Hi Everyone,
I really missed all of you! I hope you are all doing well. How are you doing on your plans? It was a struggle to stay OP while I was gone. I didn't get a chance to workout. Well, I didn't make the time to workout. That's really the truth.

I didn't overeat so I'm hoping that today when I weight-in I will have stayed the same, but I feel like I might be up a bit.

I did relax in the evenings, well, I had about an hour after I got back to my room to wind down and hit the hay! so I read my Fitness and Shape magazines. I found some really exciting things that I'm hoping to get to share with you later today.

I can really relate to the "Maybe I'm scared to be thin" conversation. I haven't really worked through that for myself but I know that I need to.

Ok..time to get to work. I'll be back later.

New Day
 

Hi ladies! Today is a new day, and I'm feeling pretty good. Thanks for all the encouragement and advice as I tackle this weight thing.

Labchick, Jodi - Great job on losing 3 pounds, Labchick! I went to the Health Services center on-site at my job yesterday and had them check my blood pressure. They said the numbers were "borderline" - not too high to be seriously concerned, but to keep an eagle eye on it to make sure it doesn't go up. So I'll go back there again in a week for another reading. In the meantime, I'm walking and eating better than ever! My goal of 17 pounds lost by Christmas is within reach...what a great gift to myself. :gift:

Holly - You have some great things going for you! Because you are so giving to others, you definitely deserve good health and a thin bod. Like Jodi said, do this thing for YOU. :queen:

Greenlass - Great job on resisting ice cream and doing laundry instead! Who would've thought if you kept working on a household chore, your sweet craving would go away? That's a win-win for sure. :sunny:

Looking forward to another great day. Take care!

Mornin' ladies!!
Thank you so much for the encouragement.
Yesterday i kept thinking about a book I had read when my daughter was a newborn. the Heart of the Soul by Gary Zukav. it is the workbook that goes with The Seat of the Soul. I had trouble putting it to use at the time. Too much baby stuff going on.My son was just 22 months.
Anyhow~ I pulled it out and started reading and EVERYTHING made my say, aha!!
I had a conversation with a friend just last week talking about how I haven't felt joy in a long, long time. I had wondered if it was about being almost 40,having kids etc and it was a new phase of life.
I have realized that everything i do ,feel, that I am good at, is all exterenal.The eating is a way of filling a void inside of me.I need to truly feel that internal, love,acceptance.
I will start to do the exercises in the book and see if I can unblock myself.

Best wishes to everyone! Hope your day is happy and OP!

In my earlier post I told you that I had found some good things in my Fitness/Shape Magazines.

One is a formula to help us buck the trend of gaining weight over the holidays and to drop a dress size-a full 10 pounds, in six weeks.

1. Subtract 10 pounds from your current weight, then multiply this figure by 4.4.

2.Calculate your height in inches than multiply this figure by 4.6

3.Multiply your age in years by 4.7

4. Add up the answers to numbers 1-3 and then add 655. Round up or down to the nearest whole number.

5. Multiply this number by an activity factor:
1.2 if you sit at a desk all day, are unable to workout due to any injury or are too tired or too buys to exercise on a daily basis.

1.3 if you walk your dog twice or more daily, take the stairs whenever you can or exericse moderatley for up to 2 days a week

1.5 if you exercise for 1 hour at least 3 and up to 5 times a week.

1.7 if you are a hard-core runner, train 2-plus hours a day or have a physically demanding job.

Your final number equals your daily calorie limit to lose 10 pounds in six weeks.

I thought this might give us something to work for towards the end of the year.

Labchick: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labchick, Hollyhock and Jodi:
We are all around the same weight - let's motivate each other. To the 220's we come! Just around 30 pounds to get to 199! LOL...it sounds so easy huh? We can do it.

Kylesmommy:
Hi there and welcome! I love foods like fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Good for you for not giving in. When I eat fried chicken now, I will have it, but skip any potatoes and make veggies instead.

Hevron:
Welcome back. I was talking to my nurse doctor last night after my healthy heart class. I told her that a few months ago I used one of those blood pressure tests at Wal Mart and it said my PB was very high. The nurse said they are often inaccurate. PLUS, she said the only way to accurately test BP is not during the day, but as soon as you wake up. She said BP tends to vary, especially if you are at work and running around and a little stressed, you could get a whole different reading in the morning. She suggested to get an at-home tester, $30 or so, and test for five days in a row as soon as you wake up. Then take the average of those five tests to get an average blood pressure. I may do that. I don't see how I could have a random testing at my doctor's and be fine and have dangerously high BP a few months later at Wal Mart.

Wal Mart is stressful to me anyway lol!

Jill:
You are SO close to 199! :)

I'm doing okay. My body is a little sore from slight changes to my exercising, but I've gone to the gym to do my elliptical Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and today and I'm rather proud of myself. I plan to go tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday as well. We get our water heater installed on Friday so we'll see if I can keep up the gym even when we get hot water back!

Bad me, I've been eating a lot of cake lately since we pulled out our wedding cake and groom's cake from our wedding a year ago. So, it's just been around and i'll take bites off of one of them a couple times a day, thinking a bite is better than a slice. It's SO good! It's funny though that when foods like that are not in the house, I do not crave them. I'm not a huge cake fan because to me, cake is cake...except for my wedding cake was very exceptional, so it's hard to resist. At least I don't like icing :)

I haven't had great breakfasts lately. Usually consists of a roll or biscuit from the night before. Dinners are okay...last night I grilled fish, steamed broccoli and warmed up leftover baked potatoes. It was yummy and I felt full and satisfied...not that "heavy" type of full, but just very satisfied. I love that feeling when I eat a nice healthy meal.

OK so I went online and visited the website for "the Biggest Loser", that show. They show bios for each person and some of them write down what they eat each day. I noticed that Aaron, the guy who was voted off this week and who had lost the most weight of any of them...he drinks a TON of water each day. Granted the results are not realistic, I'm sure the water has a huge impact on the weight loss. I think he lost 36 or so pounds while on the show, and after he was voted off, he lost another 25 or so...very inspirational that he continued on his own. His food journal says he would drink 9-15 bottles of water a day! Geez, I only drink 2 or 3 16oz bottles if I'm lucky. I'm going to try to drink a lot more, whether it's water, crystal light, sugar free iced tea or any other low calorie beverage. I make a lot of crystal light during the day and drink it at work. At home I usually drink water. I've also been buying low cal frozen grape juice to mix with water...it still has 50 calories in a glass, so I only have one glass a day. Crystal light only has 5 calories per serving.

Hope you all are well!

Girlie

hello everyone!!
holly that is fantastic! good luck on the exercises, i hope they help.

mychoice- did you get a really high number when you did this for the calories? maybe my math was off but it said 2713 i'm afraid if i eat that much everyday i'll blow up. lol i'll grab a calculator and try again. i'm in for the loose 10 or so by christmas challenge though!

labchick- happy birthday woman!!! hope you have the best birthday ever!!

girlie- i'm in, we can hop over the 199 line all together!! i'm the same way about sweets, i love them don't get me wrong but if there is no cake around then i don't need cake!! happy anniversary by the way!! you are lucky your cake still tastes good. ours was awful by our anniversary, we had a tiny bite of it for good luck and then had to ditch the rest. great job with the gym!! keep up the good work!

hevron glad you spoke to someone about the BP great job with the changes!! your goal is certainly within reach. was it you that was looking to wear a red outfit by christmas? if not sorry. what i was going to say though was pull it out cause you are on your way!!!!

if i missed anyone sorry, i'll check back later!

:gift: Happy birthday Labchick!!!!! I was looking for a carrot smilie or something healthy :dizzy:

Hope your day is filled with joy!!


Happy first anniversay Girlie. Glad it was special!

I would LOVE to aim for the 220's.Let 's do it!!

Hi Chickies
 

Well, another birthday has come and gone. The only good thing about is that I'm lower than I've been in over 5 years. One more pound and I'll have lost 80 lbs total. That part feels good. But I did cheat on my birthday. I don't feel bad though because it's not my usual routine and I still kept the calorie count well below 2000 which is what the least amount I would burn on a regular basis anyway. Overall, this is probably the worst birthday I've ever had. No one in my extended family even remembered, which isn't so bad except that they have fits if I don't remember their birthdays by noon. Oh well, at least I don't have to deal with that for another year.

Girlie - I'm so glad you had a great first anniversary.

Heather - I'm glad you checked your blood pressure out with a nurse. She's right about checking it first thing in the morning, but it's also important to get readings in the middle of the day. Borderline isn't so bad, but it can quickly get out of control. Just take care of yourself. Not trying to harp on it. I just worry about those kinds of silent issues.

Susie - I was flabergasted by your calculations until I realized that this was over 6 weeks. It's less than 200 calories lower than my basal metabolic index. That should mean that I'll lose more if I stick with my 1200 per day diet. Thanks for the information though. It helps me to see where I'm headed.

I'm off to bed,

Nan

Good morning ladies,
The "diet gods" were good to me last night at my weigh-in. I stayed the same. I really thought I would be up because I haven't exercised in a week, but I was able to dodge the bullet. I know this means that I've got to get on the ball. I made the first step by going to the Y and taking a 45 min walk. It felt good to get my body moving.

I wanted to comment on the formula I gave you to loose 10 lbs in 6 weeks. I'm not sure it's correct. I checked it to be sure that I didn't type something incorrectly; I didn't. I get a really high number. I'm going to email Fitness and see if I get a response.

I'm not sure that I can loose 10 lbs by Christmas, but I"m going to try. My actual end of the year goal is to be under 235. Any one else setting a year end or Christmas goal.

Nan: Happy Belated Birthday! and Congrats on the 79 lb loss! You are doing great! I'm sorry that your extended family didn't recognize your birthday. :(

Holly: How are you doing? What are some of the exercises in that book you are talking about?

Talk to you later on in the day.

Susie

Here is the first exercise(mental not physical) from Heart of the Soul

Take an Inventory

Consider every activity you do all day.Ask these questions for everything you do or have:
Do I do or have this to survive?
DO I do or have this to feel more secure?
DO I do or have this to feel better than others?
Do I do or have this to feel better about myself?
Do I do or have this to feel safe?

For every YES ask yourself, "how could I see things that I do or have differently."
eg Instead of eating to make myself feel good,or to feel more secure, I eat so I can take care of my body. or Instead of having a husband to feel more safe,I am with my husband in true partnership.
Make this a habit:before you do anything,ask yourself, "what is my intention for doing this?"

Last night the insurance guy was coming to drop off a new policy. I wa racing aroudn feeling super *****y tidying. I stopped and asked myself why I was doing this. It was because I wanted him to think we had a nice tidy home. I stopped and sat down,cuddled with hubby and watched Survivor with hubby.

In the aft I was pacing looking for munchies. I ate 2 celery stalks because it nourished my body.
I have had a pleasantly quiet moring. Just my 2 kids. My son is off to school.
I really want to spend some one on one with DD. She had been coming out with some mean ideas.Ah, the joys of kindergarten. Stuff like," i dont want to be your friend" or "this is MY club you cant come in". Definitely not okay!!
I just have the 3 girls today. The sun is actually shining although it is below 0 c.
We will go to the egg lady.

My big goal for today is to be joyful and mindful in my activites.I will also eat food that nourishes my body.

hello everyone!!
so far so good here today. still staying OP. the scale was down today yahooo!! i am at 225.5. i guess all the bloat and water are now gone from my last week of cheating and TOM. i'm going to try my hardest this weekend to stay with it. my end of the year goal is 215. i was going to revise it to reflect the gain i had but since i am now a little lower than i thought i would be i'll just go for 10 off of that.

holly very interesting exercise i hope it helps!! i do the "food only for nourishment" thing alot it really helps. i eat alot of the same things everyday also that i know are good for me and that i like. ex. oatmeal, skim milk and banana everyday for breakfast. that way i don't even have to think about what to eat on an empty stomach. good for you relaxing with hubby last night.

mychoice i bet it felt great getting back to the exercise!! keep up the great work.

labchick sorry to hear about your birthday, hope you did something nice for yourself at least!!
have a great weekend everyone!!!

Ladies,
I had a melt down today! I had access to some Oatmeal cookies and I ate and ate them...6 of them! and now I feel exhausted, my stomach feels bad, my head hurts and I feel itchy!

I have no idea why I binged. I think it's because I'm tired? I'm really worn out and I have no idea when I'm going to get some rest. Wait, yes I do..I'll get it when I decide to take it right? I mean so what if there is housework, and clothes to wash, and letters to write and homework to do. I need to rest! Ok..now I know what's important but how do I put all that off? It drives me crazy not to have those things done. But I feel weary...and now I feel sick.

Holly: I think I need to read that book! But right now I'm not sure when I would find the time? The exercise you posted is interesting. I'm going to try to practice it. I need to nuture myself internally also, so I don't feel voids with food.

Jodi: I'm so glad you had a loss. Doesn't it feel great? I know you can reach 215 by the end of the year.

Just a few more minutes and I can go home for the day. I just want to lay on the couch. But I know I'll do some sort of housework. Maybe I'll compromise and just get the kitchen cleaned up. DH can run the sweeper and I can leave the dusting for tomorrow. I cleaned the bathrooms this morning.

Ok..binge is over. I'll get back on track, by not continuing to overeat tonight.

I'm making a promise to myself and to you guys.

Have a good evening.

I have a question about those tickers some of you have.
 

I tried to include on of those tickers in my signature. I was able to go to the web site and make one, but I wasn't sure URL to copy and paste. I tried them all, but it didn't show up in my signature. Can you help me out?

(((((hugs Susie))))))

click on my ticker,fill out the stuff and then highlight the first box, cut and then paste in your signature...that's what i did and I am NOT savvy.

I decided to go shopping for me. it was really nice.I left after supper.I browsed Old Navy(never been in it before) then Winners( never been there either). I needed a bra, tried on 14. I found 1 that was okay. Standing half naked under florescent lights is a eye opener. I noticed rolls I didn't know i had.It didn't bum me out.It reinforced my new initiative.I bought some skin care products. my skin has been awful I am looking my age(yuck).We are poor and that is one thing I gave up to be home with my kids. Right now I have a toning mask on and I bought a good quality cream.
Today I walked outside and said hello to a little bird, I sat by the window with the warm sun on my face and as I got out of the van I sighed with pleasure at the clear sky and beautiful stars. aaahhh
I recognize this person!

Oh yeah, Susie, check out www.zukav.com I love the questions part.

Hurray Jodi!!!!! You look Marvelous darling!

evenin' all
 

I woke up this morning and decided it had to be a better day than yesterday. So far, so good. I'm fasting today (I allow myself as much in the way of drinks as I want, but no solids) out of neurotic tendencies because of my overeating yesterday. I hate this roller coaster ride sometimes. But tonight was an awesome night. I got to see my son play on the varsity football team in the quarter finals of the state high school championships! It was so much fun. The best part is that they WON! Now they will play in the semi finals in the Metro Dome in Minneapolis next Saturday. I'm going to ask for the day off. I have to see my son play in the dome. It's just too cool for words.

Susie - I couldn't figure out that ticker either. And I'm a computer science major UGH!

Jodi - I'm very happy for you that you're back on track and motivated. YOU GO GIRL!

Holly - That inventory is really good. I'll have to try that one.

Girlie - I hear ya on the bad me! Last night I ate 6 of those bite sized candy bars you pass out for Halloween. I felt so stupid right afterward, but I haven't had anything that good in a long time.

If I've left anyone out, please accept my apologies. I'm bushed and need to get my sorry butt to bed. Gotta work tomorrow!

Nan