Welcome to our new thread!!

Arabella - That does sound like a very nice New Year's Eve! Sounds so relaxing. Good for you for being so on track!! I can't wait to see where you will be come mid-summer. And thank you for the comments on my maintenance, so far to be honest I've found it fairly painless, just keep on keeping on basically, except I get to eat a bit more which is always nice! I've maintained 6 months now.

Susie - Throw that fudge out girl! I do that sometimes too, I just keep sampling it...I do try to keep a rough calorie count when I do that, but when it's something I just can't stop with I tend to feed it to the kids or just get rid of it. I have very few guilty feelings about getting rid of food, especially when mostly it's junk food anyways I'm getting rid of. I second Arabella though, keep really good track and drink lots of water and you may be surprised!

Anyways as for me working today, and then have a study group at church tonight. Hope everybody has a great day!

Our new thread looks so warm and welcoming..Thank you Liz!

I am able to get on today at work...about to take a break for lunch. I have some noodle soup, peanut butter and crackers and pears and water.

Had a wonderful 2 mil walk last night with a friend..planning on walking again tonight at the Y. I'm thankful for that indoor track. I might do the treadmill tonight. Just depends when I get there on what I will choose (and maybe who I can watch on the treadmill...lol! )

Liz: The fudge is gone. I only get it once a year (thank goodness!)
I hope to one day be ok with throwing out food..especialy junk food.
Thank you for sticking around here with us and showing how you turned your weight-loss into a lifestyle. AMAZING job for maintaining for 6 months!

Arabella: You are 55 lb away from ONDderland and I have a goal to loose 52 lbs this year..those numbers are close....let's do this! We can and WE WILL!

Carri: Did you watch BL last night. I'm excited to talk about it....I love the "No Excues" theme.

Is anyone else watching?

Hi Mel: I see you on FB...please drop in here too!
Hi Dee: Looking for you to be here soon
Hi Auntie G: Hope you will stop by soon.

Hi Girls I hope your Holidays were wonderful Ours were & I'm burned-out, I'm ready for a 3 day vacation w/o any stress, just sleep & playtime. We had our 4 grandbabes for 4 days here with us & those were the most fun days with them.
Liz on your 6 month maintenance!
Carri we got 6"-8" snow*, yes 6"-8" of fluffy*beautiful*snow* between Saturday-Monday DH & I are so happy.We'll go hiking this weekend in our snow-shoes & he ice-fishes & I ice-skate.
Susie A PBS dietician has lots of free-healthy/Diet Yummy recipes that I've made for food programs @ tops. www.zonya.com/healthy_recipes.html they are mainly sugar-fat free. My DH & grandbabes love everything of hers that I've cooked.
Arabella It is sooo wonderful to have everyone back. Susie & I are joining you with logging our daily meals
Wed.= 3 c. coffee w mini candy-canes to stir, 1 vanilla soy-protein drink, medium chef salad, 2 bread-sticks, 1 c. milk, 2 c. green tea, 2 pork egg-rolls, Lots of water.
Activities= shovel snow off deck & porch, walk doggies, walk 1/2 mile 3 mph on treadmill & tai-chi.
Umm, does anyone have a 'elliptical trainer' @ home & do you love it, I want another activity to do? I wrecked a knee while snow-boarding 4 yr ago, I must avoid twisting my knee now & so I can't ski/snow-board anymore
Talk to you all on Thursday, Dee 22*

2012 ~~~Think Smaller~~Eat Smaller~~Be Smaller~~~

Morning All - hope you all had a great New Years ...we hung out with friends till 2 in the morning, drinking and eating, haha ...great times but I did something to the ligament in my left knee and it has been giving me troubles off and on since then ...I woke up with it tucked under my other leg on new years eve and it has been trouble ever since, hope it just works itself out.

I am SOOOOO jealous of you guys that got ( and are getting snow ) ...our Winter has pretty much sucked so far ...warmer temps and little to no snow...I want my Winter !!!!!!

Liz - thanks for starting the new thread, I never pay attention to the numbers but I know we always go really high...I also want to throw in a compliment to you about you sticking to maitenence...they say it is harder than losing it...so good for you girl !!!

Susie - yes I did watch BL Tues night and I am excited about the new theme too, and it is RIGHT up my alley...haha ...

Arabella - Sounds like you are getting back on track and doing a great job, yes 2012 is our year !!!! I am with ya !!!

Well I have started back on and am doing my usual slow approach at first so I dont feel like crap and get a ton of headaches...so here we go girls !!!!

Have a great day everyone !!

Carri

Well..the fudge caught up with me. I had a .75 gain at TOPS last night.
I will get it off this week plus more, so that I can keep my average of 1 lb loss each week.

I really thought I would be in worse shape than that, so maybe I didn't eat as much as I thought or I moved more than I thought.

I'm back to using my Lose It app DAILY! That has been a good tool for me.

Busy weekend for me. I have a church brunch in the morning, then getting my hair done and then we are going out with friends that night.

I'm planning on getting started back to working out on Sunday afternoons at the Y this Sunday.

Carri: The slow approach is good for you. You want to feel good and I know when you quit the sugar all together you have bad headaches..so slow is good. How are you feeling?

Liz: You mentioned a bible study in one of your posts. What are you studying?

Arabella: I have been doing 10 min of yoga in the morning and 10 min at night..because you inspired me to do so...and I feel so much better!
Glad to have you join me for the weekly average 1 lb loss challenge. I am going to try to lose more than that but I will be content with that. If I do that..it's 52 lbs gone!

Dee: I don't have gym type machines at home but I do use the ellipitical at the Y and I love it. I don't do the incline very steep. I see people do that and if they think about it, they aren't working their total leg and buns...i want it all sleek and sexy! and it also helps the knees to not be so steep.

Ok..got to get back to work.

hey everyone! i think i'll hop on the onederland express... i'm hoping to get there by my birthday in october! 60ish pounds in 9 months is entirely doable

to Mandy. This is a great thread and these ladies here are so supportive. We come here when we are doing well and we rejoice together and we come here when we aren't doing so well and we support each other and help each other get back on track.

I find it helpful to post daily if I can.

We had a great weekend. It was busy with all the things you have to do on the weekend but still a great weekend. I even got my car sweep out and wiped down inside. I know that Carri and Dee and Arabella like the snow but I sure was happy with our 50 F degree weather this weekend.

I have been having a hard time logging my food (here and on my Lose It app), so I started doing it again today and I will share it tomorrow.
I love the Lose It app because I can put in a goal and it tells me how many calories I can have daily (based on my current weight and what I want to get to and how many pounds I want to loose each week) and I can easily see if where I am in that calorie count.

Dee: Your hot tub area sounds like Paradise! Our neighbors have a fire pit and they are all sitting outside tonight around it.
Sorry to hear that you can't get the elliptical right now. What about getting some hand weights and a exercise ball and doing that? You can do circuit training 3 times a week using those items for 20-30 min.
If you need some ideas let me know. I have done classes like that at the Y and they are a workout! The way it works is you do something cardio for 2 minutes...like walk or march in place or do jumping jacks or squats or lunges. The the next 3 min you do something with the weights working your upper body.

Hello to Carri, Arabella, Mel, Liz and Auntie! Looking forward to your posts!

I'm about 10 lbs away so I hope to be there in March sometime

Good morning All, hope you all had a great weekend...mine was pretty good...didnt feel so well yesterday, lots of bugs going around here at work so I guess it is only a matter of time ( knock on wood ) , didnt lose any last week but I didnt figure I would since I am just slowly creeping back in for a couple of weeks.

Susie - I have a love/hate relationship with that Lose It app ...sometimes I just love putting things in there and other times I find it lengthy and annoying...but either way I know it helps.

Dee - the hot tub does sound nice ...I could never have one where I am at now though, too many neighbors, I need to move out into the country and get away from everyone.

Hi to Liz, Mel, Arabella, and Auntie G !!!!

Hope you all have a great day !!!

Carri

thank you susie and doodles for the welcomes!

happy to say i've got a plan in place. an old plan, but it worked in 2011 to help me lose over 50 pounds (in about 5 months).... i'm hoping that means it can help me lose 60 pounds -and get to onederland!- in 9 months (ambitious i know, but 9 months from today is my birthday... it's really a 2012 goal, but it would be nice to reach it by my birthday.) and if i don't hit 60 pounds lost, then i won't cry because i'll still be down several more pounds, and that's something to cheer for.

over the last few months i've expanded out of my size 18 jeans, and i'm hoping to squeeze back into them by the end of the month.

Arabella - I don't know about non-obsessive but hey it's working so whatever!!!

Carri - Thanks!! And yes I want winter too, Jacob is so excited to do snow angels and so far all he's been able to do is flail around on the lawn, when there was a little dusting of snow on it. he was convinced he did a perfect angel though despite not being able to really see it. Mind you I did enjoy our super long bike ride on Saturday in warm temps!!!

Susie - It's a study about how we as a congregation can work to be more welcoming and inclusive with lesbian/gay/transgender people at church....it is about what the bible has to say on it and we're watching a video on it which is supposed to be very interesting - I don't remember what it's called. I'm going to be helping to facilitate small groups so our meeting was about the facilitation process (I've never done it before), our first session with the general participants is this Wednesday. I'm quite excited to see what the feedback is like!

Welcome Mandy!!! Sounds like your timeline is reasonable, and like you said it doesn't matter as long as you're headed in the direction of your goal!! Good luck!

drivenbyambition - Welcome!!!!

Anyways gotta run the kids are bugging me, lol....talk to you all later!!

Morning All ...one day down of no soda yesterday...and I am really craving it, but I know it is just empty cals I dont need

Liz - I think what your congregation is doing sounds great...so many churches ( like the one I grew up in ) dont even allow different lifestyles in and I think that is wrong...so kudos to all of you

Dee - I do really like the Lose It app on my Iphone and that is what I normally use...I also frequent the WW message boards and they encourage me but by far I think watching Biggest Loser each weeks helps me stay on path...I am considering buying Chris Powel's new book, I like what he has to say about carb cycling.

HI to everybody else, have a great day !!!

Carri

Two "have to do things" on my list today and that is to get here to catch up with all you lovely ladies and to go to the Y for my walk.

I'm here and I have my workout gear on so after my post I can shut down the computer and head out the door.

Ladies, yesterday I just about threw in the towel with trying to lose this weight. Work is CRAZY with me working my new job and my old job--I did start training my replacement today.

I hadn't had much water, my lunch wasn't satisfying and when I get home I ditched the exercise for milk and oreos! Not proud of this at all! I screamed, I yelled, I cried and I went to bed.

This morning I got up, logged my calories from yesterday (I was still under by 25) went to work, kept my head down and plowed through. I took a cereal bar to work with me, had skinny burrito at lunch and drank my water..and here I am, posting and about to go out the door to walk. Now if I would just take a moment to breathe! ahhhhhhhhhhh.....that's better!

I am looking forward to the Biggest Loser tonight--Carri..we will watch it "together".

Carri: The soda is hard to kick but I know you can do it. Don't give in. I did on Friday and it has thrown me off track for a couple of days..that sugar craving is high from it and I'm back to fighting it off again. I know you can stay strong!

Dee: I live about an hour from the Columbus Zoo. We go in the summer..haven't been in the winter. If you bring the grand-kids sometime, let me know...I"ll get my nephews and meet you there..and we can walk and walk and walk...

Liz: Keep me posted on the bible study. Good for you for going on that bike ride on Sunday.

Mandy: Good for you for having the plan in place. I'd love to hear more about it.

DrivenbyAmbition: Welcome!

Arabella and Auntie: We need you here with us!

Ok..got to run...well...walk...see you all tomorrow.