Sherrie-Thank you. I've been missing ya. :grouphug:

Kelly-Thank you. What diet plan are you following? You probably told me, but I've forgotten. And yes, my date was good enough for another (if he asks me). ;)

Robin-Good job taking your walk. :bravo: I tried to take a walk with my son yesterday, and it was way too chilly. I do hope to see this guy again if he calls me. A friend at work introduced us. We all 4 went out together. It made things easier having her there with us.

Well, I've done really well eating so far this week. This diet has been easy to follow, and I haven't been hungry. I figured the calories yesterday and today to be about 1250 each day. I did 61 minutes of cardio (30 minutes on the stairclimber and 31 on the treadmill) and weights. I hope to follow this 5 day diet Mon-Fri, then eat one meal when I wake up Sat. (I usually wake up around 3:00pm and go back to bed by 12:00am), then use Sun as my "cheat day". If I lose this way, I'm hoping to continue until I reach my goal weight. I do better with structure. I find that the smallest amount of junk food or sweets makes me want to binge.

I'm sitting at work now. And right near my cubicle, next to the bathroom, is a huge birthday cake - a double-layer, chocolate cake with white fluffy frosting. It's driving me nuts!!! I'm trying to drink more water, which is causing me to make more trips to the bathroom. I'm being strong, but it's very hard. I love cake! And I've come to the conclusion about myself that it's much easier for me to just abstain completely rather than just eat one or two small bites. If I taste it at all, I'll be sneaking back in for more. Oh, the torture!!!

Well, I'm going to dive back into work to keep my mind off other things. I hope everyone is doing well.
Robin

Well, I didn't make it through my 5 day diet. I cheated today, and I ended up eating 2750 calories. I switched back to weight watchers because I've still been keeping up with points too. I'll still be within my points for the week as long as I don't eat more than 5 extra flex points. I don't know why I do this. I'll be doing so good, then all of a sudden I'll binge. I did get in my exercise this morning though. I did 60 minutes of cardio. I actually ran 1.5 miles. I really pushed myself and figure I probably burned around 500 calories. Hopefully I maintained today with the workout. I get to start with a new trainer Monday, so that should help me. Well, I hope you girls did better than I did.

I hope everyone isn't getting tired of posting every day, or at all. I really enjoy "talking" with everyone. And it helps me to know I'm not going through this alone. You are all very supportive. I hope I offer the same.

Kim: Don't worry so much about the binging, but try to think of what set you off in that direction. Did you skip meals the rest of the day and were really hungry? Or were you stressed? Overcoming my binging has been my biggest obstacle. But at least with the exercise, your metabolism is speeding up overall. So you haven't done as much damage as you would have before you started exercising.

The cake is still in the kitchen, but I can't hear it yelling at me today. I'm pretending it's stale. :lol: My husband keeps giving me ideas on what to do with it, such as throwing it out the window. :devil: But since I'm not the only person in the office, I can't really do that.

I did just come back from my morning walk. I'm figuring that I walk 2-4 miles a day. I walk on my breaks in the morning and afternoon, and then my dh and I walk 2 miles most evenings. Last night's walk had me dragging. I was really having to push myself to finish. The problem is I have to finish to get back to my car.

I'm going to my neice's 3rd birthday party on Sunday. And I expect there will be all kinds of goodies. I have no idea what to get her, though. Unfortunately, her older sister is really the jealous kind, so I have to find things for the birthday girl that her sister won't take. And since I don't have kids, I have no idea what 3-year-old girls want.

Have a great day. I'll probably check back in later.
Robin

Afternoon ladies....
 

Just a short message as I'm inbetween shifts.

So far I've walked...sun to thrus. I walked last night from 6:30-7:15. In the freezing cold I might add. Then I walked this morning from 7:30-8:15..in the freezing cold I might add again! But I'm loving it! Go figure!

Robin....post 15 times a day....or however much you want. I love it! I've been pretty good with my eating...and great with my exercising...it's this damn* wine! that seems to be holding me back!

Kim...A cheat here and there isn't going to reck havoc on your diet. It's if you cheat every day(I need to take my on adice) that will alter your long term outcome. I had pasta last night for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks. It was whole wheat..and I'm sure I had a bit more than a portion. But....if I wasn't watching what I was eating...I would of had 2 huge plates full..would of been full after the 1st plate and would of forced the 2nd one down because it tasted soooooooo good and then I would of been in agony the rest of the night because I was so full. So...in short...I'm quite proud of myself for that small accomplishment.

I have to head back to work shortly as I'm working a split. I'll pop back in tomorrow around this time and see how everyone is doing. Maybe I need to post back on the buddy group board that we have a board here ....fit by forty for anyone who wants to join as I think maybe we have lost a few in the journey.
Everyone have a great night!

Today's went pretty well so far. I did 90 minutes of cardio, which included a step class, 15 minutes on the stairclimber, running 1 mile and walking 1.5 miles. So far, I've eaten some fat free ice cream (nutritious breakfast, huh?) and 1/2 serving of almonds, and I'm getting ready to make a turkey sandwich.

Robin-you're doing so good resisting temptation and with your walking. Keep it up, girl!

Kelly-way to go with the walking and not stuffing yourself on the pasta! Hopefully we'll have some more newcomers start posting. I was looking back through our posts and there are a lot that have quit posting. I also enjoy the encouragement I get here.

Have a great night!

Hi everyone!

I was just cleaning out some old files on my computer at work and I came across this one about inner peace that I received last year. I'm sure it made it's way around the internet but can't resist sharing it here....

----------------

DR PHIL'S GUIDE TO INNER PEACE

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more calm in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Dr. Phil show, I have finally found inner peace.

Dr. Phil proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished; and, before leaving the house this morning I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of both Prozac and Valium prescriptions, the rest of the Cheesecake, some Saltines and a box of Chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel.

---------------

Okay, so I haven't been quite that bad -- I haven't had any prescription drugs and I only had two alcoholic drinks last Friday. I have been heavy on the popcorn and light on the salad (terrible TOM cravings). :devil: I'm looking forward to a great new week! I hope all of you are too! :cheer:

Sherrie- I love that....sounds like me, lol. I've done well with my exercise, but I'm totally slacking on my eating. I went to an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast after work this morning. I'm such a bad girl. The exercise is saving me though. At least I'm maintaining with the workouts. I need to try the 5 day diet again on Monday. I can do it this time. I would really like to wear that bathing suit this summer and if I don't get serious, it's probably not going to happen. I'm so close. If I could just lose 10 more pounds, I would probably wear one. I need to just make my mind up. I could use some motivation. Hope all of you are having a great weekend.

Kim - great job keeping up with the exercise. Have you seen 'Supersize Me"? The documentary about the guy who eats nothing but McDonald's for a month and has serious health concerns at the end of it in terms of weight gain, blood chemistry and stuff. At least I think that's right -- I've heard all about it from friends but I haven't actually seen it yet myself. Anyway, a guy from Edmonton, Alberta decided he would eat the same diet as the documentary film maker for a month :mcd: -- but he would exercise 5-6 hours a day (who has the time) :tread: Anyway...his results are a testament to the power of exercise. He lost something like 17 pounds, lowered his cholesterol and triglicerides. Raised his good cholesterol. And reduced his body fat composition. Don't get me wrong. I'm pretty sure his menu was pretty nutritionally void and clearly the fat content was high (particularly the saturated kind) but the exercise seems to have saved him at least in the short term.

Keep it up girlfriend - you'll be in that bathing suit before you know it. You've worked so hard. Ten pounds or no, I'd say live what you got and put on that darn bathing suit. You look fabulous! :cp:

I just love you Sherrie.... you're such a sweetheart. I think I will. My friends always say that I'm too hard on myself. Life is too short. I have seen supersize me, and it is a real eye-opener. I hadn't heard about the exercise guy though. That's some very good info. I love to eat so much, that I just need to keep up with the workouts ....maybe even step them up a little to start losing again. I'd rather eat what I want and just exercise more.

I'm back!
 

Hello there! :wave:

After reading some of the posts you all have posted, Thanks Sherri for thinking about me from time to time!

Well, many of you mentioned you had fallen off the wagon & then got hit by the truck...In my case not only did I fall of the wagon but then there was this Mac Truck that ran me over...backed up (over me), ran over me again & repeated this vicious cycle for almost a month! I have all but quit exercising (maybe working out once a week), & binging like I hadn't eaten in weeks! All because I am weak when it comes to handling stressful situations in my personal life. I have been in a depressed state of mind & it has caused me to inflict harmful habits back into my life.

As my 38th birthday approaches (tuesday),the realization that my goals will not be reached if I continue on this path, has set in. As Dr. Phil would ask, "How's that working for you?" keeps popping in my mind. My depression/anger I'm feeling has hurt no one but myself & is NOT working for me at all! But now...I'm hear to declare I'm back on the wagon & holding on for dear life!

My DH & I joined a cabbage ball league & our first game was Friday night. We had a blast! We have 3 team-mates that are in their early 20's...then there's me...and the other 10 players are all between 45-56! It was so funny! The team we played against were all in their 20's and have played in this league for 3 years. They beat us 6-0. But I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. The other team was so serious, but we were playing just for the fun of it! I asked my DH if he wanted to play because I thought it would be a good way to get in some more excercise & boy was I right! we are so sore today, but it's a good soreness (if you know what I mean).

Well, it's sunday; and time to sit down & plan my meals for the week (hadn't done that in a while either). Thanks for putting up with me & I look forward to hearing from you all soon. Oh...to all who have joined this forum since I went MIA...welcome! :grouphug:
I look forward to getting to know you all!

Loren


http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...b/150/125/138/

Welcome back Loren :cp: Hey! I know that mac truck! It has had its way with me more than a couple of times. :stars: What is important is that you've picked yourself up and are, as Dr. Phil would say, a willing spirit. That mac truck will likely be back but just keep getting up. And next time it hits you get out of the way before it backs up over you again. We're here to support you and to share in your journey. Oh, and happy, happy birthday. I've got a few weeks of experience and from what I can tell - 38's not too bad!

Kim, I just have to ask - forgive me if I missed this somewhere early in the postings -- are you doing resitance/strength training or just focusing on cardio? And seriously - celebrate your success and get into that suit!

I did a spell on the treadmill this morning and planned a bowflex workout this afternoon when disaster struck. Now forgive me cause I just need to vent a little. My dh has been renovating our basement into my new studio -- in fact it would have been ready to move into it by mid-week. Everything was fine when he worked down there this morning - he came up for lunch - and by the time he went back down after lunch - FLOOD!!!!! We've never had one lick of trouble in the twelve years we've lived in this home. Now new walls, insulation, flooring -- completely destroyed.

We've been renovating the whole house so we have a ton of stuff down there - expensive tiles, laminate flooring, wood for projects, all our tools, and the storage of all the usual: Christmas decorations, luggage, camping gear etc. Now my exercise room is jam packed with everything that we salvaged. So I won't be moving into my studio anytime soon and I have a couple of deadlines approaching. My old (too small) studio has been packed up for the move downstairs so I can't find anything. And to make matters worse, I can't (and won't for a long time by the look of things) access a single piece of equipment in my exercise room. We haven't been able to figure out what the cause of the water is yet but I'm hoping there's nothing to serious to fix. Can you believe that?!? One minute you're sailing along and then whamo! Ain't life always like that? Crazy!

I have to say that this week is NOT starting off in grand fashion! Is there a funky alignment in the planets that I don't know about? As the french say, C'est la vive -- such is life......it could always be worse. On that scale, this isn't that bad. ....still makes me sad though :stress:

LAUREN!!!!!We have missed you!!!! Are you going to count points again? I kindof still do that, but mainly I'm logging my food and activities at Fitday.com. I think I like that better.

Sherry-I'm so sorry to hear about your flooding issues. That's aweful. I know that would have to be so stressful. You'll be in my prayers. I usually do strength training/weights on Tues. and Thurs. I do cardio for 60-90 minutes Mon-Fri. Most of the time I do WATP 3 mile on Sat. or Sun.(but didn't this weekend).

I'm pretty exhausted. I had such a busy weekend at work and just got home. I'm going to try to get some sleep before it's time to pick up my son from school. Have a great day!

Howdy!
 

Good morning everyone! :coffee: My dh and I made a mad dash to Montana Friday night and came back Saturday night. Was so exhausted when we got back, I went to bed at 8:30PM and, except for getting up three times to go to the bathroom, slept through until 11:00AM the next morning. 15 hours - what a slug! Then we had to head to Washington on Sunday for my niece's birthday. So, I didn't have time to check in this weekend. My diet and exercise suffered tremendously. My food intake on Sunday was two slices of toast with natural fruit jam, some chips, salsa, and cheese dip, a very small slice of birthday cake, and a 12" Subway sandwich. I suppose it could have been much worse, but still not conducive to losing weight. Plus riding around in the truck most of the weekend didn't help either. But I'm back at it today. :^:

Loren: Nice to meet you. And happy birthday tomorrow. I'm 37, too, and will be 38 in October. I think it's a good age, although I hate being called "maam" by the carry outs at the grocery store.

Sherrie: I am so sorry to hear about your flooding problems. Did you find out what caused it? Since my dh and I are still in the planning stages for our house, I'm going to make sure we have a drain in the floor of the basement. Will your insurance cover the damage? What a mess! I'll be praying for you, too. And I know this is a stretch, but think of the calories that you'll burn cleaning up the mess. OMG, I just can't imagine it. Again, I'm so sorry. And I loved the Dr. Phil item you posted. It reminds me of the package of Oreos that I ate, entirely, on New Years Eve because I didn't want them around the house after the first of the year. I definitely completed that project!

Take care everyone, and have a great day!
Robin

Good Morning Ladies,

Hea there Sherrie...Happy (be-lated) Birthday! I hope it was a good day for you on your day.
I hate to hear about your flooding issue :?: ...that really bites the big one!

Hello Kim...sounds like you're still pumped with the excercise thing! ;) ...wish I could get as excited as you are about it.

So far I've had a smoothie for brunch & went to the fitness club where I tried (for the first time) that elliptical thing...THAT HURT!!! :eek: I was only on that ride for 5 minutes & when I got off, my legs felt like they were cooked spaghetti noodles :dizzy:. So I got on the treadmill & walked at a brisk pace for 2.5 miles. I'm gonna go back this evening with my DH to do my strength training & ride that elliptical thing for another 5 mins! :devil: I'm feeling like that machine has it in for me & I just may decide to conquer it! LOL :lol:

Yes Kim I am back to counting points. My mother is trying (too hard if you ask me) to get me to try Atkins. I've been doing WW for so long, it's all I know (except for binging...I know that all too well). Atkings goes totally against WW...besides, I have 2 boys I still feed; their dad died at age 41 because of a heart attack...they were both diagnosed with high triglicerides several years ago...so for thier sake, I feel like low fat is best. I will definatly check into Fitday.com though...can't hurt! :^:

I finally ordered the Winsor Pilates DVDs...can't wait till they come in!

Well ladies...I'm gonna sign off for now...Chat at ya'll later! Good Luck Sherrie...I'll be praying for you & your home.

Loren

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...b/150/125/138/

Good afternoon ladies
 

First I want to say...welcome back to Loren! As Oprah said......no more excuses. It's time we put ourselves first. Great to have you back on board.

Robin--Sheesh....you've had a busy weekend. You didn't do all that bad for your eating. It could of been alot worse. Thank God it's a new day and a new week for us.

Sherry--I'm sorry to hear about your flooding basement. That really sucks. We've only lived in this house for 2 yrs and the first year we never had any problems with our basement leaking/flooding. But this winter...when we had a warm spell and some rain for a few days, our basement was leaking/flooding. Thank goodness that I don't have anything of real value down there. It was just a pain in the a** bailing it out.

Kim--You are doing great with exercise! I wish I was that loyal to it! Hope you are getting some much needed rest from having a busy weekend.

Loren--Please tell me....what is a cabbage ball team? LOL I found the eliptical trainer gave me a really good workout. At first..I could only go on if for so long. Then I'd push myself to go for a few minutes longer each time I got on it.

Well nothing new with me. I totally fell of the wagon this past weekend. Drank and ate myself into oblivion(sp). I got on the scales this morning thinking that I'm going to pay for it now. But, lo and be hold, I didn't gain anything. Nor did I lose anything. So I'd better smarten up this week or else I'm liable to have a gain next week!

Well, I'm off to check out some other threads. I'll chat with you all later.

I'm Back!
 

Hi Ladies! :wave: I'm back! Barely! I have survived the move. We are in the new house and are about 75% done with the packing. There are boxes everywhere! In the new house we have a workout room....it will be so cool once I can find it! :o I just need to get it set up the way I want it. I'm hoping with a room dedicated to exercise I will be really motivated.

Since the packing and moving began I have not exercised one little bit and have eatten almost nothing but fast food. :burger: I feel terrible! Eating like this makes you just feel like warm dog poop! I finally went to the store and stocked up on the good stuff so today is the day! I probably won't exercise until tomorrow or the next day but I will exercise this week. :strong: That is a promise to me!

Keep up the good work Ladies! When you fall off the wagon get right back on! Keep drinking that water too!

Lisa

Hi again.
 

Hello again everyone. I am really dragging today. I'm working okay, and I went for my first walk this morning. But I sure feel like I could use some more sleep. I'm going to go for another walk in a few minutes, and then again on my afternoon break. My walks at work are about a mile up and down hills, and I do them in 15 minutes, so I'm walking at a good pace. At least my heart rate does go up. I won't be able to do my two mile walk tonight since my dh and I are meeting with a potential general contractor for our new house. I'm very excited, but I was making a list this weekend of everything we need to do, and it was very overwhelming. It's going to take every bit of will power I can muster to avoid stress eating during all of this. And like Lisa, I expect there will be a LOT of fast food eaten. I just hope I can burn enough calories to keep the weight off.

Loren: I agree with you about the Atkins diet. I prefer to watch my fat and processed sugar intake. I refuse to follow the diet of a person who dies of a heart attack. Meat and cheese are not low fat. And while people may lose weight temporarily with this diet, they're going to either regain it later, or they're going to suffer other health problems. A balanced, low fat, low processed food diet is the way to go for long-term results. I think that's also what WW is based on.

Sherrie: You mentioned that you have a bowflex. Do you like it? And do you think it is worth the price? My dh and I had a big weight set before we moved to Idaho last year. But we didn't want to move it because it was so big and bulky, not to mention heavy. We are considering the bowflex system because it is lighter and takes up a lot less space. But they're kind of spendy. And we would want to get most of the attachments. So, what is your true opinion of it?

Have a great day everyone.
Robin

Hi Everyone! It's great to see so many of you back!

Robin: I am so impressed that you are able to fit walking into so much of your day. Planning that new home sounds really exciting. I love my bowflex but as you mentioned the downside is the price. I used to lift free weights regularly, then purchased a home universal with weight plates a zillion years ago. I loved that too until I developed fibromyalgia in my early twenties. I had to give up weight training for a lot of years -- I'm just getting back at it the past year. The things I love about the bowflex are the variety of exercises you can do (including cardio rowing on a number of models), the lighter weight of the machine, the fact that I can fold up the bench if I need to get it out of the way, the ease and speed of moving between exercises, the quick setup time for each exercise or to change the weight, how smooth the movement is - no jarring, no jerking, no having to get a heavy weight into position (that's big - it is much easier on my joints than when you have to support the weight of plates as you get into position to do an exercise). The resistance you feel with the power rod technology is different than what you're used to with plates and 100 pounds on the bowflex doesn't feel the same as when you are using free weights. That being said - you definitely get results with bowflex because you are having to use a lot of stabilizer muscles - instead of bench pressing with a bar you are bench pressing with both arms independently using cables - you are much more engaged than when you have the bar to stabilize you. All that being said, there are some drawbacks....all models are not created equal so you really should try the model you are looking at if possible before you buy to determine if it will meet your needs. I prefer working my hamstrings lying face down as opposed to standing hamstring curls - one at a time. The models that do this have benches that are adjustable to accommodate that. Not all of the benches adjust the same way and some feel more stable than others. Does it do anything other home gyms won't? You can get a good workout on all of them and other ones are a lot less expensive. As I said, some bowflex models allow for cardio rowing and the power rods are guaranteed for life but it is still a lot of money. I haven't been disappointed in mine at all. I've heard from others who opted for a Weider crossbow because it was half the money (and they have that fancy smancy platinum one that makes all of the setups and adjustments for you) feedback I found online from owners wasn't all that positive though so I opted for bowflex. I hope that helps. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can.

My last post was getting long so I'll continue here if you don't mind....

Lisa - welcome back. Glad to hear you are getting settled. An exercise room in your home is a wonderful thing. Enjoy it.

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. My new studio is completely gone now. We spent Sunday evening and all day today tearing it back down. Sigh. We had a lot of rain in the fall which completely saturated the ground. Then winter and snow, and freezing rain, and snow. And now the big thaw. The ground can't absorb any more water and the weeping tile around the house is completely overwhelmed so the water accumulated in one of the window wells and came through the bottom of the window. So the good news is that nothing structural is wrong with our home. The bad news is that we are continually bailing the window well out because it keeps filling up from the bottom. The other bad news is that insurance won't cover any of the damage "because the water came in from outside". What is up with that? My dh is now into his busy time at work so our renovation time for this year is pretty much up. We'll finish getting everything out of the basement and dry it out then I'm afraid it'll have to wait until next winter to get re-built. Unfortunately I already packed up my old studio so I'll have to go undo all of that. It looks like I'm going to be in a cramped space for a while longer. But it could have been worse. It could have been a week later after I was all moved in and I could have lost a bunch of paintings. It just makes me sad -- all the work my dh put into it the sweet man.

Loren - have a happy day.

Kelly - climb back on that wagon. Half the time I feel like it's dragging me but I'm not letting go...

Kim - thank you for your kind words.

Loren - too funny! that eliptical comment.

Have a fantastic tomorrow!

I posted this over in the Newbie thread, but I think I also fit in here.

Hey there.

I'm new to the boards, although I've poked around here and there.

I'm Athena, and I live just north of San Diego, along the coast. I'm 39 years old, and will turn 40 this December. I'm married and a SAHM to two sons, age 12 and 2.

Back in 2000, I lost a whole bunch of weight the old-fashioned way with strength training, cardio, and clean eating (lean protein, complex carbs & healthy fats). I achieved my goal weight of 110 lbs. and eventually settled around 115 lbs. The summer of 2001 I was right at 115 lbs.,, 9/11 happened (lots of comfort eating) and then I got pregnant with my second son weighing 130 lbs. I gained 40 lbs. during the pregnancy and came home weighing 159 lbs. In the 2.5 years since then I've piddled around and got my weight down to 144 lbs. for one day, but most recently (a week ago!) I pegged the scale at 161 lbs.

Last week I began doing what I know will work to rid my body of this excess weight. My goal is 112 lbs., with a range of 112 - 116 lbs. for maintenance. I'm down four pounds so far.

I look forward to being a part of this community here.

Welcome Athena
 

Good morning ladies. I just got in from my 50 min walk in the freezing cold. I was going to come home, change and go and run my errands but I think I'm going to unthaw now first. At least the sun is shining.
I did terrible with my eating last night. Hubby came home from work, depressed and miserable. Job related...and I'm not going to go into details, but he was pretty much told if he can't make the numbers by then end of this month, he's out of a job. So that made me miserable and stressed and all I did was snoop through the kitchen for things to eat. So this morning...I said...the **** with it. We'll deal with that bridge when it comes and I can't control what happens, but I can control what I put in my mouth. (knocking on wood) So far so good today.

Athena--Welcome to our thread. Good luck with your weight loss journey. Post here often and you can talk about everything and anything. Ups, downs, highs, lows, family matters, recipes, food finds etc.

Lisa--Welcome back! Good luck with your unpacking! I don't know what's worse...packing or unpacking! Once you get fairly settled...get back in the game woman! We're here for ya!

Robin--We get to building your house and you need to eat out...just remember to make good food choice. Wendys has all kinds of salads and now they have the fruit cup to boot! Just watch the dressings.

Sherrie--I guess you should count your blessings...you're right, it could of been alot worse than what it was.

Well, I think I'm thawed out now. Time to go run my errands before it's time for lunch.
I'll check back in here later.

Kelly

Hello ladies! I hope you are all having a great day so far. I did O.K. with my eating and workouts yesterday and today. I ended up eating app. 1800 calories yesterday and burned about 400. Today, I'm planning on eating 1400 and I burned about 600. I was at the gym for almost 2 hours. I did 20 minutes on the bike, 50 minutes on the treadmill (ran 1.5 miles again, yeah!), 20 minutes on the stairclimber, then weights.

Lisa-Congratulations on getting moved in. :cb: I would be so excited to have my own exercise room. That will be great.

Loren- Sorry for spelling your name wrong on the last thread I posted. Stick with that elliptical. It's a great workout. I started out doing 5 minutes, then worked up to 70 minutes. If you can stick it out for 10 minutes, it starts getting easier. I guess it's when the endorphins kick in. I tried Atkins, and I was miserable on it. I'm a carboholic though. It also made me weak and it made my vision blurry. My body was telling me that is wasn't good for me. By the way-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! :gift: :balloons: :hb:

Kelly-That's awesome that you were able to maintain over the weekend. :)

Robin-You are doing so good with the walking girl. :dancer: Keep it up!

Sherry-That stinks about the insurance. :sorry: I hope things get better for ya.

Athena-Welcome!!!It's great to meet you. :wave: If you don't mind my asking, which plan are you following this time?

Originally Posted by kimberlydrn:
Athena-Welcome!!!It's great to meet you. :wave: If you don't mind my asking, which plan are you following this time?

Hello!

I'm doing what I did before because, you know, it worked!

I'm doing intense strength training 3x a week, and heart-thumping, sweat-inducing cardio at least 6x a week. For food, I'm sticking between 1200-1500 calories, with the breakdown roughly 40-45% complex carbs, 35-40% lean protein, & 20-25% healthy fats, with four or five meals spread out through the day, every 2.5 to 3 hours, with no meal later than 7:30 p.m. I'm drinking 3-4 liters of water a day.

Nothing glamorous, but it's what I did before and it worked well and relatively fast as long as I stuck to my plan (which I did). In the years since I had my second son, I really struggled to get back to the place in my head where I was ready to work this hard. I kept hemming and hawing, and just got fatter. I had a slap upside my head about 10 days ago, and I'm now on day nine of committed action.

I have an weblog detailing all this here.

It feels good to be back in the head space where I know it will work for me. I just wasn't there until now.

Welcome Athena! I'm sure you will find a good fit with this group! I also have 2 kids the same age as yours. I know how intense that can be! Whew!

Sherrie, I'm so sorry about your studio. I know you were really ready for it to be done. Keep the faith that something good will come from all this mess.

Well, I started the day off right with turkey bacon and eggs. I'm drinking my water too! My daughter is napping so it would be a great time to do a little treadmilling but I'm unpacking the office right now. Maybe I'll get a chance to hop it later today.

Ladies, you are all doing great. Each day is a new one!

Lisa

Good morning everyone
 

I hope everyone is doing well this morning. :) I'm thinking work is getting entirely in the way of my having fun, not to mention losing weight. And I'm pretty sure I was meant to be independently wealthy, but higher powers obviously don't feel the same way.

I checked in yesterday, but didn't have time to post anything. I was able to do my walks, and even got in some crunches and pushups. But it was a hard day diet wise. :mad: I had bought some chocolate Easter bunnies for my niece and nephew, but they melted in my car. When I picked them up, I got chocolate on my hand. Of course the first thing I did was lick it off. It wasn't anything but just a few spots. But it left me craving chocolate the rest of the day. Then I went into Wal Mart to get them a couple of other little items to ship off to them. (They're in TX.) I went down the Easter aisle and thought I was going to have a stroke fighting the urge to grab one of each of Easter candy and just binge. I was strong and didn't eat any thing, but it was a hard battle. The only thing that kept me going was that I have a very small box of Robin's eggs Easter candy that I can eat if I have lost weight on my next weighin this next Monday. It's sort of a tradition for me. For as long as I can remember, I've eaten Robin's eggs at Easter, except in the past I ate a really large box, and probably more than one. I'm allowing myself to have that one treat if I can stick with my good eating and lose weight. I don't want to deprive myself entirely, but I have to be good for it. Discipline sucks sometimes!

Welcome Athena. :wave: This forum has been really a great help for me. I'm sure it will be for you as well. I've been here less than a month, but the support is wonderful. And it helps to post regularly. For me anyway, it sort of helps to keep me accountable. Mostly, though, it helps to know that I'm not going through this alone. And no one here is going to judge you for falling off the wagon. We've all fallen off and been run over by it several times.

Sherrie: I'm sorry to hear that your insurance isn't going to help with the flooding. Insurance companies can be really frustrating. We can pay into them for years, but try to make a claim, and they don't seem to know who you are. Was any of your artwork damaged? I sure hope not.

Also, thanks a lot for the info on the bowflex. I shared it with one of my coworkers. I like the idea of being able to change exercises easily and to move it when necessary. And I'm thinking the expense is just an investment in my health and future. And my husband's.

Loren: You'll have to let me know how it goes with the eliptical. I've tried one only once, but like you could only stick with it for about five minutes. It made me so tired. I hope it gets easier.

Kim: You are doing so well. Keep it up! :cp: :cb:

Everyone else, have a great day and drink lots of water. I'll check back later.
Robin

I'm up late, I know, but I'm trying to readjust back to nightshift schedule. I work the next 2 nights. I'm happy to report that I've done very well today, even with my eating. I did 90 minutes of cardio and ate 1130 calories today. I usually eat 1200-1800, but I ate too much yesterday. Tomorrow, I'll do weight training and a step aerobics class before work. I'm feeling pretty motivated again. Summer is getting closer and closer and I'd really like to be down to 140 by June. I can do it.

Athena- I'm so glad you joined us. It sounds like you're very motivated, and it helped me to read some of your weblog.

Robin-You go girl, resisting the chocolate! WooHoo!!!

Hello. Where did everybody go?

I didn't go for a walk this evening, but I did take my two walks during work. I think they're about a mile each, up and down hills, so that's no too bad. I just don't feel like going tonight. I didn't eat the best either. My mother-in-law took me to lunch at Pizza Hut. I had a salad and a mini pizza, but I ate only 3/4 of the pizza. I guess I ate okay otherwise, but I just feel like a slug today. My next weighin is on Monday. I'm pretty sure I've lost some weight, but I sure hope it's more than just one pound. I weigh only every two weeks. I'm tired of looking at the bar on my signature. I need to get my armadillo moving.


Have a great evening/night ladies. Until, tomorrow...
Robin

I just got home from work. I'm in weight loss mode again. I had 1220 calories yesterday and did 80 minutes of cardio and weights, and I did 70 minutes of cardio when I got off of work this morning. We're having a potluck at work tonight, so I'm a little worried about that. I can have the best of intentions and get up there and end up pigging out before the night's over with. It's such a high stress environment. I just try to remind myself that nothing tastes as good as thin feels. Wish me luck.

Good morning
 

Hi Kim. I'm very sorry. :( I didn't mean to exclude you when I asked where everybody is. I guess you and I are the only ones left. Good luck with the pot luck tonight. I have a hard time at those. There are usually so many dishes that I haven't tried, and so I want a little bit of each. And then I want to go back and get more of the ones I really like because I took only a little bit the first time. By the end of the dinner, I've eaten like 4000 calories. :mad: :) But you are doing really well with the workouts. I wouldn't so much about the calories. You're boosting your metabolism with the exercise.

Enjoy the night shift. Do you work rotating shift, or just occasionally have to do nights? Have a great day/night, anyway.
Robin

Hello Ladies! :wave:

No... I didn't go MIA again...just been busy getting back on track! I've been reading all of your posts but hadn't had time to post myself.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! It was a good day!

Welcome Athena! :grouphug: You sound "pumped"! You also seem to have a lot to bring to the table...will look forward to "picking your brain"!

Robin...I know exactly what you mean about people calling us maam...My DH & I like to hang out with our neighbors accross the street... & when their son comes by, he says maam to me all the time. I finally asked him... if we had met when I was 10 & you were 6, would you have called me maam then? I think they all got the point! lol :devil:

Lisa...You are soooo lucky to have your own exercise room! I'm jealous!!! ;)
My DH & I were just at Sears the other night looking at all the exercise equipment. We are now going to "Anytime Fitness" & plan on only doing that for 1 year. After that, we hope to have space in our home to have a room for exercise stuff! We have 4 boys...2 have already flown the nest; one graduates in May & is ready to try his wings :angel: !! We will finally have a large room we can turn into an office/workout room!!

Kelly...we have another cabbage ball game tonight! It's just like softball. The ball is bigger, softer, & doesn't go as far when hit. There is no need for gloves & the guys have to hit opposite of how they would normally hit. Batting order is boy-girl or girl-boy & same is true for field positions. It's a lot of fun!

Well, it was bound to happen...I gained 2 pounds :( . I can't say I'm surprised though...a month with little to no exercise...I'm lucky that was all I gained! :o . I'm getting back on track though...that's a promise! :yes:
Worked out this morning doing strength training & 6 whole minutes on the elliptical monster :flame: . I will get some additional exercise playing ball tonight! I did okay with my eating today...I missed breakfast except for :coffee: ! Had a grilled chicken ceasar salad from McDonalds - have already had over 40 oz. of water! :cp:. For dinner, my DH & I will be eating boiled crawfish with our team mates!

You probably won't hear from me again till Sunday...I have a field trip tomorrow...it's expected to last at least 12 hours! :^: but the money is good!

What's up Sherrie? How are you holding up with the flooding problem?
Hang in there girl... :balloons: we're here when you need us! I'm praying for you.

Good luck ladies...we'll chat again soon,
Loren

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...b/150/125/140/

Thanks for the great welcome. I've been peeking in and out of this site and it's been a bit confusing to me because there are so many niche groups. Please give me a little while to get situated.

My week is going very well. I had to revise my workout schedule for the week to accomodate a rest day because my body was screaming at me to, well, rest. I've been on target with the revised workout schedule and my food, save a stray Cheeto or 10. Heh.

I'm feeling really good!

I hope the weekend is going well for everyone else.

Hello Everyone! I'm not ignoring you -- just lots going on right now. Will check back when I have more time to read the posts and to post myself once my feet are flat on the ground. Thanks for thinking about me Loren.

Doing good on a weekend!
 

Well, as I'm sure most of you have figured out by now, I can be doing so well with diet and exercise during the week, and then the weekend comes and I blow it. It's been that way for almost 2 months. Well, I'm actually doing good this weekend. I've stayed barely under 2000 calories each day so far, but I can at least maintain on that. I really do have my mind made up. If I can keep my calories below 2000 on the weekend and between 1200-1300 during the week, the weight's going to come off. :snail: Lookout summer, here I come!

Robin- I always work the nightshift on Thurs, Fri, and Sun 7p-7a. On the next schedule I might schedule a few Thurs off though. I'm getting pretty burned out right now. We have so many sick people in the ICU right now, way sicker than usual. It keeps me on my toes though. At least I'm burning lots of calories. :p

Loren-Did you have a good birthday? Cabbage ball sounds like a lot of fun. I wish we had something like that around here. Don't worry about the 2 pounds. That's not bad at all. My weight varies by 2 pounds from the time I get up, until the time I go to bed. :spin:

Sherry-Hang in there girl. I'm praying for you also. :angel: :grouphug: :goodvibes

Hope everyone else is having a great weekend. If I can just make it through tonight, I'll be off for 3 days. Yeah! :cp:

Happy Sunday!
 

I love the weekend, but they sure don't last long enough. My dh, dog, and I went for a nice long hike this morning, about 10AM. I'm not a morning person, to is as early as I will do a hike. We hiked on an old logging road, and we saw lots of turkey, elk, muledeer, and whitetail tracks. But all we saw animal wise were two ducks and I think a whitetail deer. But it was sunny, and about 50 degrees. And absolutely beautiful. I'm glad we did it this morning, because now I'm chained to the washer and dryer for the rest of the day.

My bi-weekly weighin is tomorrow. If I've lost weight, I get to eat my Robin's eggs Easter candy. I'm so excited. I'll let you know how it goes. I was able to get into one of my practice pants yesterday, although they were a little snug in the waist. I was able to zip and button them while standing.

Loren: Cabbage ball sounds like a blast! I love softball and baseball. And don't worry about the 2 pounds. I agree with Kim. My weight can fluctuate by a few pounds in a single day. Maybe you just weighed at the wrong time of day. Did you enjoy the crawfish? Do you like crawfish e'toufe(sp)? That stuff will melt the fat right out of you.

I hope your basement is drying out, Sherrie. And that nothing was damaged beyond repair. I know the sheetrock will have to be replaced, probably, but I hope nothing else does. Take care. We're here when you need us.

Take care everyone! Have a great week!
Robin

Hi there- are you guys open to new members?? I used to be a regular here, but my group has disbanded and I can't tell tell where I fit! "Fit by 40" has been in my head for awhile- how close are you all to 40? I am 35- 36 in June. Gives me plenty of time right?? lol

Well, the weekends over, thank goodness. Now, I can enjoy my 3 days off. I stayed under 2000 calories yesterday also. I'm back to 1200-1300 today. I worked out for 1 hour after work. I bet I burned a bunch of calories at work last night. I was in charge of 2 ICU's and we were moving patients out all night to get more in from the ER. It was crazy!

Emily- Jump right in! We love new members. I think we are all in our 30's, from 33-39. Post often.

I've lost some!
 

Welcome Emily! You're in the right spot. I'm 38, so I have about a year and a half before I hit the big 40. And I don't care if it takes me that long, I'm going to lose this weight. Please tell us a bit about yourself. And do post often. I have found it really helps to stick with my plan to "talk" with the other people here who are going through the same thing.

Kim: You should be proud of yourself. I can't imagine going to work out for an hour after being on your feet all day in an ICU. I'm getting varicose veins just thinking about it.

My weigh-in was this morning, and I've lost 3 pounds. That's a pound a half a week, which is fine with me. I updated my bar at the bottom. And I decided that since my highest weight last year was 204 at the doctor's office, I'm going to use that on my status bar. That makes ten lbs I've lost since the end of last summer. I'm now working harder on getting it off, so hopefully it won't take as long to lose the next 10. But I'm not giving up if it does.

Take care all.
Robin

HI Ladies! I'm still hanging around in between unpacking boxes. We are actually finished with unpacking! Its only been 3 weeks from start to finish. Not bad huh?!

I have yet to step on a scale. I'm scared. My water intake has dropped off. It is a new house with new carpet so there is no drinking or eating anywhere but in the dining room or kitchen. Makes it hard to get that water in. I have been get some exercising in. It feels great. We have a TV set up in the workout room. I didn't think I would like it but it really does make the time go by faster. When I am back in the game for another week then I'll get on the scale and see what the damage is.

You are all doing great. Bad days and good days you are still inspiration to us. Keep working!

Welcome Emily. I'm sure you will find this to be your new home. I'm 35 (almost 36) and have two kids (11 & 2). You will find something in common with someone around here!

Oh....I really need to get going on this weight loss thing. I'm getting a job! The company I used to work for before I had my little one is looking for someone. I contacted my old boss and he is going to work on it for me! Yeah! It will be great for my self esteem. Problem....I haven't been really social since having this baby. I've gained ALOT of weight. More motivation for me!

Darn it!!!!
 

:ink: :ink: So much for the 3lbs I lost. :mad: I think I've just gained them all back. :nono: That proverbial wagon must have hit a huge pothole and threw me off. And then it backed up to see what it hit, and ran me over. And then, to continue on its way, it ran me over again. :faint: :stars: I have eaten nothing today, but junk food, except for a banana. :cb: I was running late for work, so I ate a banana on the way to work. When I got to work, I was still hungery, so I got a bag of chocolate-chip cookies :cookie: :cookie: from the vending machine. Then for lunch, I ate several (6) Little Debbie snack cakes :cry: , with chocolate milk :cry::cry:. And because that obviously wasn't enough. I went to Taco Bell and got a Mexican pizza:cry::cry::cry:. They were all good, but it's going to take forever for me to burn all that off. :tread: :strong: I think I'm stressing about all the stuff I need to do before we start construction on our house. So, I decided to take tomorrow off from work and get as much of it completed as I can. Then I won't stress about it. Now I'm nauseated. :ink: