Hello All,
How was everyone's weekend? I participated in a TOPS walk over the weekend. It was the first time one was held in our area. We held it for the SouthEast Area of Ohio.

I was on the planning committee and was in charge of the trail signs and keep everyone motivated on the trail.
It was a fun time and we are hoping that once it's sent in to the TOPS news they will run our story of it.

I ate way to much yesterday and I can really tell it this morning. I've got to quit doing that to myself! I'm excited because my workout partner is home from a 2 week vacation and I'm ready to get committed again. It really is important to me to keep losing.

I did have a good weigh-in on Thursday. I had a .75 lb loss. My goal that I set for myself was to lose something each week until Labor Day, and I've done that for the past 2 weeks since I set the goal. I've got to get busy this week and stay ON PLAN so I'll be down again on Thursday.

Have a great day. I hope to see a lot of posts and I promise to do my best to get here once a day.

Debbie~ we are very much the same. Both of us are fiercely independant. Our biggest challenge of marriage has been finding a commom ground while maintaining our own individuality. I carry the home and kids load for sure and got into the habit of excluding him, not good. We have gelled well somewhere in the middle. My 2 oldest and best friends married guys who lack backbone and they "run the show" those friendships have drifted and it was hard. They do not think much of my hubby or marriage.The bottom line is I would not be with a man who was not a equal match in all ways. It doesn't make it a smooth road at times.

Susie~ HI!!!! The walk sounds fun.

The house is CLEAN!!!
This is a major accomplishment considering I live with pigs. I say this with love but they are a filthy, messy bunch.
I had words with hubby about his laziness and plain sloppiness in the house. He made a small effort to pick up after himself. The kids pitched in when I started putting their toys and"treasures" in garbage bags to be stored til a future date. Needless to say the house is empty of ALL extra belongings, ALL the closets have a bare minimum of personal belongings. Bedding and towels are in their proper homes, the whole house is dusted and vacuumed.....I will work hard at the pile of paper in the kitchen today and pay bills.
3 little people here.
School is out on Wednesday. DD is thrilled. DS is sad and wants to go all summer. Anyone remember September with him???? Who woulda thought this!!!
I am getting him lesson books per his request for the summer.We got the learning bug turned on and there is no shutting it off!!!!!!! Kinda cool. He is brilliant, of course, lol.
My headache turned into severe intestinal cramps and cold sweats. They have passed.
Supposed to go up to 33C every day this week. Thank God for AC and wading pools.
I will whip up a salad for lunch&supper.
My baby boy who is supposed to start in August is having respiratory issues and may have cat allergies. I am really sad about this. I have had his sister since she was 7 months and she and DD are VERY close.

I best go have breaky. I bought 10 litres of strawberries yesterday.MMMMM!!!
Have a cool refreshing day!!!!

PS I ate half a bag of Bugles while watching a movie( The Gift, most enjoyable) last night. Bah!!!! Told myself I would have a handful. Had several handfuls!!

Good morning, Ladies!

Holly- I can relate, I have a family of piglets too! My youngest is almost 3, and if she`s done eating something it goes on the floor. Or behind the couch, or under the bed! I swear more food goes on the floor than in her mouth! It does keep my busy though! Sometimes it seems like an endless battle just to keep the house decent.

I did well all weekend, did have a pringle munch-fest and even though I said I`d have just a few, I had a few more... but still stopped before it was a total binge. I had nothing "good" in the house and being so hot and humid shopping was no option yesterday! I went to the store this morning, and you know it felt really good looking in that cart and seeing apples, water, yogurt etc. besides cookies, chips and soda! My kids still get their snacks, but instead of getting MY favorite ice cream I get them something I won`t be tempted to dive into... got some slimfast snack bars for me. ;)

As I mentioned before this week is going to be tough. Hubby returns Wednesday for 2 weeks home, and I seem to do good but fall off when he gets back. He loves to BBQ and just plain loves to eat everything. If I can just hang in there and keep the exercise up I think I`ll be okay. I hope! I have to learn not to blame him. I`m the one who puts the food in my mouth, not him.

I`m also planning better for the dreaded TOM, which really started the set back in April. I have a tough time with that, especially the few days before. Between the emotional changes and the cravings and the scale going up a pound or two, I have to learn to get a grip on that. SO my plan is to keep healthy sweet treats on hand, like the slimfast bars, and some baked chips or something like that for the salt cravings... I get em both! And definetly no scale for about a week.

I recently realized I`ve been an on and off dieter since I was around 13, thats almost 17 years! Of course the younger years were the most foolish, starve for a few days, binge for a few more, and so on... Then the children and the comfort of marriage, you all know how it happens! I think all these years of reading and trying and failing is such a learning experience when you`re finally ready to do it right.

One time I succesfully lost weight, and here`s the kicker... I didn`t try. After being at home with 2 kids for years I started working, managing a resteraunt at night. I started in Sept 2000 a size 20. By March of the next year I was in a 14 closing in on a 12. I didnt even notice the weight loss until my family at Xmas were all saying how good I looked! I still ate what I wanted, I just had less time to overeat. And I was on my feet from 6pm to 3am. The weight just melted off.

Once I quit, I gained about 20 pounds so fast it`s ridiculous! Then I became pregnant late in 2001 with my youngest, and here I am. A tight 18. :(

I`ve really thought a lot about that weight loss, and the activity is what did it, no doubt about it! What I was doing wrong in APril, if I ate more than I planned I`d call the day a failure so why bother exercising?! What a huge mistake that was.

I guess it`s just taken me 17 years to figure this all out! LOL

Sorry for such a long ramble, just feels good to share. Now I have to clean cereal off the floor :D

Have a wonderful day everyone! If I work out today ( I will!!) it`ll be 5 consecutive days of 30-40 minutes on the machine. I`ll be back later to let you all know if I reached this little goal of mine!

Hi everyone :) I just got a PM from Caro30 inviting me to join in here and I thought that was an excellent idea. I'm in my mid-20s, married, a mother of 2 little ones. My oldest is almost 3, my youngest is 1 1/2. I have lost 26 pounds so far (I've been at this for 2 months now) and at the moment seem to be stuck at 222 pounds. I'm 6 feet tall and my long-term goal is 165 pounds. I'd love to reach that by my next anniversary (next summer) but as long as I get there eventually, I'll be thrilled.

I'm not following any specific plan or program. I am a carbaholic and there's no way I'd be able to do the low-carb diet, although I know it seems to work really well for a lot of people. I've been using Slimfast shakes a couple of times a week as a meal replacement, simply because with my two little kids keeping me on my toes, sometimes my choice is a shake or something like chips or cookies! I have been staying around 1500 calories but I'm messing with my calories a little bit to see if that's what's stalling my weight loss. My goal at the moment is to stay under 1700. I'm wondering if between getting an hour of exercise 4+ times a week, and cutting my calories down to 1500, my body has gone into starvation mode. We'll see. I'm going to give it another couple days to see if that does the trick and if not, I'll go the other direction and try to stay under 1400 instead. Hopefully I can break this little plateau. I want to see the scale moving again!

If I can lose 17 more pounds by this fall, I'll have lost every single pound that I gained during both of my pregnancies. I've already lost everything I gained with pregnancy #2, but still have some left from my daughter. Her birthday is in fall and I'd love to have all the pregnancy weight off by the time she's 3. I don't know how realistic that is, but we'll see. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Anyway, I guess I'll just jump on in. Thanks, Caro, for mentioning this thread to me. I hope the rest of you don't mind if I join in. At the moment I feel like I need all the help I can get!

Back from the Dead
 

Hello Ladies,

I am so glad to be back. I have been over-loaded, and just plain old SICK.:yikes:

My DH sister is in between homes from PA, to MN, so she needed to stay with us until she could close on her new home. She left today after being with us for over a week. She was here with dog, so Maggie was very happy. Not a dull moment in the house for sure. I was very happy she was here. Last Friday, (week ago) I came down with a sore throat, and just feeling run down. By Sunday, I was very ill. DH wanted to take me to the emergency room. I begged off for Monday at the clinic. Big mistake. By Monday morning 6AM, I was sooo sick. :stress: Went to clinic, strep throat, double ear infection, pink eye, and MONO. :stress: It about put me over the edge. Literally slept 3 days away and didn't even realize it. Glad she was here to help with DH and DS.
Missed my conference that I begged the school to pay for me to attend for my little autistic student. (and didn't even know I missed it until I woke up on Thursday evening, and DH told me he called and cancelled my hotel, and called my principal). :sorry: Big tears. Back to clinic on Thursday for more blood work, and another shot in the BUTT, and more medicine, and now I am feeling somewhat normal. Tired, but back on track. Check up today puts me down over 5 pounds for week. Didn't really want to lose it this way.
Decided I would take a walk around the block to see if I could do it. I did, and it felt wonderful.

Have lots to post on personals, but will do tommorrow. Just wanted to check in, and see how everyone is doing. I have a TON to do, laundry, cleaning, and just getting stuff taken care of. SIL left house well, but I just need to do some things. She even did her own laundry, bed linens, and towels from her bathroom. Gotta love her.

Love Sandi

Oh Sandi, you were seriously ill. Poor dear. Sorry about the missed conference. So glad you are on the mend!! HUGS!!!!
Caro~ lots of great insight in your post.My kids are 4&6 and i am still lsing the baby weight. I am down to what I weighed before my 2nd one.It is such a huge lifestyle change and their needs are VERY important.It is hard to find yourself when they start to get more independant. Hang in there!!!!
Gray~ Welcome. it was nice of Caro to bring a friend! You are an the road to success!!!!!!

Hello all....

Sandi....glad you are feling better...nothing worse than a shot in the butt!

Gray.... know what you mean about the carbs...I did the low carb thing last summer.....easy to grill out meat and ate lots of salads....did I do it "right"? .... probably not, but it was not for me....the science makes sense, but I need something I can live with. I try to stick to 1500-1600 cal a day, with some days going over......I worry about putting myself in starvation, but I am over 40 and losing weight is just so hard !!!!! I will get back to exercise next week I hope.....

Everyone else.......stick with it!!!!! I try to remember that I am the only one in control of my eating and anyone or anything else is just an obstacle I can overcome!

Lilybutt

Me too
 

Hi, I hope it's okay for me to just jump on in. I'm new here and I'm LONGING (and working my tush off) for that ONE!

I've been overweight my entire life but never this much. I'm working on cutting calories, exercising as able (I have fibromyalgia) and low glycemic index eating.
I'm trying to do this right this time, including not doing it all alone! :)

Sandi, I hope you are feeling better, sounds like you just got everything at once!!!

G.E.G.- Glad you made it! I`ve never really experienced a plateau, yet. Last time around I did get frustrated at just a few days of non-scale movement, and it was emotionally hard, and I crashed! I have to stop weighing everyday. Although today is a good one!! Down to 220! Even after some mashed potatos for dinner! I`m considering having my husband take the scale with him on the boat, so I cant get to it for a whole 2 weeks every month. :D I know the days are coming where it won`t move! I did read a very good post from Jennifer3fc about plateau`s, and basically said to try upping the exercise and lowering the calories a bit to see if it helps. See how it works for a few days.

Well I did it, 5 days of exercise! I`ve joined in on the 21 day challenge thread to keep me going. Looks like a fun thread as well.

It`s weird, even in the midst of a good eating day or sweating my butt off I still wonder "Can I really do this?" I guess when your used to failing at something for so long, it`s hard to believe someday you might succeed.

I know one thing, I feel alot better coming here when I have these thoughts.

Sometimes it feels overwhelming...I have to exercise. I have to listen to my body while I`m eating. I gotta kick soda. I cant eat when I`m emotional. I can`t eat at night. I have to keep busy so I dont eat simply because I`m bored... all these things and more. I know it gets easier as it becomes second nature, at least I truly hope so! I seem to be able to do it all, but the anxiety about worrying how long I`ll last is drving me nutty.

One day a time, right? ;)

Sandi- that sounds terrible! Glad you are feeling better.

Holly- thanks for your kind words! My body seemed to go downhill after the second pregnancy. What bothers me is even though I`ve been heavy forever, I never have had this much weight in the middle. The last pregnancy just distorted my body!
All 3 were c-sections, and the last was definetly the toughest to recover from. I could barely move for weeks, I practically lost no weight after her birth. Of course I want to lose the weight for all the million reasons we all do, but as I get older I know putting on all this weight on top is not good for me. I want to go into my 30`s healthy (and looking like a sexy 25 year old! lol)

Bella- Welcome! Lets drop out of the 200`s once and for all! :)

Have a great day everyone! Tuesdays are payday so it always consisted of Mcdonalds for lunch while I`m out and about, then pizza for dinner as our once a week order-out. Not today! I have a Lean Cuisine pizza for dinner, and frozen pizza for the kids (that I hate). So we all still get somewhat what we`re used to, but I save money and tons of calories! ;)

Post first, Read later...7 kids all day
in scorching heat!!!
The basement will be well used. We have a thermometer on the north side of the house, Hubby was going on about it not all that hot at 85F. So I put a thermometer out in the back yard. I popped right up to 97F. LOL!! He agreed that is hot. He likes the heat and builds houses outside in this weather.Remember the winter and how painfully grumpy he was. He hates to be cold. I equally hate to be hot. I get sick! Literally. It is my fair Scot blood.

Heat stroke runs in my family.
I am fighting a bit of a virus too.
My monthly weigh in was today. I am 226. Up 1 lb. Basically maintaining. I seem to lose 5 lbs., maintain for a couple of months, then lose 5 more, maintain for a couple of months.........The trend is thankfully downward.
I have a very sore neck. I have been doing stretches and using tiger balm. Today it feels looser but still painful.
I am not feeling great in general and I dont like it. Niggly things are getting under my skin.
I will be going to the Lake to see my family on Friday and I dont want to see them.
it is Canada Day and there are spectacular fireworks over the lake. In the past we have gone and stayed at least one night with the whole battle axe brigade. It is stressful for all of us. I usually drink too much( to cope). So the plan is we wont stay!!( didn’t last year either but spent the whole day). We will go up after supper around 7pm. Lots of time to swim and frolic. Fire works wont be til after dark around 10 pm and then drive home. I invited another family to join us. The BXB will be extra charming and leave me the **** alone.
I tested out Mom yesterday with a chat and told her I hadn’t been feeling well and had fallen off a ladder. She went on and on about herself as usual.I know what to expect anyhow.
The kids really want to go. Hubby will be by my side. Deep breath.
2nd last day of school. Very sad.We are all loving school.Our principal is retiring. I am very close with him. I guess I am sad in general too. LOL!
Avon is still going very well. Need to make a few follow up calls.
Gala Days is coming up too.
I worked on the editing for the handbook last night. It is looking marvy.
I jumped into the wading pool with the kids last night. We had a festive time!! They were flabergasted at first. You cant come in a kid’s pool...........

Need a swift kick in butt over here in SW Ontario!!!!!!

Hello everyone,

I started posting this morning but got busy! I have been going through and reading your posts and can't do personals right now. I feel bad because I'm so behind and I feel a little left out. I hope I can start posting more often soon!!! I miss all of you...and I see a few new "faces"!!!

I'm so glad this thread is still going!

I've been learning to add fruit into my day for lunch. Convenient fruit cups, fresh blueberries, and yogurt. I always hated yogurt, plus, it does a number on the belly if ya know what I mean...but it's so good for you. I bought some Breyer's Fruit on the Bottom yogurt that was greatly on sale, and I actually like it. I realized that's because it's not the sugar-free type made with Sweet N Low or Splenda. I think those yogurts taste so artificial and icky. Granted, this Breyers that I bought tastes quite good, it is very sugary and caloric although low in fat. But, the cultures are still good for you and it is a nice treat in the late afternoon for a pick-me up...better than candy. For now, I'll learn to eat the yogurt then experiment with different types.

It's been so hot here and DH and I have been bad about eating out. We ate out every single night last week! Sandwiches, chicken, etc. We did go to a Mongolian BBQ twice last week - when you create your own stir-fry and those are great. I got in lots of veggies. I will try to keep tuna salad on hand. I also bought frozen pre-grilled chicken breasts that have 3g fat in each one. Pop them in the microwave and they are done. Summer is the time for convenience foods. I know it's bad. Cooking heats up the house so much. We have two window units, one in the dining room and one in the bedroom. DH made a "barrier" in the kitchen doorway to help block the heat from the kitchen and it works very well. It's blazing hot in the kitchen, even if we don't cook!

We try to use the ACs sparingly because they use so much energy. We've used the ACs more in the past two weeks than we did all last summer! It just wasn't very hot last summer, and DH is still looking for a job so he's home all day during the hot times of day. Last summer, we had no electric bill for a couple months because we were so ahead - our monthly estimated payments were higher than necessary. It was nice. It won't be like this for this summer! It's been basically in the 90's for the past 2 weeks - all you midwesterners can relate - I'm sure most of you can!

I want to start back to the gym. I need help ladies. Sometimes I am on a roll and go every day for three weeks straight. The heat doesn't help me...I feel fat and grungy out in the heat. But I know once I start going back, I'll feel much better about myself. I do feel good playing softball though - games are every Friday night. That's where my exercise is right now. Not too much. Although I did spend 2 hours weed-wacking on Saturday morning...we volunteered to work in a local cemetery with Civil War vets buried in it. My arms are still sore.

I need to get with it. I must keep up with this decent eating and start to the gym again. I will go tonite. Maybe I can start going around 8p-9p when it starts cooling off outside and come back and go straight to bed. Or, try getting up at 5a again. I think that would be better because when I was going to the gym in the mornings, I was always on time for work. I just have to be prepared!

Talk to you all soon.

Girlie

Hollyhock: Good luck with your family get together on Friday. I just had to post having just gotten over the family thing a few weeks ago. I drank too much (too cope like you said) and there's something about alcohol that makes fried food fly into my mouth. It's really something to behold! I don't know your particular family situation but I completely understand how challenging that can be! I wish I had actual good advice :dizzy: but really all I can do is wish you Good luck!

I am trying to get into the exercise habit (I hear ya Girlie!) and so far this week is going well. I swam for 35 minutes today in the morning. It was so beautiful and peaceful and relaxing. :beach: If everyday were at this pace I would have no problem with my routine! Not that much on my schedule, time to swim, time to lounge, time to relax...

Caro: Thanks for the welcome! Enjoy your healthier pizza today! Sounds like you're making some great choices. You must be so proud of yourself, 5 days of exercise is a great accomplishment! :barbell:

Thanks Bella, it does feel good. I just completed day 6 :) Picked up some of those resistance bands, which I wasnt sure about, but WOW they really work your muscles, and so many ways to use them. I`m going to try to add that in a few times a week with the elliptical.

It`s nice to hear "good job" and encouragement. I love my family but they are the last ones to say "good job!"
Ok... my husband does comment when my butt starts looking good again, he`s not too bad, but my best friend is heavy also and would rather wallow in self pity, and she tends to act jealous when I start shedding pounds. I dont get a lot, if any, support from them.

I managed to eat very well today, slimfast muffin bar for breakfast, turkey (no cheese!) sandwich for lunch, and my LC pizza. And a S.F. peanut butter bar for a snack. To me they taste like a butterfinger, absolutely delicious for 120 calories! I feel very satisified with what I ate today, calories come out a little lower (I said I wouldn`t count but I have started to today) lower than 1000, but I still drink an iced coffee in the morning with sugar and cream, so I figure that in as well. And no, I cant give it up! I was thinking after I hit my 21 day work out challenge, I`ll try a 21 day coffee challenge. I think that would be harder! I love the stuff, it`s my one indulgence I dont want to give up.

Kids had last day of school today (we had a whopping 10 snow days to make up for, blizzard closed schools for a week!) so they have a late start to summer. It will be tougher to do my afternoon workout in peace, so I`m going to make it a point to still get up early and get my exercise in then, starting tommorow. Im tired of the phone ringing, knock at the door, kids asking for something in the middle of MY time! :)

Girlie- I wish you lots of luck getting the ball rollin' again! As good as we feel doing it we fall into these slumps. I just have to keep telling myself that if I dont do it today, I probably won`t do it tommorow, and I`ll be feeling miserable again. Sounds like you`ve been moving a little, every bit counts!

Lets all keep moving! We can so totally do this!

Have a good night, see you all tomorrow!

I hate my scale. Still not moving. I refuse to weigh myself until Saturday and maybe by then it'll move again. I'm about ready to pull my hair out over here, just to see SOMETHING change on the scale. Ugh. It hasn't moved at all since the 19th!

Hey Gray! I have the problem with weighing everyday, although every time I do I tell myself I won`t get back on for a week or two, the next morning I`m right back on it! I know I`m not losing a pound a day, and I`m not trying to, 2and 1/2 a week is what I`m aiming for. But just a day or two of no scale movement crushes my motivation. It is depressing to see the number not change after working my butt off and eating probably 1/4 of what I usually do!

I`ll try it with you, not weighing til Saturday. I jumped on already this morning, so I`ll give it a shot tomorrow! I went years without a scale not worrying how much I was gaining, why is it so hard to go without it when you know you`re doing good? Just makes no sense to me, but we continue to put ourselves through it!! My mini goal is to be 219 by Sunday, so Saturday would be a good wait for me as well.

Are you close to your TOM? I will gain 2-3 pounds overnight the day or two before my period starts... and it seems while dieting and exercising the few days before and during, I`ll stall for about a week on the scale, maybe there is a weight loss at this time for us but the water gain hides it? Once it`s all over I`ll drop 3 or 4 pounds like nothing. I think it`s very important to keep track of when it`s coming, prepare (for me that means having healthier choices for my cravings on hand) and drink more water, and most of all stay away from the scale for at least a week! (I just saw it`s been since the 19th, so maybe it doesn`t apply to what you`re going through.) Just dont give up, it will move! You are doing so good! If you give up it will definetely move, in the wrong direction! ;) I think I saw a post somewhere from you that you did 45 minutes on the elliptical, that`s great! More than I`m up to!

Okay, so I`m not going to work out in the morning! I was up at 6am, put on my shoes and tied up my hair and grabbed my water. Put the music on, after one minute I said "oh no this is not gonna happen!" I`m definetely not a morning exerciser. With my better half being home later this morning, it will be a challenge to get it in today at all. But I`m determined. I tend to get very bored in the afternoons and early evenings, usually when I`d eat a lot, so maybe it`s in my best interest to keep the afternoon session! It`s like I have all the time in the world, but to have an hour all to myself is inconceivable!

I`ll be back later! I`m going to try to plan meals for the week, luckily the chef is back in the house (I hate cooking) so if I can plan our meals for the week, there`ll be less of an impulse to order out or him choose to make something I really shouldn`t eat. I know the BBQ is coming this weekend... I`m stocked on chicken breast! Keeping the exercise is going to my battle for this next week. I`m determined.

I actually like to step on the scale every day. Otherwise I get lazy and the weight creeps up and i dont even know it.
Busy last day of school here.

Good morning everyone,
I am up baking a b-day cake for a co-worker. I didn't want to heat the house last nite. It was 100f here yesterday. I didn't feel like doing anything when I got home.
I've not done too bad on food, but haven't made it to curves all week. :(

Caro: WELCOME BACK!... I get to frustrated by weighing to often. I only weigh about once a month. Then I don't see the daily ups and downs that all our bodies do naturally. If I loose 3-5 lbs I'm pleased.

Gray: WELCOME!... The scale will move. when it does it will probably be a dramatic drop. You just stay op and don't stress about daily changes.

Holly: I hope your family day goes well.
Enjoy youself.

Sandi: Glad your feeling better. good to hear from you.

Bella: WELCOME!...This is wonerful site for support. Glad your here.

Girlie: Good to hear from you. Glad all is well.

I have to go in a hour early for a meetng today. everyone have a great day.


BIG HUGS

First Day of Sumer Vacation and all is reasonably well. LOL!

I definitely have a virus. Snotty nosed kids love to share.
The class picnic for DS was warm and fuzzy. I decided to talk to his teacher instead of send a note. I blubbered a bit. She thinks it is the support at home( me) that has made the difference with my son. I offered to split the credit with her, LOL!!
He still very high strung but he has the learning bug in a huge way. It is remarkable that a kid as physical/emotional as him can focus long enough to learn anything. He reads constantly and wants to practice printing and math problems!!! Very exciting. I honestly wondered if he would ever be able to manage school/learning.
DH has commented several times about how he himself could never settle enough as a kid to read etc. and how amazed he is with DS’s passion to learn.
The emotional and behavioural stuff is making great strides too.
I can home from the picnic took off my clothes and went to bed. It was my last afternoon off til Sept.
I have been reading a selfhelp book about methods of communicating/coping with my family of origin. It is stirring emotions up but helping lots too. I am able to feel more compassion and less angst.
I went to bed early last night. Really not feeling well.Hubby was kind although he did NOT do the dishes. I am having issues with the mess in the kitchen. I have a fulltime time job babysititng, part time job with Avon, plus I am a spectacular Mom and I volunteer.I cook homemade, from scratch, healthy ,tastey meals 365 days a year!! He can wash some freakin pots!!!
Kids have been great about helping tidy up.
We may go to the splashpad today if my head doesn’t pound too much.
HUGS chicks!!!!!!

Hi Ladies,

I'm on my lunch, I had a Lean Pocket, a handful of chips and blueberries. I'm really on a blueberry kick right now.

I'm feeling...well...pretty crappy. It is work related and I hope I get over it. Maybe I can write more later.

I'm looking forward to the weekend - I have a 4-day weekend coming up. DH and I may go somewhere, just to get away from it all. This situation at work really has me bummed and I thought everything was okay, but apparently my new team doesn't think I'm getting on very well, and the boss had an hour-long sit down with me last night after everyone else left, telling me these things. I thought everything was fine and that I was doing a great job.

I'm trying to be positive...but I'm very sad. It was very embarassing and I've never been told things like that before. I started bawling when I got in my car and DH let me babble on last night instead of us going to a movie.

*sigh*

I'm trying to put a new face forward. It's hard not to be here and think people are really watching me, and thinking things! They all knew I was going to get the TALK last night!

GIrlie

((((((((Girlie))))))) this is beyond awful. You sounds devastated. I had a group of friends do this with me about my personal life. It was icky and made me feel paranoid.
HUGSSS!!!!!!!!! This crosses all kind of respect, confidentiality and moral lines!!!!
They should not have collectively gone to the boss or have known about the talk.

well technically I cheated on the not weighing until Saturday, but I didn't do it on purpose. I had an appt with my gyno yesterday and she weighed me (usually doesn't but I mentioned last time that I wanted to try to lose weight, so maybe that's why she did it :shrug: ). Still 222 but at least I know my scale is accurate at home. :rolleyes: I didn't touch it today though - I even set it out in the hall so that I am not tempted when I go in the bathroom in the morning! I really need to break the daily-weigh-in habit though, it's not a good pattern for me because I end up depending too much on the darn numbers, instead of focusing on changing my habits. So this is my attempt to change that habit.

It's not that time of the month, I'm mid-cycle right now (well, mid pill pack). I really don't know what's going on. I'm drinking tons of water, working out, and by the calories alone I should have lost at least 3 pounds or so in that time. But nothing is changing. It's hard to stay motivated. :(

I can actually do an hour on the elliptical, which I'm freakishly proud of. I do either 2 30-minute sessions or 3 20-minute sessions, depending on how energetic I'm feeling. I LOVE the way my body feels right after a work out, that tired and pumped feeling. I really enjoy that, so it's easier to work that much harder.

Hollyhock, that's kind of how I was feeling too, but after 11 days of seeing the same exact thing despite my healthy eating and exercise it's having the opposite effect. I keep finding myself tempted to binge on all kinds of foods, thinking "well I'm not losing anyway so why does it matter?" which is just not the right frame of mind. I'm glad it seems helpful to you though. Whatever keeps you motivated and gets you going :).

Thanks Debbie. I'm trying to stick to it! I hope that on Saturday I'll see a nice big change. Heck, even a pound. I'd be happy with a single pound. :)

Girlie, I'm sorry you're having a rough time at work. :( I hope that things get better with your team.

Hi, remember me? Sorry I've been so negligent, I've missed hearing all of your wonderful voices. I'm doing okay, given how fast things are moving around me, transitioning to a new job, planning for company and for my vacation at the end of July. My eating is okay, I'm pleased that I'm still doing most of my workouts and walking despite the oppressive heat.

Girlie, I'm so sorry about whatever is happening at work. I know that you take your work very seriously. I hope that's just a matter of time before things sort themselves out. Hang in there!

judy

Hi gals!

I did get that workout in lastnight, today too. And no scale this morning! All around a good couple of days for me. :)

I`m pretty tired and still have some laundry to do :( So I`ll be back in the morning with lots more to say. just wanted to check in real quick.

~Wishing you all a good night~

It is a lovely muggy holiday morning here!!!! I am happy to have 3 days off. Today is all about puttering and cleaning. I am itching to get into the gardens and weed. The temps have cooled off some.
Still fighting this cold off but seem better today.
Awesome fireworks to be viewed tonight!!!!!
Food has been better.Water is through the roof. Too hot not to drink gallons.


I am feeling fine about seeing the family today.
I had a visit from sis on her way up to the lake yesterday , she saw my pic of Kalan and bestfriend as my screen saver and sneered, “EW!! why would you torture yourself every day seeing your best friend hanging all over your guy.” LOL!!!!!!!! It was a nice reminder of how incredibly negative and twisted my family of origin is. I feel good about my choices.
It is the happiest pic ever. It brings me so much joy. I cant ever begin to fathom anything negative about it. Cutting back the family contact will only keep me happier.

Nice to see you Judy, didn't happen to find Spores, Jody, Susie or Annie in your adventures did you????
Pop in ladies!!!!!!!

Gray~ have you tired mixing up your cal intake for a week. Like eat 2000 one day then 1200 the next, then 1500 etc. Some people say it works to jump start a plateau!!!
Caro~ hope you had a peaceful sleep!!!
Mornin' Deb!

HUGS delightful friends!!!!!!!

Good morning :)

Well I didn`t get on the scale this morning again, as much as I wanted to!
It`s quite easy for me once I have coffee, cause I won`t weigh after consuming ANYTHING! I just imagine how nice it`s going to be to see a few pounds gone all at once.

Busy weekend here, not really I guess but we`re going to the beach on Sunday. Monday BBQ, and the boss man at hubby`s work takes all the employees and families out on one of the tug boats so we get a first class view of the fireworks from the river, it`s really nice. No traffic, no thousands of people to get through in the park. Last year I refused to go being uncomfortably fat ( you gotta walk up this skinny walkway!) but I`m going this year! Also Monday my mom is finally coming home. We lived in Alaska through-out my teen years, 13-21 to be exact. I met my husband up there and decided in 95 to come back home and we`ve been here ever since, but mom has always struggled with relationships and jobs so she`s been a little back and forth. She`s been there for almost 4 years now, has only seen my 3 year old twice. I sometimes have trouble with my mom, but maybe I`m getting older and learning to deal with her more maturely. I have missed her lately, and glad she`s coming home.

I got myself a new book, helps a lot when I`m feeling bored... I stop thinking about food. "Little Altars Everywhere" by Rebecca Wells. I love all her books. I`ve read them backwards though, I finished "Ya Ya`s in Bloom" in about 3 days, now I`m reading the first book.

Holly- hope you have a great weekend ! I slept like a log, it was great!

Gray- That scale is going to move soon, I can feel it! I`m going to stay off my scale in protest to your scale, until that darn thing moves!!! :D Why weigh tomorrow? Give yourself a few more days if you can, you might see an even bigger loss. I`ll be right along with you! Thats a good idea what Holly said, it`s worth a shot!

Girlie- Hope things get better for you. Keep your head up high. ;)

judy, bella, debbie, everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Caro, WTG for avoiding the scale! I actually didn't weigh myself this morning either. I meant to but didn't get a chance until just now. It said 224 :mad: but I am wearing jeans AND just had lunch (grilled portabella mushroom with ff cheese and basil) AND have had 1 1/2 liters of water today already. SO I don't think it's accurate and I'm not changing my ticker since I am sure that weigh-in wasn't accurate. I'm going to try to wait until at least Wednesday before I weigh in again. I'm thinking Wednesdays and Saturdays I'll weigh myself. I did 60 mins on the elliptical yesterday which felt great.

Hollyhock, my calories really do jump around a lot. Yesterday I had 1700, the day before that only 1350. It depends on the day :) I really hope that I can get this plateau behind me. It's really frustrating!


I did talk to my DH about this yesterday and how discouraged I'm getting. He is so awesome. He suggested that we switch to fat-free cheese for ourselves when we use it in recipes, and wants to start making our own bread crumbs instead of buying them at the store the way we always have. He's being really supportive and he told me HE can see that I'm losing weight, which does make me feel better. He's such a wonderful man :).

I meant to add, has anyone here ever tried a juice fast? I used to know a girl on another website who used juice fasts once every couple weeks to help jump-start her weight loss. It seemed to work really well for her - just fresh fruit juice all day long. I'm thinking if I still haven't seen a change on Wednesday I might try it that day. It'd be a good day, I'll be away from the kids all day that day so I won't have to worry about being tempted to eat their foods or anything. Is this a really crummy idea or do you think it might be worth a try for just one day if I still haven't seen a loss on Wednesday?

Gray~ I have juice fasted( using a juicer and fresh fruit and veg) for up to 2 days as a general cleanse. it is wonderful. Inform yourself, do reseach on what to juice.

Food was awesome yesterday and water. Lots of walking and bike riding!!!!!!
I am LOVING the bike riding!!!!
Last night was almost painless.Hubby the kids and I had a great day at home for the holiday and went to the lake at 7pm.
I wasn’t feeling anxious at all??!! We just walked in and it was like every other time. Everyone was pretty well into the wine and festivity. Mom kept pushing drinks on me and I calmly said no thank you each time. I didn’t “bite” on any of the usual digs/challenges. I saw them with so much clarity.Aunt and Sis clinging off each other.Mom over selling herself at every turn. Dad ignoring them all.
The kids love being there and playing with their cousin.Of course, they ALL think our kids and clever, perfect and very good looking. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
I left with the 3 kids to go to the beach and we had a glorious time wave jumping. It was too windy for the fireworks.
I did feel my separateness but it was not lonely or anxious. I do not want to be like them. I was also able to feel genuine fondness too. I do love these people.
It was great to come home!

Ds wanted to go back to the lake today so DH drove him up . I went to the city to do some hair appts and now I am home. I am enjoying the bits of live8 I have seen.
I want to do some yoga and then clean.
I will get the kids tonight.

Good morning everyone,
Sorry I've been mia but the end of the week is really hard on me, especially in this heat. I've got to get back op I've felt the portion sizes climbing back up. I didn't make it to curves not once last week.:(
Send me a CYBERKICK in the rear!!
Dh started his new job thurs so he was underfoot tues and wed. He's working nights in the oilfields. It's hard adjusting, I got up and doing all the laundry early before he get home so I don't have to worry about if the noise will wake him.
Dgs is spending the month with us. He's is calm and quite for a 81/2 yo. We have lots of fun with him. Going to the lake for BBQ and fireworks tonight. He'll love that. Friends have lot's of grandkids his age.
OOPS! Washer has stopped I'll do personals later.

Everyone have a blessed sunday.

Hi! I'm having a nice but low-energy weekend. I think I'm just deeply tired avter so many months of stress and changes. I've been puttering around, tossing clutter and listening to jazz. I slept late this AM and didn't work out, so I'll take a long walk on my way to the movies later this afternoon. I'm a bit depressed about not making much more headway, and wondering if I can do something to give myself a jumpstart. I was hoping to be closer to 220 by July 4, instead of hoverering over 230. A friend told me to do my best to maintain until August, when I will be done with the job switch and traveling. I think I will take her advice, and not beat myself up--until August 1, when I will have run out of excuses :lol: Debbie, we can send each other loving kicks at that point, if you still need 'em.

Gray--I used to do the Master Cleanser fast in the summer. They gave me a tremendous sense of confidence--you know you have willpower if you can go for days without eating a bite!--but I would spend the next week eating everything that didn't run away.

judy

Hello All,
I've found my way back here again. I feel like the Prodigial Racer!
I'm just letting other things take priority and I would be ok with that if that's what I really wanted but I don't! I want to focus on losing the rest of this weight and that includes getting back to doing what I know what works for me and that's posting here daily and making it to my workouts, and choosing healthy foods instead of skipping those and eating other things and thinking "A calorie is a calorie", because it isn't! I did that last week and it resulted in a 3 lb gain. I was so mad at myself when I got on the scales. I'm over 245 and I swore to myself that I would NEVER go back over that number again.

I can let that defeat me or use it to move me forward. I'm choosing that later. I went for a walk yesterday morning and I'll go for one tomorrow morning as well and I will continue with my workouts like I used to and get my fitness level back up. I won't have cookies for breakfast...I've been having my eggs or ceral, and I won't have nachos for dinner and nothing else. No..I'm planning to succeed. I talked to DH about it last night and he has agreed to get focused with me again, so I can stay on track.

Sorry I've been gone ladies. I truly miss you all.

(((Girlie))))...Hang in there with the job. I hope you and your boss came up with an Action Plan to get you on board the way they want you to be. If not, go back to the boss and discuss that. It's not fair for them to bring something up to you and not help you get where they want you to be. This is new for you and they are failing at training you if you aren't where they think you should be.

Debbie-Make it a priority to get back to your workouts. I know how easy it is to get away from them.

Judy-I know it's hard to lose weight when a person has so many changes happening at the same time. Just focus on keeping healthy and I think weight loss will result. It might not be at the pace your would like it, but just focus on not gaining.

Have a nice days ladies. I'll see you tomorrow.
Susie

No scale today! I really want to wait until Wednesday before I weigh in again. I need to break the daily-weigh-in habit for myself. I'm doing good today though. I sat down last night and wrote out what I was going to eat today and so far I've stuck to it, which is great. I'm going to go to the gym this afternoon and I want to do an hour at least. My goal is to exercise 1500 minutes this month. I've done 60 so far.


Hollyhock, thanks for your feedback. I also asked in the Nutrition forum and the woman who replied there (Ilene, I think?) said that she ended up binging the day after she tried a juice fast. That concerns me because I feel like that defeats the whole purpose of doing it - to detox and get my body back on track a bit. I've read a little bit online and will definitely do more research before doing anything. Thanks!

Debbie, I'm sorry you've had a rough week. Why don't you try to get to Curves today? There's nothing you can do about last week now, but you could get started again today. Or, go to the park and run around with your grandson, or take him to the pool (if you're not as swimsuit-phobic as I am), and just run around with him until you're both worn out. That'd give you some exercise too.

Judy, the binge the day after is what I worry about a little bit. My willpower isn't all that powerful ;). Ideally the scale will have moved when I weigh in on Wednesday and it will be moot anyway. It sounds like you're in quite an upheaval right now. I think I agree with your friend that you may want to focus on not gaining instead of trying to lose. I don't know if you're an emotional eater like I am but when I'm stressed, the first thing I want to do is EAT so I can imagine that the stress of moving and switching jobs is very hard.

Susie, I think you've got a really good outlook and awareness. I imagine that the 3 pound gain must have been really upsetting. You'll lose those 3 pounds though and I think it'll help a lot for your husband to help keep you focused. I know my husband has been my biggest cheerleader and has been such a great help for me so far. Just get right back on track, you can do it. As your signature says, "a slip up isn't a reason to give up." :)

Happy 4th everyone,
I did much better yesterday on food. I stayed busy. I didn't get around to structed exercise, but I was active. We went to a kind of a family reunion. We have no family for 600 mls. Our friends of 25 yrs have a big family get together on the 3rd so we always go. Everyone spent several hundreds of dollars on fireworks. It would rival fireworks shows of some small towns.
I will weigh when I go to curves tomorrow.( I threw my scales out!)
I'll be very surpised if I make our June goal. I going for the same goal in July.
Join me.

Everyone have FUN and be SAFE.

Debbie~ HI, I maintained. I have consistantly been 225 in the lornings for a week. I was up to 227. No 5 lb loss. I am up for the same.In Jan I had hoped to be a 200 for my 40th bday on the 21st. Didn't happen but at least i am down and feeling fit.
Gray~ you are doing so well.
(((Susie))))~ happy to see you!! You CAN do this!!!
Judy~ I like your plan.
Hello to everyone!!

The weeds were as tall is me out front!
It took a full lean of my body with a bit of force. Today my hands ache from the act.
Yesterday was good and peaceful. Kids were tired but mostly pleasant.DS is still sleeping!!
I picked up lots of fresh groceries. We watched About Schmidt on tv last night. An enjoyable movie. Poignant. I loved the everydayness of the characters and settings.
6 kids today as far as I know. 8 tomorrow. I have a grade 8 boy coming to help on Tuesday's.
That is about it!!
Have a spectacular day.

Hello!
I started this morning with a walk. I thought it was a good way to start the day. I'm just sort of puttering around the house this afternoon. Tonight we will go to the City of Blue Ash's Family Fourth Celebration for fireworks. A bunch of our friends go and we enjoy it every year.
They always have a headliner act right before the fireworks and this year it is Richard Marx's.

Debbie:I hope when you go to Curves tomorrow you will have made your June goal; if not, you have something to shoot for in July and I want you to think about what weight you might have been if you had not set a goal. I know you will reach your goal...sooner or later...if you just keep trying.

Holly: Do you EVER slow down? I have no idea how you get so much done! You have such a healthy attitude about life, I know that it will soon spill over into the weight loss effort, just keep doing what you have been doing.

Grey Eyed Girl: Keep up the good work with staying off the scale. I think if you are one who needs to weigh everyday to stay on track then that's fine. Me, I found out when I did that I would let myself eat more if I was down, so it wasn't working for me to weigh everyday.

Have a great days ladies.

Susie

Susie~ LOL, I wonder why other people dont have as much as me to do!! LOL!!!
I know I make choices and I am happy with them. Nice walking!!!!
I thought I DID have a lazy weekend!!

Hello all......having a nice quiet weekend here. No plans.....being single in the world of couples allows me to use long weekends the way I want.....so.....I read two books, washed my car, did a TON of laundry, walked everyday, ate healthy, slept in a bit, stayed up a bit late, drank too much diet pop, took naps, played with the kitties, mowed the yard and all in all did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it.....no commitments to anyone.....I was nice and relaxing!!

Hope all had a good weekend too!...oh yes, weighed in today and down a pound!!! Moving towards my goal of 230 by the End of August!!!!
Lilybutt

Thanks, Susie. It actually helped a lot at first, but I got stuck on a plateau and since it's taking longer than I thought to start losing again, weighing every day and seeing the same numbers was getting discouraging. Plus, I think I'd like to focus more on how I'm feeling and looking, and less on the scale. Thank you for your encouragement!


Well I had a horrible day today. Diet-wise it went great until about 4, and then my kids got a little too rough playing together and my son got hurt. He fell and smacked his face really hard. Blood everywhere, screaming baby boy, confused and upset baby girl. I thought at first he was going to need stitches but we got the bleeding stopped and I don't think they'd do stitches, and the ER on July 4th is the LAST place I wanted to be. My baby boy bit a big chunk out of his lower lip, his little chin is all bruised and it looks like his nose is going to bruise too. :( Once he was taken care of I just started eating. I really don't like that it's so easy to fall back to using food as comfort. :(

Hi Gray, I had a little emotional eating here as well. The best thing is we KNOW what we did and we can try to work on it for the future.

Yesterday was pretty nice. I did have a little more to eat, but still stuck to no eating after 5. Didn`t have the time to work out and that just ticks me off, I did well sat and sun, it just wasn`t going to happen yesterday! I even got in a step session on Sunday with the elliptical, and my tapes should be here soon. So I`m still motivated, girls! whoo-hoo! :D :D

Sunday evening my son ran out of his room with fear, in tears that he stepped on our kitten and it hurt it`s leg (poor thing it was an accident, I felt so bad for him) The poor thing was hurting badly, limping and crying. Now it`s 6 pm on a Holiday weekend, so we call everywhere. My husband had to go to Boston (an hour away from us) to go to the animal hospital. It gets better, cause my car has all but broken down and we had to call my sister to bring him up there! So yeah I had a little emotional picking myself. They got back around midnite, kitty is fine luckily it was not broken, just a sprain. She`s limping a little but walking on it and getting better.

I`m feeling the early signs of PMS... mood swings, chocolate cravings I think are at bay due to me having a slimfast chocolate bar every day. Those things really help. And I weighed today just to see the damage to kick me in high gear again, and I`m up to 219. Only one pound, but not the direction I`m trying to go in! So today begins a new week for me. No weighing til Saturday here!

With all the goodies on the boat lastnight, cookies, chips, donuts...I had a diet coke. SO there are little successes to report!

I did get myself outside the last 2 days for a relaxing lay in the sun, just a little something I`m trying to do for me. Part of "what I`ll do when I lose weight" is get a healthy tan, why wait? And I actually felt pretty good lastnight with a golden tan and my better fitting size 16 jeans (stretchy of course, but they`re still a 16!).

I`ll be back tonight to chime in some more. Mom arrived lastnight but stayed with my uncle, she`ll be coming by later this morning and my house is a disaster! Have a great day, I hope everyone is doing well... and to those of us who had a tough weekend... It`s Over!!! Lets all get back to US! :D

Good morning,
One of my goals for today is to be sure to post to the board, so I'm getting it done early and hopefully setting the pace for a OP day for myself.

We had a nice time at the fireworks last night. I just love them! I did ok with the food. I did have a milkshake on the way home, but hey I skipped the funnel cake and I choose to have a ear of corn for dinner. It was a little hard with everyone eating and snacking around me, but I reminded myself that when I can buy a smaller size, it's going to be worth it.

Caro: I'm glad the kitty is ok. What an ordeal! I am dreaming of a size 16! What you had to say about the tough weekend being over and getting back to US is very motivational for me.

Grey: It's so easy to fall back to food for comfort. I'm not sure how to not do that, but it's a learning process. Why don't you think of something else you can try and have it ready to be in place the next time you have stress overwhelming you like that. Is there someone you could call? Could you get on line and post instead? Just some ideas I'm tossing out there.

Hope everyone else is OP today and recharged..let's do this ladies!
Susie