Hi Everyone,
You all are a busy bunch today! It's so motivating to see you all here.

I'm wading through the paperwork on my desk. It looks like I've been out for a month! I made a note to myself to never take a Monday off again!

My goal for today is to not let other people take up my "me" time. I do that very easily. Just like today, I have a ton of my own work to do, but I know that I'll have things whipped into shape by early afternoon. Knowing that I'm bad at adding other peoples work to my "plate". So, for today, I'm not. I'm going to focus on what I'm working on, and then take any extra time to start going through some old files and sort through things..sort of a "fall cleaning".

Jodi: It sounds like you have your food all planned out. I don't know if I could even put that much thought into it, but good for you for doing that. Sometime I might make that a goal of mine

Suzy: I have found that the more I relax about the food I'm eating, and just try to go about it like a normal person would the better results I have. It's good to measure portions so you get a good idea of what's what.

Holly: Sometimes we have to let our daily lives happen and we can't always get to those things we planned for ourselves. I hope you get time to do the tape today.

Well, I better get back to work.

Have a great ON PLAN day everyone.

I did my workout and I feel monumentally better!! Still have a stuffy head but I feel able to get throught the day with a smile on my face!
I got the dishes done! and some toys sorted out. The toddlers are napping and I am having an echinacea tea and may lay down.
Susie~ I cancelled an appt. for tonight so I could have time for myself!! You just gotta have that. I didn't have a moment, not a single second, to myself last week, Now I am totally burned out. It's just not worth it.Sometimes things are beyond your control but man it hurts in the long run.
Have a great aft!!

Good Afternoon Everyone, even tho it is still technically morning here.

Susie - You sound so much better about things in your life. Congrats. I am with you about taking on everyone elses extras, onto my plate. Not to mention WORK taking up my "ME" time. hehe

Holly - Sadly to state, I did not walk yesterday, I got to the football game after it started, therefore I could not walk on the track. But I see I have a new challenge today, you have already walked, guess I will have to take that as a challenge. ;oi

Suzy - sounds like your head is on straight today, great, and the planning out of the meals always helps me. Good job!

Jodi - sounds like you have things planned out as well. Great!

Hello to Heather - welcome.

Hope everyone else is doing a great job of being OP. I had a slight failure last night in eating two handfuls of chips. No wonder I am stuck in losing weight. It is that dang evening alone thing that gets me every time. and my silly Jack Russell sits and looks at me like she is saying, "come on mom, you don't need that, give it to me". Now that should me a warning sign, not to eat. Today is a better day! So far staying on track, tonight will be better, going to have my hair colored and cut, that is so relaxing for me, I love it when they wash my hair. OOO LA LA!! Guess I am babbling just a bit.

Let's do this, TODAY, TOMORROW, FOREVER, however one day at a time!

Annie

Hello Everyone ! Well I guess I just keep posting I see how everyone talks about the daily things ...I love it ....I had to call of work today By the way I work at a Nursing Home my shift is 3pm until 11pm but the asked me to work 7am -3pm today needless to say .I never call off but I did not get any sleep fell out about 5am this morning wich was almost time for me to get up.I am making it my prioritie to sleep at least 7 hours a night ..But since usally I do not have to go to bed early because I do not work in the morning I stayed up untill two and then I was sterssing myself to already fallk to sleep..And of course that did not work.Usally that would ruin my whole day or shoud I say throw me off schedule ..Anyways ,I made myself get up at noon did feel alittle down and lazy but did my Pilates Tape anyways felt good about it too...because that is so not like me..had my late breakfast wich I made some cereal 1lb of oatmeal two fat free cans of vanilla yoghurt two big cans of fruit cocktails some orange juice and mixed it all up..Should last me for a week..Because I have a habit of eating MC Donalds or whatever i can find on the way to the gym.




PS: I went to the Vitamine Store yesterday because everyday at a certain Time of the Day my Blood Sugar dropes and thats when I tend to overeat and of course on Sweets ...She suggested a Carb Blocker she said it will help evel out my blood sugar..thought I give it a try ...I dont like pills and I wanna do this on my own...But if I can just fix that Craving for starters I be in good Shape ....I would like to get some feed back on that ..Thanks..I have Gym Class at 4:30 so talk to you guys soon..

Sorry for all the writting but just having a good day.....

Good Morning Everyone,
I love coming here and seeing so many posts. It is motivating and inspirational. I had a great day yesterday! I ate like a normal person. I was busy running around yesterday and hadn't eaten all day until 3pm. I could have grabbed any horrid snack and pigged out until I was stuffed but instead I took a few minutes to make a great salad. I quickly cut up some lettuce, opened a can of tuna, added chopped apple and walnuts with an italian dressing. It was really great. That held me until dinner (7pm). I had a portion controlled serving size, waited a few before deciding I was still hungry and then had a little more. A reasonable snack later (according to recommended serving size) and I was done for the day. Oops I did have two very small pieces of cheese too (Shapesters Sharks and Fish which I bought for the kids but they don't like them. Too cheesy tasting they say. I say, what a great portion controlled snack idea. The cheese is portioned into shapes and individually wrapped in snack size bags.) Anyway, I struggled a bit with the urge to binge but fought it and won. I truly felt my head on straight for this thing yesterday. I woke up this morning feeling good about it but hungry so I chose to have breakfast this morning. I chose. Strange concept; usually the meal chooses me.

Lanita- A change in usual routine can really throw everything off track so you did a GREAT job to make yourself get up and do your Pilates tape. Way to go!
Annie- Are you finding that you are craving the carbs after doing so great at first with the SBD? I have heard that people do not lose the desire for carbs on this one like they do on Atkins. Just curious. I think you are doing fantastic. I have sort of informally set a reward for myself to get my hair done if I stick to my plan for two weeks. I desperately need a haircut.
Holly- Way to go doing the tape and with a cold too. Very admirable. I know how you feel when you talk about not getting a break until 10 pm. I seem to have days like that now that I am back at the office. It never ends. I was doing laundry last night at 10 pm. Time flies when you're having fun...NOT.
Susie- You are speaking my language when it comes to doing for others. I have even let my own work lag because I was doing stuff for other people. I find it very difficult to say no so I am dying to hear about your daily goal from yesterday. I am finding that the measuring is helping me to get a normal portion frame of reference as opposed to measuring because I am obsessing about being strict on my diet. Same task different way of thinking if that makes sense at all.
Jodi- How did you make out sticking to your planned out menu yesterday? I have been thinking about trying that because I have been doing a little extra cooking lately to make my own brand of frozen dinners. It would be so easy to do by just looking in my freezer and saying "I have this, this, and this for this day and that day".
Heather- How are doing?

Have a great day everyone. I know I have been writing these big long notes lately but staying connected here is helping me a lot to get it together. Thanks for listening.
Suzy

Good morning,
I've got a lot to do today, but I decided to stop here first so I could get my daily motivation!

I'm still taking my Accounting class. At this point, I have to continue. If I drop it now, I get no money back, so I'm going for it. Truthfully, I'm terrified! It does have me stressed out, and I've decided that beginning today, I'm going to be more positive about it. I'm learning something, and that's what counts. It does bum me that my 4.0 average will not be in that standing anymore. I know that sounds negative, but it's not, just realistic. I think I can get a high C or a low B, and that's ok. I have to get OK with this, the stress is flaring my IC up something horrible.

My daily mediation today came from Jeremiah 33:6 it said "I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security". I'm claiming that verse as mine! I feel that my health stops me from a lot of living and I pray everyday to be healed, so I'm claiming that verse.

My goal today is to be more positive, about my health and my accounting class.


Suzy: You asked about my daily goal yesterday. I was able to get my work done and somethings cleared out. I know it's not easy for me to say no, but I've decided that one day out of the week I will, and I'm not going to be apoligetic for it eithier! I think your thinking on why you are measuring the food is a good one; and I'm thinking along those same lines.

Lanita: Great job on the Pilates! Let us know how those Carb blockers work for you.

Annie: I find it hard not to eat at night sometimes, and I know that I'm a "closet eater", so if I didn't have anyone around watching...well that's scary to me! Maybe you could take your little dog for a walk instead of sitting there and let him watch you eat? How did your hair turn out? I bet you look fantistic today!

Holly: Great job on doing the tape. It's hard to work out when you have a cold. Sometimes it does make you feel better. Just remember though to not overdue it. You want to bost your immune system, not tax it.

I better get to work. I'll try to check in later.

good morning everyone!!
well yesterday was a success for me. i stuck with my plan and it worked out great. i even got some exercise that makes 2 x this week i am striving for at least 1 more day of exercise before saturday and then i will feel like i met my goal for the week. my ds (13yo) had a football game last night he plays for the 7th grade team at his school. they played a special game on the college field last night very exciting for them they won and my ds did a great job!! before the game i had a chance to walk a mile on the track, normally i would just sit and wait for the game to start but this time i decided to get my butt moving. very proud of myself!!! i have a plan again today and i WILL stick with it!!

suzy1965 i find that when i pre plan and prep everything i just don't have a chance to cheat, i know in advance what i am having and it is ready to go. i keep leftovers in 1 cup size reusable zip lock contaners and freeze them so in the morning i can just grab one out of the freezer and take it to work. when i don't plan my meals i tend to get lazy and especially after work (when i don't feel like cooking at all) i'll order take out or grab a pizza for us for dinner instead of making a healty meal. sunday is my prep day for dinners this past sunday i made sauce and meatballs, browned the ground beef for taco's, made chicken and rice, and also roasted a turkey (enough leftovers for a 2nd meal. so that is 4 days of dinners started and i don't have to think about whats for dinner everyday. this seems to work really well for me it requires alot of forethought but i like the end result. great job yesterday!!! you made some good choices keep up the great work!!!

lanita81- sorry you didn't get much sleep, good for you getting your exercise in!!! you are doing great!!

annie how was your hair appt? so nice to hear you did something nice for yourself!! hang in there you are doing great!!

hollyhock hope the cold goes away soon. great job on exercising when you weren't feeling so great!!!

mychoice2bfit great goal for the day!!! i hope you were able to stick with it. i find it really hard to say no to people also good luck!!!

hope everyone has a great day!!!

Not a bad day yesterday at all. I didn't feel as sick after I exercised. I will aim for that today. I feel crummy right now. I am not babysitting today,my son is at school and my daughter is curled up with a blanket right now. She is quite sick today.
I ate constantly, all day yesterday but it felt good. It was all healthy choices. Mostly fruit,veg and salad.None of my trigger foods.I think I needed the nutrition.
I will do the 1 mile WATP. I will eat lots of fruit and veg!
Hope your day is off to a great start.
Have a fantastic day ladies!

Hi all! Suzy, I totally agree about being motivated by the posts here! I LOVE checking out the site every morning, although I've had some trouble accessing it at home. In any case, glad to hear everyone is doing so well on their race to 199.

Been working out at Curves 4x/week; I have a bad habit of weighing myself every time I go! I basically gauge my losses by what I weigh on Saturday mornings (before breakfast, after a visit to the bathroom, before working out). They weigh/measure every month, but I didn't do that this month because of my vacation "gains". It was my first cruise - I had no idea just how much food is at your very fingertips all day, every day! But I'm back on track now and have just about shed the weight I gained on the trip.

My overall biggest challenge is changing my diet. I love chocolate, pizza, potatoes, bread, sweets, and all the stuff we're supposed to have very little of! But I'm trying to keep it all in moderation.

HEY...have u tried those 100 calorie cracker packs by Nabisco? They have Oreo, Wheat Thins, Chips Ahoy, Cheese Nips - but they're like baked crackers (not cookies). They're really good and help you keep those snack portions under control. They come 6 bags/bx at about $2.50/bx. Quite good if u need a snack but want to keep the cals/carbs at a minimum.

Well, today remember that success is yours!

I did the WATP 1 mile and had a shower. I am definitely sicker today. My legs felt like lead.I am glad I did it though. I have been mostly lounging and snuggling with my sick little angel.Have errands to run this aft and then I am skipping TOPS and staying in tonight!
I am dizzy with this bug,cheap thrill I suppose.lol
Have a good aft!

Hi All!

I stumbled upon this site last night and feel like I've hit the lottery! Do you have room for one more? I'm wanted to hit the 199 mark on my 40th birthday this November. But I've got another 20 lbs. to go. Maybe by Christmas. I tend to set my goals 5 lbs. at a time so as to not get too discouraged. I started Atkins in April and have lost 58 lbs so far, but I still have a LONG way to go.

Oh well, gotta celebrate the small stuff.

SW - 277/CW - 219/GW - 135

Hi everyone! I'm new to this board and it looks to be a very good one. I'm not on a particular program; just trying to cut portions, eat wholesome foods and exercise. For the past year, I get to the 199 mark and then get silly and go back up. Knowing others are trying to get there will help me.

Desiree, Colorado

Welcome labchick and Desiree!!

We have been setting daily personal challenges and posting them to help keep us motivated!

Labchick~you 5 lb goals sound great.I will,be 40 next July.I keep thinking about losing the weight by then.You have done so well so far!!!!

Desiree~ you will find the support here a big help!

Heather , Susie,Suzi,Annie and everyone else, how was your day yesterday?
Any goals for today?
You gals rock!!

Good Morning Ladies,
I hope everyone had a good day yesterday. I did have a good day with a few blips throughout. Whenever I eat breakfast I feel like I set off some trigger in my brain that tells my body to eat and eat, and eat. I don't know if it was the white english muffin or if something was eating me. I thought about why I had food on my thoughts and could only come up with feeling tired and not wanting to go through the motions of my day. Usually if I eat breakfast it is a high fiber multi grain something but I just couldn't pass up the sale on english muffins. I am not so hungry this morning but I think I will do an experiment and have multi grain toast to see if I feel differently or if the desire to binge pops up. In my case, I do think the white flour stuff drags me down. Anyway, (boy do I seem to ramble here lately) I DID binge yesterday and DID NOT eat like a normal person... on SALAD. I ate a lot of salad yesterday with the tuna, walnuts and apple. I guess a binge on salad is better than a binge on chips. I had a normal dinner and then a not so normal snack at night. Not a perfect day of eating like a normal person but I will take it because I fought a lot of bad eating thoughts. Today my goal is to keep thinking about my portions and assessing what is normal/not normal.

Welcome to Labchick and Desiree- You will find great support and conversation here.
Holly- I hope you are feeling better today. Gee whiz, I sure do admire your dedication to exercise when you are sick.
Heather- I love all of those foods also and find that I have to monitor how much of them I eat because I really think the white flour stuff kills what little metabolism I may have. I, too, am trying very hard at moderation. It is not easy and requires constant thought but that is temporary until I get used to what I call "normal" portion sizes. Right now my thinking is not so much that I should eat lots of carrots but that one slice of pizza is better than 3 or 4. There is a book that I've had for a while and recently picked up again that helps me and it's called "Diet Simple" by Katherine Tallmadge. So far it's about helpful tips and hints or suggestions on how you can save some calories or shift calories without making any dramatic changes to your diet. One example I remember was that if you are an ice cream person replace the ice cream in your sundae with fruit but still have the chocolate syrup, nuts, and whipped cream. I tried this one and it worked. Mentally the fruit sundae was as satisfying as the ice cream version.
Jodi- Sounds like you are doing fantastic! Good job on the track walk. Lately on my walks to and from the bus stop, I keep walking by pacing back and forth across the street while waiting. This adds another 5 minutes or so to the walking time! The frozen dinner thing was a binge saver for me yesterday. You are so right about having it handy and not having to think about it.
Susie- You will do great in your accounting class. A 4.0 gpa doesn't do a bit of good if it keeps you from getting your degree. Knowing that this is a tough one makes getting it over with all the sweeter with a B or even a C. I am so sorry that you have to deal with health problems on top of everything else life throws at you. That must be tough. What do you do to destress when your illness flares up?

There I go rambling on and on and on again. I am sorry about that. It helps me to stay on track.
Have a terrific day.
Suzy

Good morning all,
Right now it's so quiet in the office; don't I wish it would stay that way! My boss is out of town for the next 2 days. It's going to be nice to get to some of those other things that I put to the side. I've started planning on day a week to go through files and things, so I'm planning on doing that today.

Tonight is my weigh-in at TOPS. I feel like I'm going to be down...I sure hope so..I've been up the past two weeks.

I was getting my hair done last night and I was reading a Good Housekeeping mag. It's the Sept 2004 issue with Wyonna Judd on the front. Well, you know us "fluff" gals, we want to read articles about other people who struggle with their weight also. When I read her article I could really relate to it. She talks about how she ate for comfort and how she ate in private. She wrote about how there is no magical way to do this. You just got to. You have to make good choices, you have to exercise, you have to really get to the heart of what's eating you, so you can find out the real reason you are eating so much. Don't we all know this?!

She also wrote about how she's not on "SlimFast", but "SlimSlow"--I could really relate to that! She talked about how being slim will not make her happy, but how about finding herself throught this process will.

It states this in the last part of the article :And, for the overachiever who once felt nothing she did was good enought. Wynonna is content to let nature take it's course". "This isn't going to be a situation where I appear on Oprah in a trench cost and whip it off to reveal that I'm now a size two," she says finally. "I've learned to tell myself simply that I'd like to weigh a little less next week than I do this week. Half a pound to a pound is my friend. I know that day will come when I've gotten to where I want to be, and believe me, the whole workd will be able to hear me shout 'Hallelujah!' when that day comes. I have faith that it will happen--I will wake up, look in the mirror, and know: I have arrived."

When I read that I just smiled. You know, I think it is important tht we simply tell ours that we would like to weigh a little less next week than we do this week. I think it's important that we celebrate those little things that we can do much easier now because we have lost some weight. And I think it's important to shout from the roof tops "I'm on my way!".

What do you all think about that?

Today my goal is to find one thing that I can celebrate because my current weight loss has made it happen. I'm going to think about it today and I'm going to write about it tomorrow.

Have a great day ladies!