the pool is where I'll be getting most of my exercise for the next few months, so it's lucky I love the water.

Hellooooooooo everyone! Just checking in with you guys. I have been super busy this week and haven't been online that much.

Not really sure what to say about my eating.. In a word - inconsistent. Some days I'm totally OP and others I'm way off plan. Yesterday I chose Subway with no cheese and apples for a side but today I had cherry cobbler with lunch and overate for dinner. I'm trying not to get down on myself, but I really feel like a self-saboteur. Ah well... tomorrow is another day...

Glad to see that everyone is doing well and still hanging in there!

Thanks for the welcomes.

Missing, good for you for signing up for a water aerobics class. Sounds like fun. It's great that you can still get some exercise even with a bad ankle.

Jilly, good luck with the South Beach diet. I need to revamp my plan as well. I have been doing great so far and today I ate when I wasn't really hungry and had some sweets to top it off.:nono: Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

As for today, I have not exercised. Yesterday I did an aerobics video and I am so sore today that I can't hardly go down stairs. I had intentions of doing it again today, but didn't and now it is late. I feel terrible that I have eaten bad, plus didn't exercise.:ink:

Tomorrow is supposed to be weigh in day, but am going to hold out until monday when my Mom phones (we weigh in together, but I started a few days before her)

Night everyone, have a great day tomorrow.

Bev

Hi everyone. I'm back. It's been about a week since I've been able to post anything because my computer here at home was down. Then, at work, they're starting to monitor email usage and websites that are accessed during the day, so I couldn't really get on from work either. While I understand that they need to do this because there are some big time abusers of the system, it really affects the ones that don't abuse the system, get their work done, and use their breaks to check websites. Oh well. That's the way it goes. I guess I'll start taking breaks and chit chat with fellow workers. Isn't that beneficial......

I have been terrible this week. I was way out of control with food and haven't been able to get any exercise because of the snow storms. I can do a little bit inside, but it isn't like walking outside. So, since I have a few personal days that I need to take before the end of February, I took off today to get my head on straight. I need to regroup a little bit, make some plans, and get back on track. I have some other things to do today, too, but mainly this is a mental health day for me.

Good luck to everyone else today!!

They'be blocked MySpace and YouTube at my company too...which is fine since I don't have a MySpace account (am I the only one in the world that doesn't??) and I watch YouTube stuff at home.

I finally went grocery shopping last night. I realize though that I didnt get everything I needed, so I will have to go back again...ah well....

I haven't been bringing my lunch to work for a long time now, and I think I will start doing that again. That way both my banks (my calorie bank and my money bank!) will both benefit. That's going to take some planning on my part, but I will have time to do that this weekend!

Have a great day/weekend!!

Jen, good idea about bringing your lunch to work with you. It is way too easy to slip if you eat out. I know that I can only make healthy decisions a couple of times before I blow it and have some fries or something.

Jilly, I am not even allowed to use my computer at work for anything other than checking email and checking the intranet. I don't mind because I am so busy that I don't usually have time to miss it. Of course I don't work everyday so that helps.

Diane, nice that you took the day off just for you. Time to regroup and find a plan. Have a great day.

As for me, I am waiting for my husband to go to work so I can do my aerobics video, because let's face, nobody needs to see me do that.:exercise::o Good workout though.

Good luck today everyone.

Hi everyone,

Welcome Bev.

Good luck with south beach Jill. I've never tried that plan.

Diane: sometimes all we need is some time to ourselves to regroup and take control again. I'm sure next week will be a better one.

I had a good week. I was able to get to curves every night and I got up monday, wednesday, and today early to hop on the treadmill for 1/2 hr. Today was hard to get up early, but I did it!! I ate well for the most part too.
I will weigh in on Monday am.

Hope you all have a good weekend. I will try to pop in before monday.

Hi everyone. Well I think I got it back together yesterday. It was nice to check out for the day and regroup a little. I have a lot to do this weekend, but I'm well rested after yesterday!

Jill, good luck with SB. I've heard that it works really well for a lot of people.

Newstart: I wouldn't exercise in front of anyone either. Then I pay more attention to them watching rather than what I'm doing! Hard to focus!

Jen: You are not alone. I don't have a myspace and I haven't let my kids get into that yet either. I don't understand it well enough to use it!

Soon2be: Good for you! Keep up the good work and you'll have a great weigh in!

Happy Saturday, all! I'm battling a bit of a headache today--not sure why, as I got plenty of sleep last night and haven't done anything differently that I can think of. Just one of those PITA headaches that will hopefully decide to go away soon.

Today is cleaning day in our house--Jeff's father and girlfriend (who is the same age as me and Jeff) and their 2-year-old baby girl are coming to visit on Monday, so we're cleaning today. I've cleaned the whole kitchen/dining area (it's a long eat-in kitchen with an island) and pooper-scooped the front yard. Jeff's been working on cleaning the basement (entertainment room and office area). We'll tackle the living room and bedroom together, and then we should be good to go. We're pretty good at keeping our bathrooms clean, so they'll only require a quick swirl of a toilet brush and should be done. How 2 adults (and 2 puupies) can clutter up a house so quickly, I'll never know...

Of course, cleaning always just gets my mind thinking about all the things I'd like to do to this place. I'd like to refinish the kitchen cabinets, get new countertops, get an area rug for under the dining table, paint the walls in the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, and bedrooms (everything is just beige right now), fix the broken curtain rod in the living room, hang curtains in the bedrooms, get a sliding screen door for the doors out to the deck, refinish the end tables in the living room, paint and slipcover the glider chair, get a storm door for the front door...

Hopefully, by actually sticking to my new way of eating, we'll be eating out MUCH less frequently, which will save us a lot of money to do all these other things I want to do. I figure we average about $30 a day eating out (sometimes less than 20 bucks at Subway, sometimes closer to $50 at the steakhouse), and we do that at least 5 times a week :o You do the math--we should be able to afford new countertops in no time ;)

Hi :wave:

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I have been away for the past 2 days and just got home about an hour ago. Will try to catch up with a :coffee: in the morning, but just wanted to drop in and say hello.

Ciao :D

Please come join us in the new weekly thread, "Losing Weight in 2008! Thread #2" located here: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...=1#post1997662