I just realized I didn't post what I did today. So here goes~~

I just came back from the gym.... another hour on the treadmill Plus I managed to get in my 30 minute walk this morning, late and all. I plan on walking after dinner with my hubby.

Today:
Breakfast:egg, toast and butter - 4 pts.
Lunch: soup, crackers, yogurt = 8 pts.
Dinner: Frittata (vegetable, eggs, cheese, olive oil)-8 pts, green beans -0, sm banana-1 pt.
Total: 21 pts.

Skinny, congrats to you on splitting that dessert with your co-worker and managing to get in your 30 minute walk -- in spite of you having a busy day!! We will get to our goals.

Let's all keep up the great work!
(Hugs),
Dena

Morning everyone!
didn't exercise yesterday- had some work to get done through my lunch break and then I worked till 6 and I was way too tired. but I did stay on the my meal plan and according to my scale- which is probably more tempermental than dena's, I lost another 2 lbs. I don't want to quit but I think it's coming off too "easy". I mean, I workout 4-5x a week for 30 minutes and the rest is just cutting back the carbs. I don't know if I should start increasing my food (I eat 40-60 carbs a day) to slow it down. I want to do it the right way and for it to stay off. 15 lbs in 5 weeks though- that's averaging 3 lbs a week.... I don't know- any suggestions?

yes- congrats skinnybutt on sharing the dessert. You really will be a skinnybutt! I "shared" icecream with FI last night- he had a big bowl full and I resisted and resisted and then he had 1 bite left and I asked him for it. so I only had 1 tsp of icecream- but it was worth it!

Happy Thursday!

Good Morning, Everyone!

Well here I sit with my morning coffee and the first thing I read is that Kandice is thinking of quitting. What?!

Kandice, here is my opinion and personal experience~~ When you first start losing weight, it tends to come off rather quickly. It's average to lose 1-2 lbs. a week, if you're doing it right. I've been on a few different diets, (Atkins, where I regained the weight just as fast when I started eating normally again), counted cals and lately WW. I need variety. I lost 45 lbs a couple of years ago. The first 26 came off quickly, then things started slowing down. I even exercised quite a bit more than now. Weight training, too. I got a lot of compliments and also felt jealousy from my friends. Then life got in the way, and somehow I regained 10 lbs. This time it is not coming off as easily. I'm determined to look good again. It's funny.... when you are losing you feel great. When it comes back on, it's not such a good feeling. And those cute clothes in the closet just hanging there make you feel worse. So I say get to your goal no matter what. Just keep going, because once you stop it's harder to get your momentum going.
If you feel you should raise your carbs do so, but get to your goal. Nothing is carved in stone that you need to follow one plan. Good luck, Kandice! Remember, you want to look great in your wedding dress.

Bonnie, congrats to you for eating only 1400 cals. I do agree with you that TV dinners do have lots of preservatives. I never used to worry about that until I started reading about nutrition, and how there are so many preservatives and additives in frozen dinners, fast foods and most processed foods. I've read that fast food places add something in their foods that makes you hungrier. That's why people are getting heavier.

Bonnie, I am totally impressed with your weight training, water aerobics and walking routine! Speaking of which, I better get out there and start my exercise for the day.

Have a great day, everyone!
(Hugs),
Dena

Hello everyone,

SkinnyB. Yes, I feel VERY naked without my glasses. I am constantly reaching up to adjust them, only they aren’t there any more. People keep giving me the strangest looks, because I appear to be saluting them. I guess it’s a variation of the phantom limb phenomenon. I don’t know how long it will take for me to get used to my glasses-less face in the mirror. I look very different. And that, I suppose, is the only downside I’ve discovered so far to my Lasik surgery. Now, I can see all my wrinkles!

Kandice. Whatever weight-loss pace you decide is most comfortable for you, the important thing is to stick to a healthy diet plan and keep aiming for you goal. For what it’s worth, my experience is very similar to Dena’s. I lost a lot of weight about two years ago, and the first couple of months the pounds came off quickly and easily (about 23 pounds). Then I hit the proverbial plateau and things slowed down considerably.

Bonnie. Good for you for keeping your calorie count to 1400 calories. I find that I have to keep a running tally of everything I eat and write it down in a little notebook. Calories seem to add up so quickly, and if I wait until the end of the day to do the math, I’m often over my target.

The best to all of you!
Florafae

Thanks to everyone for including me in the group.

I did have a nice relaxing day, since it is a stat holiday here in Canada. So I managed to get out and go for a hike. It was a little bit chilly out, but I bundled up and faced the cold temps

Still debating on whether or not I have the patience to listen to Mari Windsor this evening...only time will tell.

-Krista

Sign me up!! I hope to be at my goal weight by Christmas. I'm thinking of getting my Thyroid levels checked - it seems I have some of the symptoms of problems. Wish me luck!

Thanks everyone- when I said I was thinking of quitting- it wasn’t quitting quitting- just upping my carbs to slow the weight loss down. I have never dieted before so I didn’t know if the rapid weight loss was normal or not. It seems to be coming off too easy. I know people who have tried and tried to lose weight and they say it’s so hard… but I don’t know the details either- maybe they were eating sensible meals but then binging at night in front of the TV. I guess the weight came on easy too- so it makes sense to come off easy. I can think back to all the Krispy Kremes, sweet tea, biscuits and gravy, that I’ve come to LOVE since moving to the south. Everyone wants to feed you too!

I’ve heard about plateaus, and sounds so stupid, but I want to know what one is – experience it for myself. Almost all the women in my diet class have reached a plateau now, so the instructor is kinda teaching them what’s to be expected and all and I don’t have anything to compare it to.

BUT I’M NOT DONE! I gained 30 lbs from 3/03- 9/04 and I want to get back down to that AT LEAST before anything happens. 50 lbs is my goal though- so I can be at my “healthy” weight (and wear smaller, in style clothes) oh yeah, and look good in the wedding dress and more importantly on our honeymoon in the Bahamas.

So thank you- I’m sticking to it- I actually had a hamburger bun last night for the first time in 5 weeks (it was within my carbs still- I ended the night with 54) with my turkey burger and bacon and cheese. And you know what- I ate about ½ of the burger and I felt honestly full. I can definitely tell when I eat too much carbs (or a lot of them at the same time)

Worked out yesterday afternoon too….

So I have another question since you lost a lot of lbs before, did anyone notice that their stretch marks started “raising up” again? Did I ask this already? Like you know when I was fat, the skin was stretched and I didn’t really see the stretch marks even though I knew they were there…. But now, since I started losing inches my skin is shrinking back and the marks have kinda been coming together. It’s really gross. Anything to get rid of them?

Thanks to everyone again and congrats to everyone for their continued success- I wrote enough already…

Yes, we made it to the end of the week! Woo Hoo! Now for the weekend~~Hubby and I may go out for Chinese again this weekend, so I have to plan around those calories.

This is how I did Yesterday:
Breakfast: oatmeal,v-8 juice=3 pts.
Snack: Cheese=2 pts.
Lunch: Yogurt, crackers=5 pts
Dinner: Frittata, mixed veggies & butter, low-fat cookie=13 pts.
Total: 23 pts.
Water: 10 glasses
Exercise: 30 minute brisk walk after breakfast, 48 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minute walk after dinner.

Florafae, you said you raised your activity level. What kinds of exercises do you do? I need more inspiration in that deprartment. By the way, I'm so happy for you that the Lasik surgery went well!

Bonnie, what exactly do you do at water aerobics? Sounds like fun. How is your weight training going?

Krista, glad you could join our Merry Christmas Challenge. What holiday was that yesterday in Canada? And good for you for getting out there and hiking in the cold!!

Shelby, welcome to our awesome little group! You'll get to that goal. What nutritional plan and exercises are you doing to get to your goal? And good luck at the doctor's office.

Kandice, so glad to hear you are not quitting, but eating a few more carbs. What diet class are you going to? What kinds of things are they teaching you. I could always learn better behaviors.

Well, everyone, I'm trying my best, but I took a sneak preview of how I did on the scale--and it only showed 1/2 lb. this week. What a disappointment. Kandice, this is what a plateau looks like. You work hard, and nothing! Believe me, you don't want to get there.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
(Hugs),
Dena

Dena- Diet class is / was a 6 week challenge that we meet every Tuesday night to talk about our week. there's 8 women in it. It's sponsored by Curves. It will end next Tuesday the 16th (been going since the - the class.... been going since the 5th (october). It's just a chance to talk about what we've discovered with our diets- what things worked for us- a chance to share recipes, things like that. She does about 1/2 hour of lecture- like these are the things that should be happening to you now, gives us little poems to keep going, we read in our book about so many weight studies (the effects of calcium supplements, the effect of excercising and depression, osteoporosis, arthritis, things like that) and then the rest of the time we just talk and ask who's lost the most, what our biggest challenge was this week. Why we're doing this. Are we accomplishing what we set out to? Are we a stress eater or not- what things trigger us to eat- there's a different few topics every time.

about the depression and exercise- very interesting- they studied men, but still... 150 men, 50 in 3 groups. the first group was given Zoloft- or some kind of depression med only.
the second group was given the med and 30 minutes of exercise
and the third group was given exercise only

I don't know how long they studied them- I can find out- it's a case study from my book. but the meds only: their depression returned at a rate of 38%; group 2- the med and exercise- their depression returned at 31%; and exercise only, only 8% of their depression returned.

pretty neat.

Dena- I didn't up my carbs- I was going to- but I'm sticking to the 40-60 a day until I get to my goal weight. After all I'm 5 lbs from Christmas and then 10 more lbs to my wedding, and then 15 more lbs to my bday and then 10 lbs to goal... so I can do it! WE ALL CAN!!

Dena, I’m afraid my exercise regime is as dull as dull can be. I do brisk walking, and I use an exercise bike. Those are my two daily staples. I do a lot of gardening, which isn’t aerobic, of course, but it does include considerable stooping, bending, stretching, and lifting.

I also make a conscious effort to get as much incidental exercise as possible, such as parking at the very far end of parking lots, using stairs instead of elevators/escalators (as my knees allow), and doing silly things, such as occasionally standing up and marching in place during commercials when I’m watching TV. I know the incidentals don’t sound like much, but every lit bit helps, and it beats being a slug. When I reach a weight where I feel comfortable wearing a swimming suit, I’m thinking of trying aqua aerobics.

Welcome, Shelbi. This is a wonderful group, and I guarantee you’ll find lots of support and good will here. Good luck with your thyroid check-up.

May we all stay on goal through the weekend.
Florafae

Hi Everyone!
Only 2 more days until weigh in day~~

This is how I did yesterday.
Breakfast: Egg, pear = 3 pts.
Snack: joice, cheese = 3 pts.
Lunch: chicken, spinach, pear = 5 pts.
Dinner: salmon with stuffing, zucchini in olive oil, asparagus, blueberries=10
Total: 21 pts.
Exercise: 30 minute walk in the morning, 30 minute walk at night. Didn't feel well at lunch time to go to the gym.
Water: 8 glasses

Florafae, I like your idea of getting up and marching during the commercials. I don't like to sit for long periods of time anyway. Tell us more about your garden.

Kandice, your class is a definite plus! I had no idea Curves offered somehting like that. The study about depression with pills vs. exercise was very interesting. I like learning about studies like this one. What were some of your other classes about?

Bonnie, good luck over the weekend! Man, breakfast with your coutry-cooking brother and a home cooked meal with your sister... just the thought of this is making me hungy! So how did it go? What part of the country is this? Your water aerobics sounds fabulous! Kudos to you for doing so many typies of exericse, Bonnie. That's amazing and inspiring.

OK, it's time to start my day. I can't wait to put up the Christmas decorations. I want to put up the lights outside, but I don't want to be the first one in the neighborhood. Maybe we'll do it this weekend, anyway.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
(Hugs),
Dena

Thanks for letting me join Dena. It was Remembrance Day here in Canada...
Since I'm working all weekend, weird hours at that, I'm finding it difficult to get exercise in cause I am so exhusted when I get home. Anyone have any hints on what I should do?

Another thing, has anyone out there tried Windsor Pilates and actually seen results? Cause I'm thinking about purchasing those DVD's and I'd like to have some imput first.

Thanks! Time to hit the sack...
Krista

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

Well, I broke down and put up some of my Christmas decorations, and I'm so happy that I did. My house looks really great now... a lot of little Santa Clauses, red and white decor and a Nativity Scene. I even put up a small artificial tree until I get the real one closer to Christmas. I went to the library on Friday and got some Christmas CDs, so I started playing Christmas music. And hubby put out some Christmas lights on the shrubs. I'm ready for Christmas.

How is everyone doing? Only one day before weigh in.

Here's how I did yesterday~~ (Thanks for bearing with me while I write down my journey to weight loss. This helps me get to my goal.)
Breakfast: Egg with butter, small bran muffin = 5 pts.
Lunch: Hot and sour soup, egg roll, beef with mushooms, fortune cookie = 13 pts.
Dinner: Hot and sour soup, salmon, berries = 13 pts.
Total: 31 pts. - 8 exercise pts = 23 pts.
Water: 9 glasses
Exercise: 45 minute walk

Bonnie, your trip to the North Carolina Mountains sounded great. Kudos to you for eating as well as you did at your brother's house. The family dinner sounded wonderful, too. I know it's hard when everything smells and tastes so good, and when relatives put in a lot of effort to make a great meal for us. As you said, it's back to business come Monday.

Krista, sorry your schedule is so hectic these days... working two jobs and all. Is it possible for you to get up a few minutes earlier and do a few exercises then? Or can you do something between jobs? {I've always tried to walk during my lunch break.) I've never done pilates, so I'm not sure how long it would take and what the results would be. Good luck to you, Krista, whatever exercise you decide to do.

OK, time for me to get going. Have a great Sunday, everyone.
(Hugs),
Dena

Bonnie, my mouth watered just reading about your weekend experience and all those delicious dishes. Wow--talk about temptation. How does anyone in the South stay on a diet?

Dena, please don’t apologize for listing your food diary. It gives me lots of good ideas, and I find it very helpful. I’ll read it and say, “Oh yeah, I haven’t had any salmon in a while. I should put that on my shopping list.”

As to my garden, I call it my Enchanted Faerie Garden. It’s filled with flowers, herbs, birds, bees, and secret little places. There’s even a barrel full of fish and beautiful fountain that my husband bought me for my birthday. I planted the garden myself a little over a year ago, and I absolutely love it. No matter how stressful the outside world may be, when I sit in my garden sipping tea and listening to the fountain and the birds, I find peace.

Regarding Christmas decorations, I’ll put mine up the Saturday afterThanksgiving. I’m afraid I can only handle one holiday at a time.

I’ll be checking in tomorrow. Good luck to everyone.
Florafae

Bonnie- I live in the NC mtns too! well, foothills, but not as far as winston or anything.
and yes, I know too familiar with the country ham biscuits and biscuits and gravy and sweet tea... ahhhhh

Not a lot of time to write but I'll be checking in!