Thanks for the welcome everyone! I've been going through a lot lately - work - family - winter depression - just trying to get back into things...

I took the kids to the zoo yesterday - first time it was warm enough to be outside in a long time! This morning I woke up and immediately did a 20 minute WW walk video. I always feel so much better when I do something first thing.

This is hard...

Hey Guys I'm feeling extra hungry today, been snacking more than i should but i'm keeping it on the healthy side, greek yogurt with berries , then i got a little nuts and had almond butter with 70% dark chocolate. I gotta leave the house or I'll binge , i'm not hungry but i'm feeling a big craving coming on along with guilt for extra snacking, I hate all the mental stuff that goes into losing weight! JIllian michaels is having a seminar about 30 minutes from my city in a couple weeks from today , the tickets are more than I want to pay and I would need to go alone to afford it but I wonder if this would help my brain. what if its just a waste of money! what do you guys think? I know i should research what the heck shes gonna talk about but i should make a decision pretty quick so i can get an ok seat at least.

Hi Girls :smug: the boys r outdoors w dh right now, so I needed to do another weekly check-in ;) to help keep me Responsible for my 'size'.

Enygirl :welcome: great going w your WW walk video in the morning. I do a quick 12 minutes on my treadmill when I wake-up on M/W/F mornings & whenever we r camping I walk the campground before breakfast. I usually kayak when my dh goes fishing, we have several lakes 15 minutes from our home too.

Lyssa, the omelets were delish :p & sooo filling. Call me silly, but I gotta ask people from Illinois if they went to the Oprah show. I tried to get tickets for a few yrs & couldn't. I hear ya about the trees down, we got that in our woods; we could hear the trunks cracking as they fell. U r gonna build some awesome muscles :lifter:moving those trees. I'm sure U will have a Wonderful loss :yes:
Carri, --5 lbs :belly::yay::celebrate: "Portion Control" :cheer2: :tape:
Tori :hug::hug::hug: One day @ a time OP :goodluck: Do what U feel Will work for U. I know people that r successful w WW, Jenny Craig, Nutri-system & w their own homemade diets... If any of us Knew the answer to being 'slim & healthy' we'd b millionaires. I know most of us in the north states r like hibernating bears & stored our weight :dizzy: & will start losing it now that the warm temps will let us b active. I think U r stressing about seeing your inlaws this summer. While U r debating on what method to try to lose weight, how about drinking more water & fiber 'sooo filling' & flavoring your water w lemon, mint leaves, cucumber slices & eat more beans to keep-up your protein & do 'portion control' like put your food on your plate as normal, look @ it, then take it off & measure it; maybe U r eating 2 portions instead of 1. I'm sure your girls will go crazy to have U play outdoors w them & plant a veggie garden & play w your doggies. I play kick-ball & badmitton w the kids & its fast paced; sometimes when I'm home alone I dribble a basketball & shoot hoops or play horseshoes or bocce' ball. There is always something we can play or do outdoors when it isn't raining...

My 'BooHoo' for this week is: I need a new washing machine badly & my set is old so I'd like to buy a set; so what did my dh do on Wednesday....he bought another kayak :o we have a big canoe, a speed-boat & 2 kayaks... it was on sale for $200 so dh hadddd to buy it for the kids :^: If I did that w a ring/bracelet etc. dh would've been :mad: I weekly budget all our income to pay his medical bills, etc. so I guess this will b my 'free pass' when he's mad @ me about something I do wrong.

Have a fun weekend, DD

Dee - Actually I'm nowhere near Chicago....we are in Southwestern Illinois region. I always wanted to go to one of her favorite things (Christmas) show :)

Hi Everyone. I survived the week, my Director is now back in the UK.

I had a 1.50 LOSS at TOPS on Thursday! :carrot: My first thought to myself was "see what happens when you put in the effort?...it works when YOU work it".

For the week I logged my food every day but 1 and I exercised every day. Most day's I got 1.5 hours of walking in. I did 1 hour at the Y and then 30 min at work. I am proud of myself as it was utter chaos in so many areas of my life this week, but I controlled what I could and that was me, and it paid off.

This weekend is a busy one, I'm cleaning house this morning, going to dinner with friends tonight at The Cheesecake Factory--my plan there is half portions and have the other half tomorrow. The restaurant is located in a little shopping village called The Greene. We are going up early to be able to walk around, listen to the live music that will be playing on the square, and window shop, so we will be moving...not fast, but moving.

Sunday after church we are going to the zoo with my two nephews and my brother and his partner.

We are supposed to have beautiful weather so I'm looking forward to all the outdoor activities.

Enygirl: Welcome to this group. This is a WONDERFUL group. I'm looking forward to getting to know you and being a part of your success to your goal weight.

I consider every one of these gals friends and you know the song says, "I get by with a little help from my friends".

I think morning workouts are great! They set the tone for the day. Keep it up.

Carri: Look at you! Losing 5 lbs....that is awesome. I'm picturing a 5 lb bag of potatoes gone from your body. :D I hope you get a lot of walking in this weekend. It's going to be so pretty and not to hot.

Tory: Never feel embarrassed to come here when things are going tough. I feel that this board is for support. We cheer for each other when we have success. We support each other when we don't and we always encourage each other.

I think Dee is right that you are stressing about seeing your in-laws this summer and I think having that cousin in your house is a BIG stress and I'm proud of you for giving him a deadline. Now, don't wait until he is gone to get back to your plan and taking care of you. Do what you can each day and give yourself permission to only control what you can and that is yourself.

You said that you hate the "mental" stuff that goes along with losing weight. I think that most of us here have extra weight because of the mental stuff. We all know how to eat and exercise and that it easy to do, what is hard is to not use food for anything other than fuel for our bodies, but we do, we soothe ourselves with it, we hide in it, we stuff down feelings while we stuff down food. At least I know I do and that is my struggle. Journaling and posting here are a big help to me with the "mental" stuff.

If Jillian was going to be 30 min from me and I could go, even if by myself, I would. I believe she understands the "mental" fight. If you watch her she is so hard on those she is training...not just physically but she breaks them down, gets those thoughts to the surface and helps them start to rebuild themselves from the inside out.

Dee: I was talking with my DH about you--you have so much vitality! I told him that I would love to come stay with you for a month...go on walks with you, kayak, eat your yummy food. When I read your posts I feel stress leaving me. You embrace each day...good or bad and you do it with such grace. You are a role model for me. :goodvibes:grouphug:

I am a bit upset with your DH....I know how badly you want/need a new washer and dryer. Don't you wish you could just go buy what you needed and not think about budget? I do all the budget in my household and it is a big, unfun, task at times. You said it when you said you now have a "free pass" the next time he is upset with you. ;)

I am caught up on Revenge and Nashville. I just watched this week's Nashville and saw the previews for next week---when I saw them I went OMG!!

Lyssa: Yard work is GREAT exercise. Enjoy how your body feels with all that different movement and being able to do the work with your family...enjoy that time.

I am going to get my day started. I feel great after my visit with all of you!

April 5 food
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with peaches, 1/2 doughnut, water
Lunch: Veggie sandwich on pretzel roll, 1/4 cup of pasta salad, water
Dinner: 1 rice and veggie burittio (sp?) from Hot Head, 1 small coke
Exercise: None today

Hi, I decided to join your group! Recently, I started back to weight loss. I have about 80 pounds to go to get to Onederland, but I'm very excited to get there! Thanks for offering a motivating and inspirational group!

:welcome3: Rebecca8. I'm Susie (MyChoice2bfit). If you are looking for amazing support and acceptance you have come to the right place.

These ladies here are just amazing. Tell us a little about yourself and what sort of weight-loss plan you have in place for yourself.

I find it helpful to get her daily (sometimes I don't get here every day but I really miss it all when I don't) and to post and comment on others posts.

We are here for the good times and the tough times. :hug:

I myself have around 94 lbs to get to ONEderland...some of the girls here are already there and others are close. It will be nice to do this journey with you.

We had a nice time with our friends last night, just being out and enjoying the weather and doing a bit of window shopping.

Getting ready to go to church this morning and then to the zoo this afternoon with my brother, his partner and my adorable nephews. It will be good for me to be out and about walking and moving and smiling and laughing. Those boys bring out the best in me!

I hope everyone has a great day and I look forward to reading the posts tomorrow.

April 6 food
B=3 3"inch pancakes with syrup, 2 b of bacon, water
L/Snack (late breakfast but didnt' want to get to hungry before dinner) 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 1 cup yellow pepper, 1/2 cup applesauce, water
D=1/2 order of spaghetti with garlic sauce, mushrooms, asparagus, roasted roma tomatoes, 2 p of wheat/oat bread, 1/2 p of cheesecake.
Exercise: House cleaning for 2 hours.
342 calories under my daily budget (the house cleaning helped big time!)

Hi Ladies, Thank You for all the advice, you are all awesome. You are right Susie, I will go! I'll ask my hubby if he can watch the girls its not like I will learn more if someone goest with me and I'll save money. :D

Dee- you're so right , I always love the warm detailed advice, we did go to the park today, with our two dogs, we played tag. I am dreadfully slow, I'm always it! lol We're going to start doing that more.

We went to a rodeo yesterday, that was literally my first rodeo. So fun and interesting, I kind of felt bad for the little cowies once the cowboys tied up the little yearlings but they let em up quick, all in all we had a great time.
There was a bouncy house. I had great intentions for my eating that day well i ended up eating all kinds of things , they werent that good like I remember either, (nachos,hotdog,soda-just wasnt the same) I ate it anyway * I was truly hungry. lol they didnt offer health food for some reason. I'm doing pretty good today on food. Friday I checked in letting you guys know I was feeling like eating , not hungry , not craving anything in particular just having a strong strong mental need for food. I finally gave in and ate a ton of almond butter and berries and greek yogurt and dark chocolate. Idk what the heck that was about but It was a lot of calories like I endedup over 3000 calories. I had a binge. So I'm 2 days binge free and today I'm going to research some ways to recognize a binge coming on and ways to stop it. Sounds dumb but this has been going on with me for quite some time I've heard other women talk about it but never really realized i'm in that boat. I weigh in tomorrow for my official weigh in! I'm excited. woo woo

Good morning. I think it's going to be a beautiful day in Ohio today. Around 70! That is perfect weather for me.

I so need to find sometime to get my spring/summer things out (and put my fall/winter) things away. I will try to work on it a bit this week and then finish it up on Saturday. I don't allow myself to go "shopping" for the season until I know what I have and what I need. I know that I need shoes because I got rid of a lot of old sandels last fall when I was putting summer things away that were looking bad last year.

We had a great weekend and I can tell I have moved my body and it likes me for it! :)

I'm dealing with a UTI or a IC flare..hard to tell which since they feel the same. I started the meds that I keep on hand and pouring in the water...I hope to feel 100% by tomorrow.

My plan is to ride the stationary bike tonight for 45 min at the Y and work my inner/outer thighs and hamstrings. The biking will take care of the quads.

Did I tell you all that I'm doing a 5k walk/run here at work in May?

Tori: I have been to one rodeo and it was so much fun. You are right, there isn't much "healthy" food at those places. When that happens, all you can do is control what you can and enjoy yourself. :D

I am a binge eater as well and I'm looking forward to hearing what you find in your research on ways to stop it.

Congratulations for being binge free for 2 days!

I need to get back to work but wanted to pop in before the day got away from me.

Food for April 7
B=2 scrambled eggs, 2 p of bacon and 4 mini powdered doughnuts, water
L=1 cup of pasta with marina sauce, garden salad with italian dressing, 1 brownie, 1 coke (we were at a church lunch and there wasn't any water!)
D=(Don Pablos) 2 skinny cheese and onion enchiladas, rice and corn cake, water (and I only had 5 chips with salsa).
Exercise: 2.5 hours walking at the zoo--which is very hilly!

Morning ladies !!! I had a good weekend, the weather was GORGEOUS !!! They said we were going to get rain but we never got any. :)

I never got out to walk, shame on me, haha ...but I actually need new walking shoes and couldn't afford it this week...so we'll see ...but I did have a good weekend and I did stay OP all weekend !!!!! So I am proud of myself, because I did feel a binge coming on

Yes, I have binge tendencies too girlies, I know it's awful for all of us that do it.

Tonight for dinner we are having halibut, this will be my first time having it so I hope I like it, one peice for both of us was 22.00 , so told dh he better not ruin it when he cooks it, haha ...actually he is a great cook and he will do fine...I am excited about trying it since everyone says it is not a fishy fish, haha, but won't have it a lot since it is so pricey fresh ...

Susie - congrats on the loss :carrot: ...hope the UTI goes away quickly...I hate those. :(

Tori - Rodeo ? I have never been either, sounds fun though ...and I would have had to have the nachos !!! Don't feel bad about the binge, I have issues with that too, I know it sucks.

Dee - I am jealous that you get to kayak a lot, I love to do that, did it for the first time in FL a couple years back, it's so much fun. It's awesome that you live around stuff like that, and your great property.

Lyss - Don't get me started on the evils of the artificial sweeteners in your diet coke :D but it's your body, lol !!!! I know you had my same great weather since we are close in proximity ...supposed to rain I think all the first of this week though ...but with 70 degree weather

Have a great day ladies !!!!

Hey Girls!
Begin Week 2 for me today! I did my official weigh in and the scale said 226.4 Down 4 lbs from last week. I think almond and peanut butter are a trigger food for my binges. Wednesday or Thursday I'm going to buy my ticket to watch Jillian in Melbourne. Yay. I am waiting for dh to get home from weork here in a few so we can have some lunch together. My daughter is taking her nap. I finished my workout and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I hope to lose more weight this week , no binging this week I will be more mindful I watched a vid from JM about it and I am going to pay more attention to my feelings when I eat. dh is home talk to you soon girls.

Hi Ladies! :wave: Today was a perfectly OP day. Woke up and weighed in. was super excited to be down #2.9 this week! :D My next goal is #2.2 by Saturday. I'm part of a dietbet, and I'm #2.2 away from my goal to win it! :D

I've changed up my exercise some. It's just too much for me to get in 45 minutes all at once, so I'm doing a mile walk in the morning (DVD - because this girl does NOT do cold even though I'm in beer country!) and then 30 Day Shred at night. It's working. Tomorrow is a break day form 30DS - so I'll do a 3 mile DVD.

Cheer - #4 loss is AWESOME! :yay:

Until tomorrow girls! :D

Morning Ladies …today I woke up, got dressed, and for the first time in about a month felt “smaller” …Susie asked me last time what did I mean by that ( lol ), and for me personally it is all about the stomach …my stomach gets REALLY big and bloated and out of hand when I’m not watching my diet …and after about a week of eating on plan it always goes down quite a bit ( probably mostly from soda bloat )…so today I feel that and it is making me happy and ready to stay OP for a long time …was so happy I made it thru the weekend without going haywire, but I think that was only due to dh also being good …if he would’ve said lets get a pizza I probably would’ve been all over it…I’m still in the newbie stage and ready to jump ship at a moments notice, lol …usually takes me a good month of eating well under my diet before I’m not easily tempted by any and everything. How about you girls?

I’ve been more upbeat lately, I don’t know if it’s the weather, the B12, or just life in general…or by me just making a conscience effort to be so..but I think it’s going to be a good Summer. :cool:
I would love to have the bulk of my extra weight off by Christmas of this year…but I know that is A LOT …but I’ll keep plugging away at it. :jig:

What are your goals? Do you have a specific time frame in mind ? :flow1:

Tori – yay on the 4lb loss !!!!! I guess I missed it, what ticket for Jillian ? I really love her, I hope they do a BL show before January, and start back up in Sept like they used to …I need a Fall pick me up around that time, lol …for me the binge’s usually happen when I am bored and BY MYSELF, this is important to note as they only happen when I am alone…that is why I don’t like to be home alone…but I am really working on it …we can do this…you are doing a great job recommitting yourself. Proud of you ! :hug:

Food 4/8
B = English muffin and 1 T pb – 210
L = frozen dinner ( bad for me but I was in a rush ) – 360
S = 2 cups skinny pop popcorn – 80, triscuits – 100, cheese – 110
D = 2 white castle cheeseburgers ( ** see story about dinner below ) – 310 , cottage cheese -130
S = greek yogurt – 130
Total for day – 1430 …under calories for day, would like to keep at 1500 or above, will have more today
*** was trying halibut for the first time, dh made it awesomely, however me, not being a fish eater, did not like it …he loved it and ate it all, but there I was stuck with no dinner, I grabbed something easy, frozen white castles ….haha :rofl:

Have a great day !!! :crazy:

Hey girls, good morning! Completed Day 9! I will check my measurements tomorrow. I took Adi to the park, we played for one whole hour. We both had fun on the swings, slide and pretending to drive a car, the bouncy ones. lol I normally sit down while she plays so today was different for both of us. I did enjoy it though.

Monday Food:
Breakfast:slice of natures own whole wheat bread, 1/2 ounce cheese, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, berries. 340 calories

Lunch: 1/2 publix turkey sandwich with swiss cheese no mayo.4oz lemonade

Dinner, 1 cup chili, 1/2 avacado, 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup salsa 12 mission tortilla strips

calories: 1688 I didnt even realize. thats not too bad though.

Oh ! I forgot to tell you guys, I have been shopping for a heart rate monitor, like a polar watch, but last night I saw fit bit one on HSN and I saw they had it for 4 easy payments of 25 bucks so i went for it! I should have my fit bit one by the end of next week . SO EXCITED