Kathy and all...sorry I'm so late getting back here but I have been out of town for almost a week for my family reunion in Ohio.

As for your question, I think it was a combination of wanting to improve my health (especially my high cholesterol and blood pressure) and having dieted all my life and just ended up fatter. I mean, I'd "been there, done that" with the dieting thing and knew it didn't work. There is no way that you can go on a diet, lose weight, and then expect to be able to go back to eating "the old way" and not gain weight. Not gonna happen. So I knew it was time to do the lifestyle change thing and that's what I did. I armed myself with a lot of information and support (boards like this are great for both!) and started to change my ways.

I was already drinking a lot of water and almost no sodas, so that wasn't a problem for me. I changed from eating white rice/pasta/bread/tortillas to eating brown rice, whole wheat pasta and wholegrain bread and tortillas. I increased my intake of vegetables and fruits. I started exercising regularly. All of these changes together started to work...and continue to work.

I still treat myself with a burger and fries or something else I really want once a month or so, and I have 1 bite-size piece of dark chocolate a day, since chocolate just isn't something I'm willing to give up. I eat healthy the majority of the time and treat myself often enough to keep my motivation for going on. I've learned (the hard way) that depriving myself of all the foods I love all the time only leads, at the least, to falling off the wagon and, at worst, binging behavior.

So far, it's working well for me! And because I've lost my weight slowly, I really don't think that my eating in maintenance will be all that different for me (if and when I reach my goal weight) than it is now as I'm losing.

Thank you so much! I can relate to what you said. I am already starting to be able to tuck in my shirts and what a difference it makes. I have lived for so long in those long tunic tops (trying to cover it all up, ya know!) that it feels so freeing to show that I have a waist. For a long time when I started losing weight, I continued wearing my "fat" clothes to work...I wear suits and such and it was just too expensive to buy new clothes for every size lost! It wasn't until I started buying clothes that fit that my coworkers started noticing and going "WOW! Look at that waistline!" I wanted to tell them I always had a waistline...I was just covering it up because I had a big belly and butt around the waistline! LOL

I don't know what I want to weigh, but I just want to not FEEL fat anymore. I'm getting to the point now where I can wear more size 14s and that feels fantastic! But I still have a long way to go. I would love to be a size 8 but if I had to "make do" with a size 10, I could live with that!

IWMFT2...I played flute in high school too! I have a copy of my flute portrait somewhere (mine's in band uniform, though). I will have to find it and scan it in and see if I can figure out how to load it here.

For now, anyone who wants to see what I look like can visit the "About Me" page of my website here. The pic on that page is from May 2004 and if you scroll down to the bottom and click on the link for 2002 vacation pix, you will see me at what was probably my highest weight or close to it.

hey singles! welcome butterfly! glad you can join us

ang - i am not a good one for giving advice, but listen to iwmft because she seems to be making the most sense. and even though it was directed at you it helped me. i feel the same way you do so you are not alone. yet everyday i get up and say today i'm gonna do it. we have to keep trying. i look at it this way also, if i didn't at least try i would be the size of a house. i might not be losing but i am not gaining. i stay within the same 5lbs or so. i think we need something to focus on other than food. what can we do?? maybe we can put our heads together. maybe we can all do baby steps together, like agreeing to a 20 minute walk 4 days this week, no chocolate another week, etc...any ideas??? we can beat this together. there is strength in numbers. anyone game???

sheriava- i hope you had a good time at your reunion. it sounds like you are off to a great start. congrats on your successes and thanks for setting a good example!

my head is spinning from all the plans i am making for what i am going to refer to for now as the big takeover (BT for short) of my parents house. i have so much to do. i guess it's good because it is giving me something to look forward to and relieving some boredom.

well, getting tired. happy humpday to all!
kathy

ang- hang in there!!

Thanks for all of the support. I think I hav erealized that the biggest obstacle right now is that I am not dealing with my life (personal and professional) very well so trying to control eating is just too difficult. Although this is not logical, sometimes letting myself eat is all I can do to be good to myself. I know that I need to get my life in order (not sure how) and then I should be able to put more energy into controlling my eating.

Kathy - I am game for trying little things though - especially together. I am very black/white and good with tasks and goals so if we picked one thing I could concentrate on (a little thing) then I think I could do it. Please don't take away my chocolate though.

Kathy - I can't believe you just bought a house and now you are going to have to sell it. Do you like your parent's house better? Was this your choice? I just bought a house this spring and can't even imagine going through that stress again. Good luck.

SheriVa - you seem to have a lot of will power. Great job! Can you share the secret? It is nice to have people notice that you have lost weight though, huh?

Gotta get to work. Another hump day is here. I don't know if that is good or bad.

Ouch... My arms hurt...

Actually, I'm surprised that my arms are the only things that are sore from my Monday evening workout. I really pushed myself... Tonight I'm going back, and I'm dreading working my arms, but maybe it will work the soreness out.

I've been staying on plan with my food and exercise. I'm getting a little frusterate because the scales haven't moved in a few days and I was really expecting a loss this morning when I got on the scales. I know it isn't a big deal, but with every loss (even 1/2 a pound) I get so motivated to keep going. I know that I won't lose everyday, but that doesn't seem to stop part of my brain from being disappointed.

I'm not dreading my workouts anymore. I almost enjoy lifting the weights... The treadmill however is another story... I've tried reading while walking, but that doesn't seem to help me because my vision "bounces" too much to read when I prop a magazine on the machine and I'm not coordinated enough to hold a book and walk fast, let alone jog.

I'm thinking of adding one more day to my workouts, Monday and Thursday do treadmill/cardio and arms, Tuesday and Friday do treadmill/cardio and legs. That way I could do longer cardio and weights and still get out of the gym in under an hour. We'll see how I feel next week.

I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday!

IWMFT - I think your plan to go 4 times a week to the gym is a good one. I hopeyour arms feel well enough to lift - be careful not to injure yourself. Do you listen to music while you jog? Are there televisions available? When I'm outside I don't want anything interrupting my thoughts (unless I'm running with another person) but in the gym the treadmill gets sooooo boring. Is there an indoor track at the gym or a path outside?

I was wondering how often everyone weighed themself? I agree that losses give you great motivation, but I get so down when there is no lose or a gain that I sometimes I think I should throw my scale out.

Hello everyone. I hope you're all doing well or better with your weight loss. I'm certainly not. In fact, I've been pigging on sugar for the last few days. Today, I was clean until now but I went out to get some hard candies to end the day with and came back with them plus some chocolate covered almonds.

I don't know. I do so very, very well and then something happens that seems to say to me, "you're life is a joke, who cares about losing weight, nothing will change really." And then I'm back eating and eating and gain it all back.

I did better today than I had been though by saying, stop connecting things, stop feeling that a seeming kick in the teeth work-related should relate somehow to what you stick in your mouth. I mean, if I felt putting this in my mouth was going to benefit me someway then I could understand it but how is it benefiting me? Only a few minutes of a nice taste and then hate, disgust, all directed at myself for once again keeping myself stuck with the fat on me.

What to do? I mean life is always going to be full of nasty things, right? How to disconnect those and eating? Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I just need to change my life and the eating will change with it.

Oh, people, I hate to moan but I'm feeling so disgusted with everything and so utterly ignored and powerless at work. That is what is fueling this overeating.

What do you all think fuels your own when you overeat? Often by hearing what others do I can see how to help them and in doing so help myself.

***

shyangel -- you asked about weighing. For a long time I weighed every morning and marked it on a chart. But I found that I was much too affected by the numbers. Even when I knew I was losing fat if the scale didn't drop I would get upset. I've stopped weighing now for a couple weeks and it feels very relieving. However, I'm thinking I better start again because I'm afraid I will let things slip to where I've packed on the weight again.

I had used a pair of pants to assess my progress and still think that may be the best way. Especially because I've been doing a lot of weight training. I often feel so hulky, so strong and gross even when I realize that my pants are fitting better, that they're loose where they used to be tight. It's strange. I guess it has to do with feeling heavy or something. I think if you've not putting on too much muscle, not changing your body composition too much then it's a good thing to weigh often. When you weigh often and write it down you can see how weight naturally fluctuates by at least 2-3 lbs, times nearly 5! I don't really like the idea of weighing just once a week because if it happens to be an "up" day you're going to be very disappointed, thinking you should have lost something over an entire week and you probably have but it just didn't show on that one particular day.

shyangel, I hope you're having a better time dealing with life. This is my problem too. But think, you're here, you're making positive steps. Don't be so down on yourself. This is your masterpiece. Take your time.

fairytale -- good going on your workouts. it really sounds like you've been moving that booty! good for you! Don't be frustrated about the scale. How has your eating been? Do you count calories or stick to a plan? If you do and you've been on plan you'll definitely be losing fat and inches. I can't read while I'm doing cardio and I don't think you get much of a workout if you can. It does get super boring though so I usually listen to real hard rock music that gets me moving fast. The other thing that is fun is to invest in a heartrate monitor, the kind like a wristwatch with a strap that fits around your chest. There are no wires. It just picks up the signal form the chestband and you can do all sorts of things with the watch. Polar ones are good and they real cheap ones that don't do much but show you your pulse to real expensive ones that you can feed the data into your computer with. I'd look into them. They're great for recording your heartrate, training your heart and seeing how different intensities, durations, etc. affect your pulse.

By the way, fairytale, you are gorgeous! I wish I had a pretty face like yours. It would help me work on getting my body into shape I think. As it is, I look at my face and think, oh heck, what's the use?

corning -- hi there. wow, two houses! sounds like a lot of hassle. yes, which one do you like better? was your parents' house the one you grew up in? how is your eating, weight loss going? I'm so behind here with the thread. Please forgive me for not being more personalized.

sheriava -- a waistline, huh? you lucky dog, you. I have never had a waistline, even when I was a kid. Can you believe it? The fat just seems to always have been there. It's one of my biggest body laments. I do so want it. It's because of this that I can't tuck in my shirts. I know some people who are a lot heavier than me and they have great waistlines. Oh, well. moan, moan, moan. . . .such are my petty laments. how tall are you, by the way?

Heh, I just checked out your pix. I saw the highest weight one and the latest and you look fantastic! You look like a different person and at least 20 years younger. In the high weight one you do look rather matronly. Now, not at all. Great going, kid! I love it. You're an inspiration. Now, if only I could do the same. . .

butterfly -- where did you go already? come back and chat with us, please!

I'm very short! 4' 6" tall to be exact. Makes buying clothes an extra SPECIAL challenge, believe me! Short AND fat. Every piece of clothing has to go to a tailor to have the arms or legs sawed off before I can wear it.

Thank you for the compliments on my pictures. Granted, it's not a gigantic difference but I feel and look better. Heck, it's a joy just not to have to look at the multiple chins I had in those older pix. YUCK!

As for looking matronly (OUCH! hehe), well I guess that will tend to happen when one gets over age 50. Some things in life are unavoidable and getting old is one of them. heh Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it!

Shyangel, in response to your question about how often we weigh, I used to weigh weekly (either at the gym or at work, both have a doctor type balance scale) until I bought my Tanita body fat scale at home. Now I weigh daily. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help myself. Actually, I find it illuminating because I immediately see the impact of what I'm eating. It has helped me make some adjustments to my menu and has certainly shown me how huge an impact that water retention from eating too much sodium can have!

Also, regarding willpower...it's funny you say that I have it! Because, my whole life I beat myself up emotionally for NOT having it. I would look at my mother and think "If only I had her willpower, I could lose this weight." Well, guess what? It was there all along. All it took was for me to believe in myself. I have coined this phrase of late that goes "Strength is a bottomless well...you need only believe to access it." The harder I worked at eating healthy and the more success I had (not JUST on the scale, but in cardiovascular endurance, lowering cholesterol, etc.), the more I believed in myself. The more I believed in myself, the stronger I got. The more willpower I could access. I really do think that's the secret!!! It may sound like bunk, but it has proven to be SO TRUE for me this past year!

Kathy--the reunion went fine but boy there wasn't a grain of healthy food to be seen there! LOL No salad, not even pasta salad. Lots of cheesy, gooey casseroles and that was about it! So I did my best. I actually did pretty well but did feel on the verge of going out of control on desserts because, man, that dessert table was like heaven!! hehe

Well... I'm finally back down to 193.5 after playing with a pound of water gain all week.... Maybe it is the weight training more than the salt... Who knows... Now tomorrow maybe I'll have a REAL loss.

My arms feel much better today, I think I worked the soreness out of them last night. I did 25 minutes at a brisk walk (3.2-3.4 mph) and lifted for about another 40 minutes. My gym in an interesting place to people watch... All shapes and sizes, including the "buff guys" who are trying to show off for anyone who will look at them.

I'm so, so, so, SOOOOOOOO happy tomorrow is Friday!!!! And even happier that NEXT weekend is a long weekend! I love government holidays!!!! Three day weekends remind me of being in school... Ahhh... Back when there was nothing to worry about other than deciding if I should actually go to class. I'd love to go back and do college over... I'd do a few things different.

******
Shyangel: I weigh myself everyday and take my measurements on Fridays. I know I shouldn't weigh everyday, but it helps me stay on track. I know that if I have a gain (even if it is just fluid) I have more work to do. It works for me, at least most of the time. I sometimes get frustrated if the scales don't go down as fast as I think they should, or if I have a fluid gain, but I just keep telling myself that everyone's weight fluctuates from day to day.


Redballoon: I'm moving my booty a lot more than I was before!!! I still haven't decided if I'm going to up my workouts to 4 days a week. LOL I'm still working on kicking the laziness habit...

for the compliment! My family tells me that all the time, but well... They're family! They're supposed to tell me that.

hey there everyone! i'm having a really busy work week. i am working lots of OT this week. i'm not offered it very much anymore, so i take when i can. one more 12 hour day. it has been hard at work because on top of it all we lost a co-worker to a heart attack wednesday. we are a young work force and this is our first loss so it is hard on everyone.

as for weighing myself, i also recently bought one of those tanita scales and i do it daily. i don't know why it always bums me out, but i still do it i guess i'm a glutton for punishment. my exercise has come to a standstill as has my healthy eating with all this work, because i just don't have the time to cook anything healthy. i'm going to take WW dinners tomorrow. maybe that will help.

also tomorrow i have to meet a friend who is going to work on the BT for me. he is going to carpet the basaement for me. their house is much nicer than mine. i actually grew up in CT and my parents found this nice property, we all moved here and they built this house in 1989, so it is fairly new. i think it is worth all this effort. even with all the sadness at work wednesday, i had some hopeful news. a guy there is looking for a house for his nephew and is coming to look at mine sat. he said if he likes it he will pay me cash for it . please keep your fingers crossed for me!!! i am so skeptical because nothing ever goes this easy for me, but my dad says this is all meant to be so it is working out well. i've already got rid of a lot of extra furniture.

i am trying to think of this as a new start. when i get settled again i am going to refocus. i won't be working my pt job so much because it is too far to drive, so i will probably only work sundays. that leaves no excuses for slacking with exercise or cooking healthy. i will have the time.

iwmft - you are doing great with your workouts. i hope i can get as motivated as you are. i was from feb-june then i fell down and haven't gotten back up.

sheriava-i understand about the healthy food thing. just today at work we had an all employee meeting and they serve donuts and soda. i never have any because the one thing i don't eat is donuts (which is a good thing), but a few of us were wondering why they don't offer something healthy.

ang - what would you like to set for a goal next week?? i will have more free time then to start. an exercise goal maybe?? anyone care to join us and have any good ideas??? i won't take the chocolate away

well, tomorrow is a long day and i better hit the hay! have a wonderful friday!
kathy

kathy--oh girl, I hear ya! My office was the same for years. BUT, over the past year, there's been a change, because SO many people in my office are losing weight (or attempting to) that the pressure has been put on to provide some healthy alternatives. No, that doesn't mean we celebrate birthdays with carrot sticks and hummus! LOL They STILL have the birthday cake with the gloppy sugar frosting, but they also provide fresh fruit and/or Weight Watcher or other lowfat ice cream bars, sandwiches, etc. I LOVE it!!



Everyone, I did AWFUL this week on exercise. I usually exercise 6 days a week but, since I got back from Ohio on Monday, I have blown off exercise EVERY DAY until today. I just haven't been able to get out of bed! (On work days, I work out around 5-5:30 a.m. before I get ready for work.)

Today, I set my alarm to be up and out of the house to the gym in time for the 9 a.m. aerobics class. LAWDY, the instructor was even more of a masochist today than usual--where does he get these moves? LOL I have a feeling I will hurt tomorrow (thighs and buns especially). I did another 30 minutes of cardio on the recumbent bike after the hour+ class was over, so I feel like I got a really good workout today. Now all I have to do is keep up the momentum and get back to my daily exercise routine!

hi singles! sure is quiet this weekend. well,it's sat nite and i'm sitting home again. by choice this time though. i've had such a long work week that i am pooped. i'm gonna watch some tv and get to bed.


i did awful this week on exercise too. mainly because i worked so many hours. this week i am going to do better. i am also comtemplating re-joining WW for the umpteenth time in my life. the new program sounds good to me. a lot like south beach only updated. i did good with SB but i only stuck to it a few weeks like all the others. my own fault

well, have a great weekend everyone!
kathy

Uggg... Monday....

Well, really, I'm not too terribly upset that it is Monday for once. I had a "do NOTHING" kind of weekend and I didn't even leave my house. Literally. I walked out side ONE time and that was Saturday night when I went to spray down a yellow-jackets nest by my front door. Otherwise I spend the weekend on the couch reading and watching my NASCAR races. LOL So while I wish Monday morning didn't come so EARLY, it is nice to be back in a routine at work.

My weekend got off to a lousy start, Thursday night I ran out of gas. I was SOOOOO embarrassed, but I blame it on it being a new car to me and not being used to the fuel reading... So I called a friend and he picked me up to go get gas. I came back, put it in, but it didn't start. So after waiting for 3 hours for a policeman and a tow truck to find me after 3 different calls to 911 because no one would come to help, my car was towed to the dealership and I had a $150 tow bill in my hand.

The next morning I go to the dealership and the car starts right up. Just my freakin' luck... After dealing with the dealership morons for a few hours I didn't feel like driving 45 minutes to work, so I worked from home on Friday afternoon. I had planned on going to the gym, but I just didn't have the engery and planned to go on Saturday. Saturday I didn't go either... "I'll go on Sunday." Well, Sunday it was raining and I was a lazy bum and didn't go on Sunday either.

But I have lost another 2 pounds! I'm now down to 191.5 so hopefully next week I'll be down a total of 15 pounds!!

I have my bag packed for the gym this evening, so I'll go and get my workout in. I'm looking forward to it... Yesterday I got REALLY restless and I would have gone to the gym, but it was already closed and I couldn't go for a walk because it was raining (thanks TS Gaston...).

Ladies, I'm glad I'm not the only one who slacked on working out this week, I only got in 2 days of exercise... But I did stay under my calorie limits, so I'm not beating myself up too bad.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Hi there people. I have been eating junk food, sugar and cake and ice cream for it must be over a week now, maybe longer. Problems at work have me totally stressed and, what's worse, feeling that all my efforts, all my years of work are being spat on.

Naturally (?) this is having its repercussions in my health and my health care and weight loss/exercise efforts. In other words, I've pulled out the stops, removed the checks, flung care to the four winds and sit in disgust stuffing my face and sit and sit and sit. Never a couch potato, I have been an exemplary one. I could be the Couch Potato Association's poster porker. Let Red show you how it's done!

I see I've not been the only one wallowing these past days. Come on people, let's get back up and fight! Those of you who have been fighting, hurrah for you! Please send me wildcat energy and I will bust out of my paralysis and rise to conquer! Yeah!