Hey guys, just a quick check in. I splurged hard core with the beers the night out with my friends, but it hasn't halted my success on SB. :) I've been getting addicted to the scale lately and always check in the morning. I know bad of me. But anyway, I'm down to 178! WoW WOW WWOOOWW! It feels so good. And the night we were out, one of the girls who was there, who I've met only twice said 'Hey Renee, have you lost some weight?' I about keeled over with joy.

We just had our crab royale lunch. Crab, veggies and lowfat mayo mixed together, then served in a blossomed tomato on a bed of lettuce. I prefer firm tomatoes and this one was soft - Blech. But I pushed through it. We are about to head out and get some more diet soda and some ingredients for the SBD Phase I peanut butter cup desserts. Mmm.

As for low carb beer. Yup. Michelob Ultra has less calores and carbs than a regular soda! Bit I had Miller Lite since it was cheaper. ;) Feeling good about things lately. Hopefully this keeps up. This week I am going to be adding the gym back into the routine. I miss feeling that 'good sore'.

A quick check in for me too.
Renee – congratulations on losing weight and doing great on your diet! :D
Ang and Jessica – hope you're off having an excellent Labor Day!

No rest for me today, I have a thousand things to do – most of them school-related. And reading neurobiology: it really can't be done by skimming through the pages.... :lol:
I had my weekly weigh-in today, and my weight keeps perfectly still! I’m very pleased with that.

Have a nice Monday everybody!

Hi Ladies - I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday if you got it off.

I was super busy this weekend and was on an emotional and mental rollercoaster. It happens sometimes - sometimes it is situational and sometimes my brain chemistry shoots me for a loop. I think this past weekend was a little bit of both.

Seeing my mother sick is difficult and talking about her death, wills, and burial plots is not fun either. There is nothing I can do for her though except visit regularly (which I do). I'm less than 2 hours away not, as opposed to 10 hours last year. I don't really have fun visiting though so I don't want to be there for very long. It's a love/hate thing but I visit because it is good for her and I don't want to regret not seeing her enough when she dies.

I am starting to get back into my routine (whatever that is :D ) a little. I ran my 3.8 mile loop Saturday and today and then went biking yesterday on a bike path with a friend. Of course throw in some gardening and it wasn't a bad weekend. I weighed in at 185.4 today. I have made Mondays my official weigh in day (even though I weigh myself almost everyday).

I am still very lonely but just as you said mette - on Saturday I was good enough to be able to get one foot out the door (couldn't do that on Friday) and force myself to do something. After I got moving I started to feel a little better and the mood got better as the weekend went on - cycle working off each other. The main way I get through the loneliness is to just stay super busy and that is what I did. I just keep hoping that I'll meet more and more people and life will get better.

mette - I'm glad you got the right instruction for the squats. Now you can go back to enjoying them. :)

mette - I'm having a hard time remembering to get the flax meal in my diet. Part of the problem is that I don't make enough stuff to add it to. I'll keep working on it though and see if I need the protein powder. I figure a little meal is better than nothing. I am also thinking of getting some cell food to add to my water. It is supposed to help raise you ph. Has anyone heard of alkalizing your body to ward off disease and stuff?

Reading emotions is very difficult. In general I don't think it is good to think with our heart and emotions but we do it all the time. If you figure out a way to put the emotions to the side please share. My brain and heart battle all the time. For certain topics my brain never wins. Hopefully with time you will get more familiar with your feelings about your body, your exercise, etc. All you can do is your best.

Jessica - I hope you enjoyed your weekend with Mike. I am happy for you that you get to go away together next weekend. Of course you'll have to give us all the details. :D

Isn't nice Jessica to not gain weight even when you haven't been 'good'? I think it is a testament to how much you have changed your lifestyle. Even when you don't eat well now, you probably eat so much better than you used to. Congratulations on maintaining at 181. I need to catch up to you!

I have not been in the office since Tuesday. I really enjoyed my 'vacation' even though I was working last week on my trip. I never realized how wonderful it could be to just get away from work for a little while. I am not looking forward to work tomorrow but I am a little more rejuvenated and ready to go back I guess. The holiday was just what I needed. Hopefully going back to work won't be too stressful for any of us.

btw - although not all of it, a lot of the confusion is around my family and my bf. Although by no means good, bf and I have chatted a little more. At least I am telling him how I feel more and that is good for me. I am trying to use this as a growth experience if nothing else. Today he talked to me about growing seedlings in my house to save money for next year's crop. The other day we talked about 30 minutes (a miracle for us these days) about all sorts of things, including ideas for next year. At least right now he seems to want me in his life and talking about next year is a good sign - right?

mette - how do you feel mentally about adding the calories? It seems like the exercise and lifting is going to allow you to eat a nice amount of food during this time. Good for you. I am getting inspiration from you. Congratulations on maintaining your weight. I hope all went well with your school work. I agree that certain subjects cannot be skimmed and I am guessing neurobiology is definitely one of them. :lol:

Congratulations Renee! Weight loss on the scale and seeing results is great. Keep up the good work. The SN diet seems to be working well for you. Has it helped doing it with someone? Are they having success too? I'm glad you enjoyed your night out though. It sounds like you really did a good job with it and had fun but didn't over do it.

Two subjects a day for the next two weeks for me. Yikes. I'll do my best to chck in though at home. Take care all.

Hi everybody.

Ang – I’m so sorry about the situation with your mother! I can really understand that it is very difficult for you and your whole family to deal with her death. But at least you’re visiting often, and when you’re not living so far away – you don’t have to stay so long. No wonder you were on an emotional rollercoaster this weekend, and I hope you feel better.
Great going on getting back into your routine, and congratulations on losing weight! :D

I know nothing about ph and alkalizing your body, I’m sorry – maybe Jessica or Renee does?

Yes, emotions are always the tricky part for me too. I never see them coming, especially the ‘heavy’ and ‘dark’ ones – they sometimes take me by surprise. As if emotions are like the weather: suddenly dark clouds just fill up the sky – something I have no control over. But according to all theories about cognitive therapy emotions are reactions: something happened to activate them. Quite possibly some automatic thoughts or images, and – again theoretically – one should work on identifying the automatic thoughts that lead to negative emotions, and create alternative thoughts to think.
I know it sounds rather naïve, but the worst thing is that when I’ve actually tried it – it always works. When I see that what I’m feeling is the reaction on a thought I had, and that I could just as easily have thought another thought – and then, maybe, I wouldn’t feel down but neutral or up. I don’t know – I don’t think I formulate it very well. But it has something to do with seeing that the emotions I feel and struggle with, that I’m not actually doomed to feel them. They can be changed with some hard work and conscious effort.

Ang – not wanting to go back to work; yeah, you probably should look into other job options, shouldn’t you? ;)
Renee – how is your job these days?

And Ang – I think it’s very good that your bf wants you in his life, but really – why wouldn’t he? You’re nothing but nice, supportive and loving toward him. I’m glad you two are talking more, and that you’re being more assertive. That’s always a good thing.

Most days I’m enjoying adding calories and eating more, but I have had days where I feel like I’m cheating or overeating – which was unexpected. It’s a bout finding the balance, and on most days – especially the days I work out – I like eating more, and it makes me feel good about my body.

I have to prepare some patient work for tomorrow, so I’m off. Hope you all are having a good day. Ang, have a good day at work with your two subjects! :D

mette - thanks so much for your support. It is hard dealing with the family and my mother's illness but we have no choice and I will just keep doing the best I can and so will she. It does add some stress though to an already stressful life.

I sort of understand what you are saying about thoughts and emotions, but usually I can't think about the emotions until later (just get too wrapped up in the feelings) and by then I already feel bad or have done something 'bad' (e.g. eat too much). I do think more though, even if it is a little late, and you are right that sometimes it is possible to think myself into a better place or at least get there a little faster than in the past. I can't always catch myself though and don't always know the trigger. For instance, tonight I came home, ate dinner (nothing special but I put it on a plate which is a big step). AFter dinner I ate a chocolate bar I bought at the store tonight (that's a totally different story) and should have just stopped eating. Apparently something was bothering me though and I ate a few cookies (mother's fault because she gave them to me :) ). I didn't really want the cookies, they didn't taste that good, and after I ate them I regretted it in many ways. It didn't seem to make me feel any better, although I guess it distracted me from something - I just don't know what. Is there a way to figure out situations like that so it does not happen again? How do you come up with the alternative thoughts if you don't know what the original thoughts are?

How was school today mette? Work was ok. I got some of my 'paperwork' done after my trip - although not all - and ran a subject in the afternoon. The subjects keep running over though so I never get out of work on time. Grrr... Luckily the subject tomorrow is in the morning so I don't have to stay late. I actually may leave a little early to meet the electrician to finally get electricity in my garage and finish this project with him that started in April! Keep good thoughts that I get to editing my article a little more tomorrow afternoon and get a few more errands done. Who ever invented errands should be shot. They never end. :lol:

mette - I am glad that in general things seem to be working out for you and the eating. It doesn't surprise me that you would have some issues with eating more but it sounds like you have a handle on it. We're always here if you need us. :D What do you do when you feel like you are cheating or overeating? Can you talk to yourself and explain the situation? Feeling good about your body - what a wonderful thing.

Goodnight all. We seem to have hit a bit of a lull. I hope everyone is ok - Jessica and Renee.

Ang, it seems it’s just you and me left here right now – with both Jessica and Renee missing in action. I feel a bit bad about disappearing for the weekend, but my niece is coming tomorrow, so I probably won’t post while she’s here. I’ll try to check in, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to - it all depends on what we do/where we are. She’ll stay from Thursday to Sunday, so I suppose I’ll be back Sunday evening. I’m also really looking forward to seeing her! :D

Jessica – if you’re reading: hope you and Mike have a great weekend, and that you come back refreshed and feeling great!

Ang, of course your family is dealing with a lot of stress! When my brother died very suddenly – one of the worst things was the complete shock – and how the shock just lasted and lasted. I sometimes thought that it would have been easier to be prepared, but as you describe: it’s very stressful to deal with illness and death in the before-phase too. And we probably can’t prepare for death anyway. I don’t know. It’s like you say: you have no choice but to deal with it. My best wishes for you and your family, Ang! :grouphug:

Yeah. You really need to find the original thoughts first. Before you can look into finding alternative ones. And it is really hard, you’re completely right!
As for the thoughts that come before emotions: I don’t look for them often enough and I’m certainly not good enough in finding them. I do think I would feel better; feel more stable emotionally, if I worked harder at figuring out my emotions. But mostly I just follow the flow: going up and down with the emotions.
Journaling is always a good tool for me to register emotions and thoughts though. I always come back to that.

And I agree – it’s not strange that I have some issues with my eating, after all these years of dieting, and eating on and off diets. I have some problems letting go of the black/white, on/off diet-way of thinking. Trying to aim for balancing those – and including both – and think of this as just living life. I sometimes get a bit stressed about not having a goal with how I eat. Adding calories, eating more – it feels unsafe in a way. I don’t know how to explain it better. Just that black or white is the easy way: the middle is sometimes a muddle! :D
Sometimes I deal well with it: talk myself down from the edge, other times I just freak out for a while and then get back to normal when I’m done. It feels safer to see that it’s OK to freak out a bit and that I will get back to normal after.
Sometimes I overeat a little, and scare myself a little – but I sort of keep telling myself that it’s OK to do that now. I can eat 2000 calories a day now.

I have to go and clean this place up before my guest arrives, so I’m off. I’ll try to check in Ang, and I hope that you have a very good weekend if I don’t “see” you during.
And happy Wednesday to everybody!

mette - enjoy your time with your niece. How old is she? You have a great time and don't worry about me. Maybe Jessica or Renee will show up.

Tonight I went to our town's Newcomers meeting (really just a social/community group for women). Everyone except me is married and most have children. It's just the way my town is, which isn't bad but bad for me. I really didn't feel like I fit in there but at least it was a chance to get out for a few hours and socialize a little. Not the most fun thing in the world but not all bad. They had refreshments though and I ate when I shouldn't have. The stuff was good though. Things in my running club are 'falling apart' a little too so I think I need to take stock in my life and what is going to be a priority for me in the months to come. I don't want to sit alone every night and weekend during the winter. I am looking into volunteering at the food pantry in town. It was the first volunteering opportunity that came up so we'll see. I am also looking into getting a part-time job for the holidays. Really it would just be to keep busy, not that the extra money wouldn't be nice for presents.

Anyway, tired of the way things are and trying to figure out what to do to make them better. I have to have something to aim for, not just run from. Find a purpose in life. Do you all have a purpose? Just to live isn't enough for me.

Hi girls,

Sounds like everyone is having a good week!

Ang, I was so glad to read that you were able to get out and do some of the things you enjoy. Your situation with your mom sounds like it would be very stressful for everyone involved. I can't imagine how hard that is on you and your family. The fact that you have a "love/hate" thing with her probably makes it that more difficult. I'm glad you and the bf are fitting in "chats" here and there. It IS a good sign that he's talking about what you two have planned for next year. I wish he was around to spend more time with you, as it doesn't seem right that you have a bf and still have to feel lonely. I'm going through a bit of that again with Mike being gone so much, but I don't have anything to complain about.

mette: I hope you have a really nice weekend with your niece. What do you have planned? It is really good for all of us to read about your food "struggles" and how you talk with yourself when you're close to the edge... again, you are so self aware and observant! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. And don't worry, I'll give you all the sordid details of my "weekend away" next week. It should be very relaxing and a lot of fun, too.

As for me, I saw my parents several times this past weekend. It was good to spend some time with them. I wish there was a way we could be closer right now, but since our fallout last year our relationship seems a bit stressed. Then there is the Mike issue- I can't seem to bring him up in conversation without getting an "icy" feeling from my mom. It's like I'm developing two separate lives now, one with my parents, and the other part of my life with Mike. I don't really like this feeling but don't really know what to do about it.

Other than that I've been working late almost every night, and Tuesday I even went in early, which I never do. Part of it is because we've been so busy, another part, I hate to say, is that my 1 year review is coming up and I'm hoping to get some leverage to get a raise, or at the least, a really good review. Kiss up, I know!! ha ha ha... I guess because Mike's been gone this week, I'm just not in a huge hurry to come home to an empty house. Well, the cats are here, but it's not the same. Speaking of which, I talked to the "cat lady" accross the hall from me and we've agreed to cat-sit for each other, so she'll be taking care of my babies while we're out of town. How great is that? Not only is she right next door, but I know she'll spend a lot of time with them and take great care of them. It's a relief knowing we can depend on each other for that and I don't have to worry about them.

I'm still eating pretty crappy... I haven't cooked in probably three weeks now. I don't know what happened. Well, we're planning a trip to Las Vegas in November for our birthdays (Mikes is on the 9th, mine on the 21st) so maybe having a tangible goal to lose X amount of weight by then will help me get motivated again. We'll see.

Again, so sorry I was missing again this week. I'm really glad to hear everyone's doing ok! Talk with you all soon.

Hey ladies. Well, work is busy so a quick sum up.
Work - It seems better lately. I don't know if it's because my time off really refueled me, or if my new eating causes less mood spikes from coming on and off the carbs through out the day.
Exercise - Went to the gym on Tuesday. Lifted a bit and did 20 minutes cardio. I was pleasantly surprised that I managed ten minutes on the precor and another ten on the recumbant. My abs are sore too. :)
Diet - I was doing great on South Beach, and still am following it, but my losing has tapered off and that worries me. You are supposed to lose 8-13 in the first two weeks. I am four days shy of that mark and stuck at having lost 6lbs. Not so much that I don't think that's good. But I am worried I'm doing something wrong and I want to do this perfectly.

I noticed that my heart rate seems a bit better already. Wonder if that could be from a simple one week of eating heart healthy?

Today is my rest day. Going to go home and play some video games. Tomorrow I will hit the gym again.

Breakfast today was yogurt, string cheese snack, chicken salad and tomato for lunch, then some pistachios, and flank steak for dinner. :)
The whole family has lost weight so far. My brother in law has lost 6lbs, and my sister is at 8lbs!

Hi Everyone - I am here waiting for all of you to return from your fun weekends. I hope there are great updates. I had a busy weekend on the farm but not much else to report. Last night I found out that my mother was taken to the hospital for a blood infection so I have been very preoccupied with dealing with that for the last 16 hours. She says she is fine but the doctors won't know definitely for a few days. She has almost no white blood cells to fit infections so the only hope are the antibiotics they are pumping into her. Very bad timing since I am supposed to go to a conference next week and I still haven't written the presentation. I have been like a zombie this morning though and don't care. I just can't concentrate on anything. This afternoon I have a subject coming so that will force me to focus on something else. I guess that's a good thing.

Renee - glad work has gotten better for you. It would be interesting to know if the diet has changed your moods enough to affect work.

Jessica - that's great that you have someone close by to help when you are gone. It's great to just know that someone is 'keeping an eye' on things for you. I still need to find help for my cats when I leave. At this point I sometimes make them go 48 hours without a visitor. They have food and water and seem to do ok. I guess it's better than the vet cages.

I anxiously await for you all to come back.

Wow, where is everyone? I hope everyone is alright. I came in to work yesterday all ready to catch up over the weekend and boy did I have an easy time of it. :p

Ang- Oh hon, I hope all goes well with your mom. Is she in good spirits? Hopefully that means she is fighting this off easy as pie. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

I've had complete success on the South Beach Diet. And while it hasn't been 'hard' for me to ditch the carbs and sweets, I can say that if my sister wasn't doing most of the cooking work on this, I'd never stick to this diet.

Yesterday was my final day on Phase I and this mornings weigh in marked a loss of 9lbs during the first Phase. :dancer: My sister and I have decided to do a very moderated Phase II. We are allowed to add healthy carbs back in, but we are going to limit that to 2-3 meals a week with carbs.

Todays meal plan:
Low carb yogurt.
Ham/lettuce/cheese/pickle roll up for snack (2)
Left over Lemon Pepper Pork and Cabbage.
Pear
Dinner is our first carbs in two weeks. Crab cakes made with whole wheat bread crumbs, and fresh cauliflower.
Dessert is some weird Phase I attempt at cheesecake squares, which I have a really bad feeling about. (I made them hahaha, that's enough to worry the bravest stomach!)

I really need to get the exercise part of things back into this routine. Beh. I always say 'this week' and then it never happens. Between not waking up in the mornings, work, make dinner, eat, clean dinner. It just doesn't leave much time.

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Well, I’m back at least (and at last)!

Ang – so sorry to hear about your mother! I hope she’s doing well, and that she’s well taken care of. At least she sounds as if she’s optimistic, so that's good, right?

My niece finally left late last night – she stayed a couple of days longer than she planned. I think it’s very nice that she enjoys being here with me, but I’m also happy getting back into my normal routines. Mostly it’s about getting my space back – where I live now is really not an ideal place to have guests; it’s incredible small!
We had a nice weekend though; she’s all grown up now (she’ll be 20 in November) and we enjoy much of the same things: we also share much of the same taste in movies, sci-fi novels, and comics. So we watched movies, we read – and I even got some schoolwork done (which I desperately needed to get done!).

Ang – the Newcomer meeting in your town sounds like an interesting concept, but it’s really too bad there’s nobody single there! Maybe you’ll find some friend-materials in your volunteer work or part-time job? The whole ‘trying to figure out how to make things better’ is such an excellent approach to take! And finding a purpose in life – yeah, it constantly changes, doesn’t it? I think right now my purpose is to finish school and get a job I like. I expect my purpose to change after that –
So what is your purpose, Ang? And Jessica and Renee?

Jessica – I’m sorry that your mother doesn’t want to hear about Mike, what do you think will happen when you tell her that you live with him? Will she be angry, and argue with you about it, do you think? In that case, it doesn’t make it any easier to tell, does it?
Hope you get your motivation to eat well back too. I ate crappy this weekend with my niece here – and even though it didn’t show up on the scale yesterday – it still made me feel sluggish and gassy and unwell. I have been looking forward to today all weekend – getting back to normal: getting up early, going to the gym, eating oatmeal for breakfast, real food for lunch and dinner, and no junk. I have insanely busy days right now, and I can’t tell what a difference it is when I’ve exercised in the morning and eat well; I feel so much better – the stress doesn’t bother me all that much. When I start off the day eating lousy, I just want to continue eating chocolate all day!

Renee – congratulations on your 9lbs loss! That’s incredible! :D

Ang – hope you’re having the best day it’s possible for you to have. And that your mother gets better right away, or as soon as possible!

Also: It’s really nice to be back! Have a happy Tuesday everybody!

only have a moment
 

Welcome back ladies. It's so good to have you back.

Congratulations Renee on your weight loss. Awesome job with the SB diet. Next time I can get to the library I think I am going to see if they have a copy of the book. I'd like to look it over before I buy one. I think it's great that your sister is doing it with you.

Subject arrived so gotta go. Mom holding her own today so feeling good about that too.

More later.... :D

Happy Tuesday everybody!

I have concluded that it’s very good to get my life back!
I did manage to go to the gym last Friday, so I went 3 times last week. This week is looking good too – I went yesterday morning and this morning so far, the third time on Friday. No jogging or cardio so far this week though. And I think I’m starting to get a bit ill – sore throat and a bit too warm – so maybe no jogging tomorrow morning. I had to work a bit to get to the gym today; I woke up tired from yesterday and a bit unwell.
But it’s still good to feel a bit sore and stiff – I did lower body yesterday and arms/chest today – and I do feel it all over. :D

Jessica – you need to report in, and tell us if something really interesting happened this weekend… ;)
Ang and Renee – good luck on work stress and the SBD!

Being off restricted eating still feels a bit strange to me, but I think it’s getting better. I probably just need some time – a couple of weeks, a month were my weight is completely constant. Last week doesn’t count as a week I want to use as a standard of how to eat: I do want to eat sweets, but not so much that I make myself unwell.

I have been getting some comments that I’ve lost weight, and I still don’t know what to say when people say things like: “You’ve lost weight!” or “You’re thinner!” - I end up saying: “Yes, I have” or “Yes, I am” – and then go on talking about something else. It’s all very awkward, but I really don’t know what to say. I do sometimes feel like I should explain how it happened, almost defend it – but I’m sure it’s just me feeling awkward…
How do you guys deal with other people’s comments? Ang, when you lost a lot of weight – you must have gotten a lot of them? Jessica, you too? Is it just me that get these strange comments – not really a compliment, not really a question – just stating the fact “you’ve lost weight”?

Anyway. Hope you’re all having a good day!

Just a week after I started the SB Diet, I was out with my friends and someone mentioned, 'Hey Renee, have you lost weight? Your pants look baggier.' And my other friends joked, 'You just made her day.' And I got all smily and said, "Yah! I started the South Beach diet and it seems to be working, I am really excited." They of course wanted to hear a little bit more about it and I obliged. It was a nice boost to the esteem!

Renee – how great that people are noticing your weight loss already! :cheer:
Also nice that it boosted your self-esteem! That’s always a good thing! :D

Renee - I'm so glad people are noticing your weight loss and that you are happy that they are mentioning it to you. If it helps motivate you to keep up the good work then great. mette - maybe your reaction to people noticing your weight loss has more to do with you then what they actually say. I know a lot of people who have trouble phasing comments/compliments. When you are comfortable in your body at this new weight I bet it won't bother you so much when people comment. I think you can infer that everyone is paying you a compliment when they mention your weight loss. I will also admit that when people commented to me I didn't really know how to respond unless they asked questions, which some did. You smile, say 'yes' and move on if thay is all they have to say about it. You lost the weight for yourself and how you feel is all that is important. I think your responses are fine and appropriate.

mette- good job with going to the gym even though you had company. How are you feeling? I hope you are not getting sick.

I had an allergic reaction to something and my eyes swelled up today and I am exhausted. A fine day otherwise. I had dinner with bf's mother. It was nice to chat and have a home cooked meal. I also found out the bf talks about me regularly with her. Everytime I mentioned something about my life she already knew because he had told her. Kind of nice - now if he could just talk to me as much as he talks about me. :)

Goodnight.

Ang – hope your eyes are well again after your allergic reaction. I’m doing well, I think, I’m still hoping I’ll avoid getting sick. I slept in this morning, and I think it helped a bit.

Glad to hear you had a nice dinner with the bf’s mother. And that he talks about you a lot! That’s a good sign, isn’t it? You and the bf will probably (and hopefully) have more time together when the farming season is over, and all the vegetables are picked and sold?

And I’m sure you’re right that my reaction to people noticing my weight loss has to do with me. Somehow it confirms that they actually pay attention to what I look like, you know? (And that they really saw what I looked like at my fattest too! I think I like to think that everybody else ignored my body like I did…. ;) ) Besides, I always wonder what people actually see when they look at me.
It’s good to hear that I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what to say sometimes, Ang… ;)

My plan is to go to the gym tomorrow morning, but I think I’ll consider how I feel. And, I really don’t have time to get ill now! Really! :D

Ang, how is your mother doing? Is she still doing better?

mette - things seem to be on the mend with my reaction. The swelling of my eyes is down and I think one more night of decent sleep should bring my energy level back up. I just wish I knew what I reacted to so I stay away from it. My skin is so dry and peeling - gets sensitive on my face when I react to things. It happens with some medication. I couldn't wear makeup or even use my topical skin medication today for fear of making it worse.

I hope it's a good sign that bf talks to his mother about me. I'm still hanging in hoping that his schedule changes soon and that I get a chance to talk to him. He expects me to be around for a while but not like this. I just need someone more present in my life. I'm making the best of it for now. I actually think the farm has allowed us to see each other more (believe it or not). At least we pick together and have this 'project' to talk about. I think the big culprit is his work and the fact that he hasn't been able to get a grip on his life - not the most organized guy in the world. We're actually planting winter crops now and did I mention that he asked if we could plant seeds in my house over the winter to be ready for spring planting?

Your comments about people noticing weight loss really hit me. It NEVER occurred to me that if someone noticed I lost weight then it meant they noticed that I was fat. Good grief! Maybe this is just the incentive I need to loss more weight. I am actually in the mood to start cooking again (pulled out a recipe book and actually cooked the other night) so I think I will get going with it when I get back from my conference next week. Maybe tonight after work I'll stop at the library to seeif they have the SBD book. I also wonder how people see me since I see myself with biased eyes. I man told me yesterday that I had a nice figure. What does that mean? Maybe he just likes fat women or could it be that I'm not as fat as I think I am. Who knows?

I am terrible with receiving compliments. One day a couple of years ago one of my best friends told me that I was being 'disrespectful' to people who complimented me because I would basically tell them that they were 'wrong'. She told me to shut up, smile and just say thank you. OK, she wasn't rude about it but you get the idea I hope. Since then I make a conscious effort to put my feelings aside and just smile and say thank you and move on. I don't make my problems their problems. It will feel more natural for you to accept such comments/compliments as time goes on but believe me you are not alone. :)

You mention that you are busy. How is school going? Are you enjoying your classes? Let us know if you make it to the gym tomorrow.

My mother is doing as well as can be expected. She is still in the hospital and will be until the weekend. So far so good though - just slow.

Hi Ladies,

I'm getting ready for work and thought I'd finally drop by and say hello. Work has been busier than ever, and my vacation with my parents is this weekend. They want me to ride with them to Cambria (about a 3.5 hour trip by car) and I'm feeling some axiety about that. I'm thinking about driving myself up and meeting them there, but don't want to seem selfish. Briefly scanned everyone's posts and am so happy Renee has lost so much weight and having success; and Ang, the situation with your mom must be very draining. I hope you get good news. I need to get going, but will be back in tonight (I promise!) and will tell you all about my vacation last weekend (very relaxing!)

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

Jessica - great to hear from you. I can't wait to hear about your weekend. I hope work is busy in a good way. When is your review? When are you leaving for the vacation with your parents? Is it this weekend now or this coming weekend?

Although my mom seems ok, at least according to her, she is still in the hospital and will be until Sunday at the earliest. I leave for New Orleans on Monday and really hope she is home before I have to leave. It would make me feel a lot better.

Things here are crazy as I try to get ready for my conference. My presentation isn't quite done yet and I have to clean my house a little before I leave so my friend (cat sitting) doesn't have a heart attack when she walks in. :) Other than that I should be doing farm stuff and some errands this weekend to prepare for leaving. I also hope to get in some biking and/or running. We'll see. Right now I'm trying to figure out what I want to do tonight that will make me happiest.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Ang – I hope everything is OK with your allergies: no more swelling and your energy back up!
And I think the bf talking to his mother about you is a good sign too. If you plant seeds in your house over winter, that means he will spend some time at your place – doesn’t it? So you will get to spend some time together doing that.

And “Ouch, Ang!!!” – I really didn’t mean to spread my phobias about people noticing weight loss around… Sorry about that… ;)
But nice to hear that you got complimented about your figure, I’m sure most people never think as negatively about us as we do ourselves. What did you answer him when he complimented you? Just a graceful “thank you”? I think your best friend is totally right about how to receive complements; I just figured that I don’t want to argue with people about it when I give them a compliment either, so I’m sure other people don’t want to argue with me when they compliment me. Normally, I just want to say something nice to them (that I noticed) to make them feel good.

Hope your mother gets out of hospital on Sunday as planned, and that everything goes well with her.
How is your presentation coming along btw? I also hope you get a nice trip to New Orleans, will you have time for some r&r and sight-seeing too, or is it just work?
And how did it go with the exercising - did you get any running/biking done this weekend?

Jessica – have a nice weekend with your parents!

I made it to the gym on Friday, I’m adding some new exercises – and changing my program a bit. Because I go to the gym in the mornings and time is restricted I have reduced the number of exercises every day to 4. Lower body on Monday (squats, leg press, leg curls, shoulder press), Upper body on Wednesday (bench press, one arm dumbbell rows, biceps curls, triceps extensions). On Friday I used to do a combination of exercises I had done earlier in the week (squats, bench press, one arm dumbbell rows), but since I lift to failure every time, I never manage to lift as much on Friday as I did on Wednesday. So now I do lower back extensions, ab crunches (with a machine), lat pulldowns and dead lifts on Friday. The lat pulldowns and dead lifts are completely new exercises for me. I like much better to have something new happening every day, not repeating exercises I already did that week. It’s also easier to increase the weight when I only do the exercises once a week – probably because the muscles are completely rested.

Today I’m doing some yoga and stretching, I’ve found that it’s the perfect weekend exercise for me.

I’m having a nice weekend so far. Went out for a play with my "feminist-class" on Friday; we are reading a play by Ibsen and went out to see it when we found out it was showing. It was OK, but a bit long. And it ended very tragic of course… But we already knew that. ;)

For Sunday I have a long list of school things I need to do.

Do any of you guys play computer games? Sims2 was just released, and I’m trying hard not to buy it. I really don’t have time this semester – and I’m thinking that I will wait until Christmas. But yesterday I visited a friend, and she had already bought it, and it looks wonderful! *sigh*
I’m not so sure I’ll be able to wait…. ;)

Have a nice weekend everybody!

Ok, so I didn't make it back Friday night. I'm feeling kind of scattered and flakey these days, it's just my state of mind right now. I'm getting ready to leave for Cambria to meet my family there; I opted out of going with them yesterday because I had to go to work for a couple of hours and try to get some things done around the house. It worked out well because Mike left for work last night at 10:30 p.m. and will be gone at least 7 days, so we got to spend some time together. My step-dad called last night and sounded in a really good mood. My brother rented a house for us with apparently a beautiful ocean view, so the next few days should be really nice and relaxing. I'm trying to ease my parent-anxiety and just enjoy the trip for what it is.

Our weekend (Mike and I) was really nice. The place where we stayed was nestled in the hills and only about a five minute drive from the beach. We had our own mineral water hot tub on our patio; the only problem was that one of the minerals in the water was sulfur, so it was really stinky! Most of the time we ate at the hotel restaurant which was really fancy and REALLY good. We hiked around, walked on the beach, soaked in the spa, watched a couple of movies... it was really peaceful. No proposal like I'd thought maybe there would be, but that's ok.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. Mette: I usually just play card games on the computer, and sometimes those little freebie games on yahoo and msn, but I have played the Sims before, I just ended up with unhappy characters so I got frustrated and stopped playing. In fact, I even set one on fire once! Sheesh. I've also played Roller Coaster Tycoon which is pretty fun. Mike just got Railroad Tycoon and has been having fun with that.

Ok all, I'm off to my weekend adventure. I'll be back on Tuesday!

Hello Ladies. :)

mette - all good with the allergies. Hopefully they won't return. I think planting seeds in my house is good. The fact that bf keeps talking about next year with me in it is good too (assuming I want to be with him next year). Don't have time for details now, still need to pack for conference and I leave at 10am tomorrow, but I have had some serious talks with bf and told him some stuff. He tells me that things will be better in a month or so and that it is the work and not me. We still need to have a very serious sit down face-to-face (we talked about needing this) but I really think he cares and I just need him to realize he needs to communicate it better. I also need to understand him better. I am trying to give him credit when he says things now, even if it isn't exactly how I want to hear them. Yesterday we talked on the phone for 40 minutes while he drove home from work! It was just like old times talking about a wide range of subjects. I saw him today and it was pretty good. He lent me the shirt off his back (literally) because I was called. It smells like him. I am going to bring it on my trip. :D

Yesterday it poured here so I got a bunch of cleaning done in the house. I have lots more to do but feel really good about the progress I made. When I get back I am ready to start getting my life in order. I am definitely going to start SB diet and start working on the house and my life. In a good place today. Yeah! :D Went running with a friend this morning (4.2 miles).

mette - I didn't mean to make you feel bad about the weight loss thing. I just hadn't thought about it. If I never gain that much weight again then it will never be an issue either. ;)

As for compliments - I can barely get out Thank You so that's all I strive for and usually manage it - this past time included.

Mother is still in hospital and hopefully will leave tomorrow or Tuesday. The doctors don't work on the weekends and they are just being very slow with her. I think she is out of the woods though so I am not worried.

The presentation is basically done. A little fine tuning when I get off the computer here and then I'll burn it onto a disk and I'll be ready. I'll just practice it a couple of times while I am in NO. I'm hoping for a fun trip. No professional expectations this time - what a relief. I should have one afternoon to at least walk around a little and one evening. I guess it ends up being a lot of work but some fun too. My goal is just to come home without doing something embarrassing. It won't make or break my career at this point.

mette - sounds like you are doing really well at the gym. Your new plan seems very sound and reasonable. Do you feel any different? stronger? more toned?

I don't play computer games - not enough time and I prefer to be outside. In the winter I may play some games but not the kinds you are talking about. I go the solitaire type and mahjongg stuff. Hold out if you can. I know a lot of people that get addicted and just takes up too much time.

Were you able to get your school stuff done mette? Are you enjoying the work?

Jessica - sounds like there is potential for a great trip. I hope you can put aside the issues with your parents and enjoy it. I am very envious of your weekend with Mike. It sounds like it was WONDERFUL. You deserved it.

Yikes, 9:16pm already. Gotta get this presentation done. I'll check in when I can from the conference. I'm hoping to get at least one or two good New Orleans meals in but in general hope that I don't overdo it. I wa going to bring running stuff but reality hit me and I'm not going to waste the room. With only two days it isn't going to happen probably. I figure if I have time I can always walk and I don't need anything special for that. I am going to wear sneakers on the plane so I'll have them just in case.

Have a great Monday mette. Were is Renee?

Hey ladies!

Trying to skim through things and post before I get swallowed up by work.
Yes - I play video games, in fact, you could almost go so far as calling me a 'gamer chick'. I currently play Final Fantasy Online, one of those big, multi-user roleplaying games. I am sooo addicted.

Saturday I worked the Farm Fest at the Hooved Animal Humane Society. For seven straight hours I gave pony rides, which involved lifting children in and out of saddles, and then walking in large circles. We (the other pony people and I) wager that we put in about 20 miles of walking. -and I have the blisters to prove it. My calves, inner thighs, hips.. everything hurts! I can't believe that I got so sore from JUST walking!

The weight loss, for the whole house has not only stalled, but reversed. We have no idea what's going on. We did so well in Phase I, and have not cheated in Phase II, but all of us showed a 1lb gain this week. How frustrating! I've posted on the South Beach board to see if this has happened to others, and how common it is. Still, very discouraging. I am going to blame part of it on my monthly visitor, which is -again- late this month, but I think today it'll come around. I really don't want to go back on the pill because my sister always scares me that it's related to breast cancer. :(

Anyway, menu today.
Yogurt
String Cheese
Whole wheat pita w/ turkey cheese lettuce and mayo & spaghetti squash with red sauce
More cheese
Chicken something or other for dinner.

Oh, and I have an ortho appt. today so on top of sore feet, I'll have sore teeth! Hahaha.

Hi everybody! Are you still there?

Jessica, are you home from Cambria?
Ang, are you home from New Orleans?
Renee, are you home too? ;)

I haven’t posted since Saturday I think – my so called real life came up and bit me in the a**, so to speak. I became very busy suddenly. I have a multiple choice exam in neuropsychology next Wednesday, so I have a lot to read this week.

Jessica, your weekend sounds so great: nice weather, spa, beach, beautiful scenery, great food – and great company too! Good for you!

Ang, great that you and the bf have some serious talks every now and then; and it must really make you feel good when he says that it will be better in a month or so? Sounds like good news, doesn’t it? :D
(I used to love to wear my ex-bf’s clothes and have his smell on me too! I bet it made great sleepwear on your trip, huh?)

And Ang, you didn’t make me feel bad about ‘spreading my phobias around’ – I just didn’t mean to! (*oops*!) And of course! Neither of us will ever gain weight again – so it will not be an issue for us anyway! ;)

Hope your mother is getting better! And also hope you had some fun in New Orleans? How did the presentation go? (I’m sure you did great!) :cheer:

As for my progress at the gym – I’m not really sure if I feel stronger, different or more toned. I suppose I feel stronger – if for no other reason so because I *am* getting stronger, and the numbers on the weights change/the weights I lift are heavier.
I’m having some problems with measuring progress on my body though. It has something to do with not trusting what I see and feel anymore when it comes to becoming strong/toned than I did when it came to losing weight. I tend to measure my progress by how much I increase the weight I lift. Next week I’ll take my measurements and see if they’ve changed since September first - hopefully they have.
Next week I will have maintained my weight for a whole month.

No Sims2 yet, but I really, really *want* it! *sigh* I’ll hold out though! :D
My article about ‘heroes, heroines, and archetypes in film’ got accepted too, btw! So yey for that!

Renee – your weekend with the Farm Fest(!) sounds like exhausting fun! Hope you’re still hanging in there dietwise too – and haven’t gotten completely frustrated by the missing weightloss. Hopefully you have started losing again by now!

I have to go back to my neurobiology book (Brain and behavior!) and read about the anatomy and physiology of the different nervous systems! Have a great Wednesday everybody!

Heh, where is everyone? >.>? Now I feel like it is my sole duty to keep the forum thread going! Hope you all are doing well and feeling great.

After a week of not losing (Thanks alot TOM) I weighed in today to see a pound missing from! Good riddance, I don't think I'll go looking for him. ;) I am at a total of 15lbs lost since really buckling down on eating right, and 3 lbs short of my goal for the cruise, which was to have lost 18lbs. My reward is going to be to splurge on a nice massage.

I am still aiming to lose a total of 30 by Christmas, which means I have 15 more to go and 13 weeks to do it. I think that is a pretty fair goal?

Work has been so much better lately. I am still boggled over what the change is. Was it me? Has eliminating the carb-rollercoaster really helped me balance my moods so well?

I think the next big hurdle for me is going to be really, truly incorporating more activity into my lifestyle. It's not a matter of hating activity, but finding activities I can get so addicted to, that I put them above other things, namely: me time. I.E When I get home from work, I want to veg out in front of my video game. ;)

So that's whats going on here. Hope to see you ladies soon! Oh, by the way, my sister joined this forum too but hasn't posted. Don't know if she will, but her name is ruffir!

She did a search for fat chicks diet, and clicked on something at work that was NOT this forum. ROFL! Poor Ruffir.

Edit: Hehe, Mette snuck in and posted at the same time! Hiya Mette! Good to see ya back.

Hi Renee! At least you and I are still here!
It’s a bit sad that this thread is slowing down, I have really, really enjoyed having everybody here on a daily basis this summer. But I suppose it’s waxing and waning with how busy our real lives are.
Renee: congratulations on losing 15lbs! Great work! :cheer:
15lbs in 13 weeks should be possible to do, especially if you increase activity too! ;)
And say hi and welcome to your sister, hopefully she’ll be inspired and motivated by this place too. Have you been posting some in the SBD and other forums, Renee? I’ve been posting a few posts in the LWL (ladies who lift), one thread in the Exercise forum and in the Alternachick forums. But this place has always been my favorite thread! :D

Ah well. Hope you have a nice day Renee. Talk to you later.

Hey Mette!

Yah I post occasionally on the SBD threads, usually with specific questions, or recipe advice. :) But like you, here is my favorite.

So with the lifting, can you recommend a good site to go to, that shows you good machines/exercises to build a routine around? When I first joined Bally's, I had 2 Personal Trainer sessions so I know how to use the machines, but not how to build a routine. (Those sessions, I think she overdid it with me too, she wasn't very good. I was immobile sore for a full week afterwards!)

I was thinking of, in the meantime, starting to do push ups and sits ups every day. At least to do something with my muscles.

Oooh ! Lunch time, and I have pictures to pick up! Back soon.

Hi Ladies.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to post while I was at my conference but I have returned. I need to try and get some sleep so I'll have to give a proper report tomorrow. Short version - my mother is home from the hospital and holding her own with the help of a visiting nurse and medication. My presentation went fine. All feedback was positive - very professional was the main theme. It generated A LOT of discussion which is a good sign at this conference. I even got one idea to add to my data analysis. In general I tried to enjoy the conference and I did - little pressure on me from me. I'm glad to be home. I have a renewed attitude. I am trying to get a hold of the SB diet book and am going to start that asap. I am also ready to tackle the house projects and begin my life yet again. I guess I just have to keep trying. Maybe one day I'll get it right. :)

Have a great night.

Hi guys.

Renee – about good links for sites with exercises w/machines – I don’t think I have what you're looking for.
As I’ve said before, I adore Krista but she mostly talks about weights and not machines: http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
Another site I use is ExRx Exercise & Muscle Directory: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html - you can find exercises by muscle or by exercise, it’s really a very good site. I have mainly looked at the exercises for bars and dumbbells, but they also show exercises for cables and levers – and those are machines. You can look and see what you find.
The third site I use is Fitsite: http://www.fitsite.com/anatomy.cfm. This site shows exercises by muscles – it’s very good and informative. Some free weights, some cables and levers here too – but probably not what you’re looking for if you’re looking for a new program on the regular machines.

To build a routine I suggest you split up your body on how many days you’re going to the gym a week. If you’re going twice a week: do a 2-split, if you’re going three times: do a 3-split, etc.
You can build a program for machines on one of Krista’s programs: A 2 day split: Do lower body one day (use the machines that cover calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes) and upper body the other day (biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back) - warm up first both days, stretch and do sit-ups after.

And you know – I really recommend the free weights, don’t you have a weight room at your gym? I’m getting such a kick out of weight lifting! It’s such a surprise for me! :D

Ang – how nice that your trip and presentation went well! And also that your mother is doing OK. Hope you get some sleep and rest – and great to hear you’re having a renewed attitude! Good for you!
Of course you’re going to get it right! We all are, eventually – some of us just need to practice a bit longer than others… ;) I know I have.

It’s Friday, and I need to start reading for my exam – but I’m procrastinating instead….
Hope you’re all having a nice Friday!

And you know – I really recommend the free weights, don’t you have a weight room at your gym? I’m getting such a kick out of weight lifting! It’s such a surprise for me!

Yah we do... but all the really jockish guys are back there grunting away and I could just never go back there and mess with them! :p

Thanks for the sites, I'll check them out after lunch. Which is two low carb, whole grain ham sandwich wraps with mozzarella cheese, Hellmans 2 Good Mayo, and lean ham. Oh, romaine lettuce too. ;)

I think I've stallled on my losing because I had too few calories. I was below 1100 on most days starting Phase II, and now my sister and I track it at fitday, and it's been a real challenge to get up to 1200 calories! I am forcing myself to eat more than I want to, I get full, but ... don't have enough calories. We'll have to see.

Renee: as you say; eating too little is not good for your metabolism, and you should try to keep (well) above 1200 if you’re planning to keep doing this for a while.
It’s either eating more or start building more muscles that will burn more calories…. :D

As for: This is what kept me out of the weight room too. They really are intimidating and usually not very welcoming, aren’t they? Which is why it’s so important that you know what you’re doing when you start lifting weights in there! It’s important to have a program made by an instructor, and an introductory session where the instructor shows you how to do all the different exercises. So that – on the first time you go in there all by yourself – you know what to do. Which dumbbells to reach for, what kind of bench you should sit/lie on, how to do the exercises with good form, etc.
I found pretty soon that the mirrors were scarier than the guys there…. ;)

Try the machines, see if you can get together a program that works for you – if you don’t find out how; try to start a thread in the Exercise forum and ask for help there. Or in the Ladies Who Lift forum (although they mostly talk about free weights there).

And if – after a while (a month? a couple of months?) – you get bored with the machines: remember the free weights and the weight room! :lol:
It’s where the action is! Really! I promise!
Jessica – what happened to your journey into the weight room? Do you have some tips to share with Renee too?

So – what are your plans for the weekend? Ang: hope you’re feeling rested and good! OK. Hope you’re all are having a great weekend!

Trying to Jump back in
 

I found this web site a while ago but like getting away from my healthy eating habits I strayed from the site as well. Maybe because I was ashamed of my lack of will power. Whatever the reason I'm back becuase not only did I stop losing weight I gained 12 more pounds. I was going through the support groups and found yours by accident. I'd love to join! It sounds like you guys have defintely helped each other along this LOOOOOng journey.

LIttle bit about myself;
*25 years old, 4 kids (16,12,5,1 years old) (the older ones are mine through marrige :) )
*Always had a problem with my weight
*Got motivated 4 years ago and lost 45 pounds - kept it off for almost 2 years!!!
*When I started that I was at my highest weight of 182 but now I sit before you now at a place I never imagined to be - 202lbs.
*I know this is an incredibly long and commited journey to a new and better way of life but once agian I am ready. I know I can't do it alone though.
*Low fat diet and excercise is how I did it before but I am always open to new suggestions.

Looking forward to a better feeling me! - Jedi

Sorry - so sorry. Farmer had a stroke and is in hospital since Friday. Can't imagine how busy things have been trying to visit him, work, and keep up with his house. A lot of legal crap too. Two subjects a day at work this week also. I promise to make it back here though.

Keep up the good work mette and Renee. Welcome Jessica2 (just in case Jessica1 returns, which I hope she does). :)

Hey all! Welcome Jessica2 (You've been dubbed it seems lol)

Ang- sorry to hear things are so hectic right now, do your best to find a bit of yourself time soon so you don't get over loaded! I hope things calm down soon for you.

Mette- I know I know, I am a big wussy. I should just go do the weights like you did! Maybe I will just piece together a routine for myself on the other machines, until I am more confident. I mean, they work the same muscles right? I'll have to check out the ladies who lift forum for some tips, and some do's and dont's.

Jessica2- Nice to meet you, and hope that you find some solid support here and around the forum. When I first got on here, it was weeks before I started reporting back with anything but negative stuff. ;P So hang in there.

As for me, I weighed this morning (okay, I confess, I got addicted to the scale during Phase I and weight myself every morning) and was down to 171. I seriously can't remember the last time I saw the scale ring in so low! I am soooo excited. It's really got me encouraged and motivated to continue on with this and do more. I've lost all this so far, by mostly just dieting, and I've lost inches in both my waist and hips - I just KNOW that if I added in some strength training and cardio that I will start really shaping up! (haha pun) Anyway, I am feeling good, my pants are falling off my hips and I can't wait to get to the point where I can go buy some new clothes that look more feminine and nice, and less baggy/sloppy.

Have a good day girls, good luck with your goals, pamper yourself and smile!

Hi Ladies,

As I've been eating whatever I want and not exercising, I feel like I've abandoned my plan completely and feel a little guilty posting these days... I'm doing fine, work is kicking my butt (which is part of the reason why I haven't made time to cook or even think about the gym, I'm exhausted...) I've gained back two pounds, but know that it will start to creep back if I don't slow down and refocus on my goals. Sheesh.

Welcome, Jessica2! :-) These gals are great and I know you'll find all kinds of support here.

Hope everyone is well. I have to go in to work early this morning, so that's all for me for now. Hope I'll be welcome back even in my gluttony! *sigh*

Jessica

Hi guys!
Well, I finally had my exam today! I have been studying pretty hard, and now I’m exhausted and just want to go to sleep! :D I’m not sure how I did yet, I think I’ll know Friday whether I passed or not. I sure hope I did – the questions were hard and I definitely did not know all the answers. I’m hoping for the best.

Jessica2: welcome! Since you have lost 45lbs and kept it off for 2 years, you really know how to do it, don’t you? What did you do to maintain the weight for 2 years? Did you just keep up what you did while losing the weight?
I started maintaining my weight last month, and so far I’ve just added calories – I ate about 1500 a day while losing weight and I’m up to about 2000 a day now. I’m still losing a little – I’ve lost 2lbs since I started maintaining – so I’m still adding calories. I also lift weights so I try to add proteins and good, healthy food. But sometimes I eat cookies too! :D
I hope you come back often and that you enjoy this place!

Ang – so sorry to hear about your friend’s stroke and how busy and chaotic your life became. Did your new attitude and SBD-restart go out the window in the middle of it? It doesn’t matter of course; it will be time for that when things have calmed down again. Take care of yourself in the midst of everything!
And I just have to tell you – the weather has been really bad here the last weeks, so I’ve abandoned my Tuesday and Thursday morning jog. But I discovered the wonders of the treadmill at the gym, and how I can program speed, time, intervals, and everything! And I’m completely hooked! I can measure my progress weekly! (Oh yes, I am a geek, and I measure progress – I have an excel worksheet where I record my weight lifting and now my running too! :lol: )

Renee – yes, the machines work the same muscles – sort of. But the free weights are better exercise because you also coordinate your body while lifting them, and you use more body parts (more muscles) on each exercise. The machines tend to be very specialized.
But of course it’s good exercise to do the machines, and it *is* a good place to start. But just remember – if you get bored – that the free weights are an option too. And they’re more challenging and ergo less boring! ;-)
I started out with the machines and got bored after a while, so I sort of dropped out of the gym – and then I read Krista and wondered whether I would dare to try the weights in the scary room of the gym. And I’m very glad I did, even if I spent quite some time getting there.
Just start where you’re comfortable Renee, and you’ll do great!
Great to hear that you’re losing the pounds! Congratulations!

And Jessica – very glad to see you back too! You know, you should come and hang out with us – no matter how you’re eating. Good to hear you’re doing fine though! The gained pounds will come off once you get back on plan again.
Have you figured out what threw you off? Did you get bored? Was your program too strenuous? Did the stress from work take up too much time? Other things?
There’s some great knowledge to be gained from it: figuring out what doesn’t work.

OK. I’ll see if I can do something about this sleep deprivation of mine! Have a great Wednesday everybody! :D

Hey guys! Anyone out there, cmon, don't be shy. Where'd everyone go? Hope things are going well for everyone. Still trucking along slowly but surely here. Have allowed myself a few too many treats and 'oh it wont hurts' but getting back into the more solid groove.

We won at softball today, had a blast. I even made it to second on an infield bobble! The team was soooo proud. It was great, I am really feeling better about myself lately.

Well take care ladies, drop a note so I know that you guys are doing ok. :)

Wow where is everyone!? I feel .... so .... alone. Come back! :D